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Big Little Lies (TV series)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Big Little Lies

Genre	Drama Mystery Black comedy^[1]
Created by	David E. Kelley
Based on	Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Written by	David E. Kelley
Directed by	Jean-Marc Vallée Andrea Arnold
Starring	Reese Witherspoon Nicole Kidman Shailene Woodley Alexander Skarsgård Adam Scott Zoë Kravitz James Tupper Jeffrey Nordling Laura Dern Iain Armitage Kathryn Newton Meryl Streep
Opening theme	“Cold Little Heart” by Michael Kiwanuka
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	14
Production
Executive producers	David E. KelleyJean-Marc ValléeReese WitherspoonBruna PapandreaNicole KidmanPer SaariGregg Fienberg Nathan RossAndrea ArnoldLiane Moriarty
Producers	Barbara A. HallDavid Auge
Production location	Monterey, California
Cinematography	Yves Bélanger Jim Frohna
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	45–58 minutes
Production companies	HBO EntertainmentHello Sunshine Blossom FilmsDavid E. Kelley ProductionsCrazyrose (season 2)
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	February 19, 2017 – July 21, 2019

Big Little Lies is an American black comedy drama television series based on the 2014 novel by Liane Moriarty. Created and written by David E. Kelley, it aired on HBO from February 19, 2017, to July 21, 2019,^[2]^[3] encompassing 14 episodes and two seasons. Originally billed as a miniseries, Jean-Marc Vallée directed the first season, while Andrea Arnold directed the second season.^[4]^[5] In November 2023, Nicole Kidman stated a third season would be made.^[6]

Big Little Lies stars Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoë Kravitz as five women in Monterey, California, who become embroiled in a homicide investigation. Alexander Skarsgård, Adam Scott, James Tupper and Jeffrey Nordling also feature in supporting roles. For season 2, Meryl Streep joined the cast while Kathryn Newton and Iain Armitage were upgraded from season 1.

The series has received critical acclaim, particularly for its writing, directing, acting, production values, cinematography and soundtrack. The first season received 16 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won 8, including Outstanding Limited Series, a directing award for Vallée, and acting awards for Kidman, Skarsgård, and Dern. The trio also won Golden Globe Awards in addition to a Best Miniseries or Television Film win for the series. Kidman and Skarsgård also received Screen Actors Guild Awards for their performances.

Season	Episodes	Originally released
Season	Episodes	First released	Last released
1	7	February 19, 2017	April 2, 2017
2	7	June 9, 2019	July 21, 2019

