History Series / BigLittleLies

Set in Monterey, California, ''Big Little Lies'' follows the lives of three struggling women who become entangled in a murder investigation: [[MyBelovedSmother alpha mom]] Madeline (Creator/ReeseWitherspoon), {{Stepford smiler}} Celeste (Creator/NicoleKidman), and [[AbsurdlyYouthfulMother young mother]] Jane (Creator/ShaileneWoodley). Along the way, {{alpha bitch}} Renata (Creator/LauraDern) and Bonnie (Creator/ZoeKravitz), the [[TrophyWife younger second wife]] of Madeline's ex-husband, get involved, [[FireForgedFriends forcing them]] into an unexpected alliance.

Upon its 2017 debut, ''Big Little Lies'' was a critical favorite and niche hit, ultimately winning five Primetime UsefulNotes/{{Emmy Award}}s for Limited Series, Directing (Vallée), Actress (Kidman), Supporting Actor (Skarsgård), and Supporting Actress (Dern).

Because of its success, ''Big Little Lies'' was renewed for a second season, despite originally being announced as a seven-episode limited series. Andrea Arnold (''Film/FishTank'') was tapped to direct, replacing Vallée (who remained an executive producer), while Creator/MerylStreep joined the cast as Perry's mother Mary Louise. Creator/DenisOHare also features in a recurring role.

Talk of a third season was frequent after the second season of the show finished airing in July of 2019, but the unexpected death of Vallée in late 2021 means any plans won't move forward according to an interview with Kravitz.

* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler:Bonnie in the chaos of the struggle runs forward and pushes Perry down the flight of damaged concrete stairs, cussing to fall and be impaled as a result.]]

* ContrivedCoincidence: Jane's rapist, [[spoiler:Perry]], uses the name "Saxon Banks" in the book and the series. This is revealed to be his cousin's name in the book, but they are UnrelatedInTheAdaptation and so the usage of the Saxon Banks of Monterey name turns out to be a total example of this.

* OvertookTheSeries: Since the first season was a complete adaptation of the source novel, the second season is entirely original to the series.

* YourCheatingHeart:
** Madeline's affair, added to the plot from the book at Reese Witherspoon's insistence.
** At the creditors' meeting after the Kleins have declared bankruptcy, Renata learns that Gordon had not only been cheating on her with Juliette, he had promised to ''pay her'' over $100,000 for it as "stress management".

** So was Celeste bruising herself or not? Was it from the aggressive sex? If it was, *how* was she finding so many people willing to be *that* aggressive just hanging about?

** So was Celeste bruising herself or not? Was it from the aggressive sex? If it was, *how* was she finding so many people willing to be **that** aggressive just hanging about?

** So was Celeste bruising herself or not? Was it from the aggressive sex? If it was, ***how*** was she finding so many people willing to be **that** aggressive just hanging about?

** So was Celeste bruising herself or not? Was it from the aggressive sex? If it was, **how** was she finding so many people willing to be **that** aggressive just hanging about?

** So was Celeste bruising herself or not?

* NatureVersusNurture: Discussed at length by Jane in the series, who fears that Ziggy will end up just like his father, her rapist. The show comes down on the side of [[spoiler:nurture. Although he and Ziggy have the same father, Max was actually the one hitting Amabella, because he witnessed his father's violence towards his mother, Celeste]].

''Big Little Lies'' is an Creator/{{HBO}} drama series created by Creator/DavidEKelley, based on [[Literature/BigLittleLies the novel of the same name]] by Liane Moriarty.

* WorkplaceAcquiredAbilities: Celeste's past as a lawyer doesn't come into play until the Season 2 finale when she invokes the fact that her law license is still valid in order to personally question Mary Louise at the custody hearing."

** Mary-Louise is a total monster, but she has a point that the Ambien-addled Celeste who blacks out repeatedly is not a great parental support. (Although this also makes Mary-Louise a massive {{Hypocrite}}, giving that she was a much worse mother.)

* CastingGag: The story is about rich Monterey, California suburban moms whose priorities initially seem to be their wealthy families and their children's private-school activities. Their fashion and beautiful homes are given much focus by the SceneryPorn. Middle-class single mom Jane acts as the PennyAmongDiamonds.

* WorkplaceAcquiredAbilities: Celeste's past as a lawyer doesn't come into play until the Season 2 finale when she invokes the fact that her law license is still valid in order to personally question Mary Louise at the custody hearing.

* AdaptationDeviation: Among the most significant deviations from the book is Madeline and Ed's marriage. In the series, Madeline has an affair and their marriages lacks much passion, while the book alludes to no such problems. [[note]]This is because Reese Witherspoon [[http://www.vogue.com/article/reese-witherspoon-big-little-lies-madeline-mackenzie felt Madeline's life]] was too perfect and [[ActorInspiredElement wanted the character to have some personal conflict]].[[/note]]

** Renata's husband is very loving in the series, while he's barely there in the book and [[spoiler: it's revealed he cheated on her for a long time with the French maid Juliette]].

* AdaptedOut: Madeline and Ed had a son named Fred in the novel, who doesn't exist in the television series.

* AllAbusersAreMale: Played straight in the series, which omits a scene in which Celeste meets a man who was abused by a woman.
** Averted in the second season, where [[spoiler: Bonnie]]'s mom is revealed to be abusive, as was [[spoiler:Mary Louise]].

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The first season ends with [[spoiler:no resolution to the affair storyline between Joseph and Madeline]], and will possibly be addressed in season two.

* JerkassHasAPoint: While Renata isn't helping the Kleins' situation by smashing some of Gordon's model trains and other collectibles with a baseball bat, since many are rare and he has sold them to a collector so he can keep them in the house, she's right to be angry since this was extremely insensitive on her husband's part given that most of their problems are entirely his fault and ''she''s had to give up a lot of their former lifestyle.