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	“Somebody’s Dead”	Jean-Marc Vallée	David E. Kelley	February 19, 2017	1.13^[7]
At an elementary school in Monterey, California, a homicide occurs at a school fundraiser, but neither the victim nor the killer is revealed. Flashing back to the first day of school, the families of five first-graders are introduced. Madeline Martha Mackenzie is a strong-willed and wealthy alpha female in town who is struggling to cope with her ex-husband Nathan’s marriage to a yoga instructor named Bonnie while also trying to build a relationship with her older daughter, Abigail. Madeline’s friend, Celeste Wright, is a retired lawyer and the mother of twin sons, who are also beginning at the same school. Madeline and Celeste befriend Jane Chapman, a young single mother who moved to Monterey hoping to provide her son, Ziggy, with a better life. Amabella, the daughter of the equally wealthy and volatile Renata Klein, accuses Ziggy of attempting to choke her at school, which he denies. Celeste appears to have a very happy life with her husband Perry, but he is privately violent towards her.
2	2	“Serious Mothering”	Jean-Marc Vallée	David E. Kelley	February 26, 2017	0.56^[8]
Perry lashes out at Celeste when he discovers he missed orientation at the school, and during a heated argument, he hits her, followed by an apology and rough reconciliation sex. Jane looks for work with little success. Madeline goes on the warpath against Renata upon learning Ziggy was not invited to Amabella’s birthday party. Madeline’s husband, Ed, questions her devotion to him when she continues to complain about seeing Nathan with Bonnie all the time, and Madeline is further disturbed when Bonnie takes Abigail to Planned Parenthood. Nathan tries to come to a peaceful resolution with Ed about their parenting of Abigail, but when Ed gets the impression that Nathan does not take him seriously, he threatens to beat Nathan up if the latter is not careful. Madeline’s younger daughter, Chloe, and Bonnie’s daughter, Skye, attempt to mend the wounds between Ziggy and Amabella, but it leads to Ziggy kissing Amabella and causing an incident. The parents of the four children are called into the principal’s office, leading Jane to have a flashback of an unwanted sexual encounter.
3	3	“Living the Dream”	Jean-Marc Vallée	David E. Kelley	March 5, 2017	1.04^[9]
Perry chokes Celeste when he believes she deliberately left him out of a family gathering; Celeste threatens to leave him. Renata’s party for Amabella is a success, but she is still upset because Madeline had invited Ziggy and several other families to Disney on Ice on the same day, causing Chloe and six other invited children to miss the party. At therapy, Perry claims his outbursts are out of fear that Celeste does not love him, which Celeste denies. When Abigail’s academic performance begins to decline, her guidance counselor suggests it is being caused by stress at home, so she decides to live with Nathan and Bonnie, much to Madeline’s dismay. Jane tries getting Ziggy involved with more extracurricular activities and helps him construct a family tree for school with Madeline’s support. However, Jane opposes Ziggy’s insistence on putting his father’s name on the tree, and ultimately confides to Madeline that Ziggy was the result of rape by a man named “Saxon Banks”, whom she has not seen since.
4	4	“Push Comes to Shove”	Jean-Marc Vallée	David E. Kelley	March 12, 2017	1.04^[10]
Abigail moves in with Nathan and Bonnie. Celeste legally represents Madeline and theater director Joseph Bachman in a meeting with the mayor regarding the controversial Avenue Q, and successfully persuades the Mayor to allow the play to proceed. In the process, Celeste realizes her desire to return to work. Perry, however, tells her not to attend any future meetings. When she refuses, he grabs her by the throat, but quickly relinquishes when one of their boys enters the room. She privately asks her therapist Dr. Reisman how to best convince Perry, but Dr. Reisman is more concerned with why she is afraid to just tell him. Joseph and Madeline kiss, and they are revealed to have had an affair a year ago. Madeline locates a man online whom she believes to be Jane’s rapist; she informs Jane and Celeste, and they consider traveling to San Luis Obispo to confront him. Ms. Barnes, the kids’ teacher, suspects Amabella is still being bullied. Despite Amabella’s assertions that she and Ziggy are friends, Ms. Barnes convinces Jane to have Ziggy psychologically evaluated. The psychologist believes that Ziggy is innocent and may in fact be being bullied himself.
5	5	“Once Bitten”	Jean-Marc Vallée	David E. Kelley	March 19, 2017	1.17^[11]
Nathan spots Jane at the gun range and tells Madeline. Although Jane reassures Madeline that she carries a gun solely for its psychological benefits, Madeline begins to regret tracking down Saxon Baker, the man whom she believes to be Saxon Banks. Renata discovers a bite mark on Amabella’s arm, but Amabella refuses to disclose the perpetrator. Renata assumes Ziggy is culpable, leading to a meeting between Jane and the school principal. Joseph is convinced Madeline still has feelings for him, but she maintains that their affair is over. While they argue, a teenage distracted driver crashes into their car; Madeline is uninjured while Joseph is hospitalized. The incident raises suspicion from both Ed and Joseph’s wife, Tori. After one of Perry’s violent episodes with Celeste again ends with aggressive sex, Dr. Reisman confronts Celeste with the belief that she is being abused. Celeste eventually reveals that she has previously feared for her life and had considered leaving Perry; Dr. Reisman urges her to make at least a plan for the next time Perry gets violent. Jane secretly travels to San Luis Obispo to confront Saxon Baker, taking her gun with her.
6	6	“Burning Love”	Jean-Marc Vallée	David E. Kelley	March 26, 2017	1.39^[12]
Jane reveals to Madeline that she went to confront Saxon Baker, who turned out to be the wrong man; Madeline attempts to convince Jane to give up the search. Ms. Barnes relays to Jane that a petition has begun to have Ziggy suspended. Although Renata did not start it, Jane confronts her and accidentally gouges her eye. She later apologizes, realizing that they both want to protect their children; Renata forgives her. Celeste’s therapist advises her to prepare to leave Perry by renting an apartment and disclosing the abuse to friends. Perry later tries to forcefully initiate sex with Celeste, who defensively fractures his penis with a tennis racket. Returning from the hospital, Perry tells Celeste that she is “lucky” that he did not kill her. The following day, Celeste begins looking for an apartment. At the opening night of Avenue Q, Tori confronts Madeline about having an affair with Joseph. Bonnie tells Nathan that Abigail is secretly planning on auctioning her virginity to raise money for Amnesty International. At their couples’ dinner, the two reluctantly tell Madeline and Ed; Madeline furiously confronts Abigail, disclosing her affair in the process.
7	7	“You Get What You Need”	Jean-Marc Vallée	David E. Kelley	April 2, 2017	1.86^[13]
Following another beating, Celeste decides to leave Perry the day after trivia night. Ziggy confesses to Jane that Max, one of Celeste’s sons, was the student who choked Amabella. Jane woefully informs Celeste, telling her Amabella only accused Ziggy because Max threatened more violence if she told the truth; Celeste realizes that Max copies his father’s behavior. When preparing to leave for trivia night, Perry sees a text message on Celeste’s phone from the landlady of her new apartment. He confronts her on the way to the party, but is interrupted by Renata. At the party, Celeste tells Renata that Max is Amabella’s bully. Meanwhile, a drunken Madeline runs away during Ed’s singing performance out of guilt about her affair. Jane goes after her and finds her atop stairs at the back of the venue, where Madeline tells Jane that she cheated on Ed. Renata also goes after them and apologizes to Jane for having targeted Ziggy. Celeste joins the women, followed by Perry. Bonnie follows them, having noticed Perry hurt Celeste, and watches the group from afar. Jane sees Perry and recognizes him as her rapist. Perry pleads with Celeste to come back home with him, and when she declines, he viciously attacks her. The group unsuccessfully fights Perry off until Bonnie rushes in and pushes him down the stairs, accidentally killing him. In police interviews, the women confirm that a fight with Perry happened, but claim that he fell because he tripped. Later, the five women and their children lounge at the beach, where Detective Quinlan continues to watch them.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	U.S. viewers (millions)
8	1	“What Have They Done?”	Andrea Arnold	Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty	June 9, 2019	1.42^[14]
In the aftermath of Perry’s death, Celeste, Madeline, Jane, and Renata try to move on with their lives, while Bonnie considers turning herself in to the police. It is the first day of second grade for the children and the five women reunite. Perry’s mother, Mary Louise, who is staying with Celeste, begins asking questions about her son’s death, and clashes with Madeline. Nathan worries about how distant Bonnie has been with him and asks Ed for help. Abigail decides she will not go to college, to Madeline’s disapproval. At the beach, Corey, a co-worker of Jane’s, asks her if she is one of the “Monterey Five”. Jane tells the other women (apart from Bonnie) about this, and Renata assures them that the police have nothing. Celeste has nightmares about Perry and Mary Louise questions her about them.
9	2	“Tell-Tale Hearts”	Andrea Arnold	Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty	June 16, 2019	1.47^[15]
Celeste crashes her car while on Ambien, with no recollection of what happened. A worried Nathan calls Bonnie’s parents to town. Gordon is arrested for insider trading and stock fraud by the FBI. Mary Louise finds out that Perry has another son aside from Max and Josh. She refuses to believe that Perry raped Jane by victim blaming her. Madeline grounds Chloe after finding out that she told Max, Josh, and Ziggy that the three boys share the same father. Jane reluctantly tells Ziggy about how he is the product of a rape. Ed discovers Madeline’s infidelity.
10	3	“The End of the World”	Andrea Arnold	Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty	June 23, 2019	1.62^[16]
Bonnie clashes with her mother and remembers traumatic incidents from her childhood. Amabella has an anxiety attack during a lesson about climate change. Renata hires a child psychologist and finds out Amabella is worried about the planet dying, her father going to jail, and Renata’s mental state. Renata blames Gordon for it and confronts Principal Nippal and Mr. Perkins about teaching second graders about climate change. She also tells her husband to sell his expensive train set since they have lost all of their money. Mary Louise approaches Jane at work and requests for a paternity test be done, which Jane refuses. Mary Louise then lurks in the parking lot of Jane’s apartment to take a look at Ziggy. She finds similarities between Ziggy and Perry’s twin brother, who died as a child, but refuses to accept the fact that Perry was abusive and a rapist. To save their marriage, Madeline and Ed visit Celeste’s therapist. During a parents meeting at Otter Bay Elementary, Madeline breaks down while speaking. Jane and Corey go on a date, but she is unable to be intimate with him.
11	4	“She Knows”	Andrea Arnold	Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty	June 30, 2019	1.61^[17]
During a pumpkin-carving party at Madeline’s house, Mary Louise turns up uninvited. Mary Louise gets an apartment in the same building as Jane, which Celeste deems overstepping her boundaries. When Mary Louise subtly insinuates that Perry was womanizing to seek refuge from Celeste, Celeste slaps her. The next day, over coffee with Celeste, Mary Louise admits her husband left her after the death of Perry’s brother and that she deserved the blame. Mary Louise approaches lawyer Ira Farber to gain custody of her grandchildren, citing negligence by Celeste. Madeline and Ed’s marriage continues to deteriorate. Renata and Gordon have a disastrous bankruptcy hearing when she refuses to co-operate. At Amabella’s birthday party, Jane tells Corey about her rape, and Bonnie’s mother has a stroke after seeing a vision of Bonnie drowning.
12	5	“Kill Me”	Andrea Arnold	Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty	July 7, 2019	1.77^[18]
Celeste refuses a settlement offer from Mary Louise’s lawyer for joint custody of the boys, and the case goes to trial. Renata tries to get Mary Louise to drop the case, who in turn taunts her for being bankrupt. A bully calls Ziggy a mistake and that his father is a rapist; the twins defend him and the three of them beat up the bully, leading to their suspension. Jane tries to be intimate with Corey, but the trauma causes her to break down. Celeste, Jane, Corey, and the three boys go on a kayak trip during their suspension, while Renata and Amabella make use of this opportunity to bond as mother and daughter at the pool. Ed and Madeline go to couples therapy, where Madeline promises that she will not make the same mistakes again. Later, Tori hits on Ed at a bar, with Joseph staring at them from a nearby table. At the hospital, Bonnie’s mother asks her to kill her. A distraught Bonnie once again considers turning herself in to the police, but on her way to a police station, she spots Corey leaving it.
13	6	“The Bad Mother”	Andrea Arnold	Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty	July 14, 2019	1.63^[19]
Celeste and Mary Louise go to trial to battle for the custody of Max and Josh. Celeste is completely shocked and hurt when Mary Louise’s lawyer asks her a wide array of personal questions. Celeste explains that she is coping with grief and intends to improve herself and get better. Just before the judge announces the verdict, Celeste interrupts to say that Mary Louise never took the stand and that is not fair. Celeste herself wants to question Mary Louise, and the judge agrees. Ed meets with Tori, who comes on to him and tells him that she has fantasized about him. Madeline approaches Ed again, and says that she wants to try to work it out. Jane questions Corey about his presence at the police station, and he tells her that he was just called in for questioning by the detective, who asked him if Jane has ever talked with him about the night Perry died. Corey claims that he told the detective nothing. Though mildly reassured, Jane stops answering his calls and texts because she says she is not ready for something new just yet. Bonnie confesses everything (including pushing Perry and her resentment toward her mother) to her mom while she is in a coma since she thinks her mother is going to die soon and that this may be her last chance to say anything.
14	7	“I Want to Know”	Andrea Arnold	Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty	July 21, 2019	1.98^[20]
Celeste questions Mary Louise in court about Perry’s brother’s death and how he coped and how she treated him. Later, Celeste shows a video that her son took of Perry physically abusing her, and claims that Mary Louise would raise her own sons to be similar abusers. Celeste ends up with full custody, and Mary Louise leaves Monterey Bay. Bonnie tells her mother she loves her just before she dies and tells Nathan she does not love him. Ed and Madeline renew their vows. Jane and Corey progress in their relationship with Ziggy’s approval. Gordon arranges to keep his train set despite the repossession of their other property, to the disapproval of Renata. When she brings up his infidelity, he makes an obnoxious reply which prompts her to furiously destroy the set and leave him. Finally, Bonnie texts the rest of the Monterey Five that she is going to confess, in response to which all four women accompany her to the police station.

Season	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
1	93% (199 reviews)^[72]	75 (42 reviews)^[73]
2	85% (271 reviews)^[74]	82 (36 reviews)^[75]

Contents

Big Little Lies (TV series)

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Introduced in season 1

Introduced in season 2

Episodes

Season 1 (2017)

Season 2 (2019)

Production

Development

Controversy

Casting

Filming

Soundtrack

Release

Broadcast

Marketing

Home media

Reception

Critical response

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

Accolades

Future

References

External links