WARNING: Spoilers for Big Little Lies season 1.
Big Little Lies may have started as a one-off miniseries, but an overwhelmingly positive response from fans, critics, and award ceremonies alike prompted HBO to give it another go - but what can fans expect from season 2? Seeing as season 1 ended with equal parts crime and closure, there is plenty to explore once audiences return to the coast of Monterey Bay.
At the end of Big Little Lies’ first season, the murder mystery that had been spinning since episode 1 is finally unfurled. Following the glamorous trivia night fundraiser that takes up the bulk of the season finale, Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), Celeste (Nicole Kidman), Jane (Shailene Woodley), Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz), and Renata (Laura Dern) all converge, ultimately coming together to defend Celeste from her abusive husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgård). Tension rises, truths are revealed, and the answer to the season-long murder mystery is finally revealed. Perry was the victim, and all five women were accessories to the crime.
Now, where Big Little Lies season 1 was a murder mystery, season 2 is the aftermath. The show’s creator David E. Kelly is back; only this time, he’ll be crafting an original story inspired by Liane Moriarty’s novel of the same name, as opposed to a direct adaptation, which was the case with season 1.
Big Little Lies Season 2 Release Date
Big Little Lies season 2 will premiere in June on HBO, though the network has yet to reveal a specific date. There has been a fairly significant gap between the two seasons, with season 1 premiering February 2017 and wrapping up in April. Since Big Little Lies was originally conceived as a miniseries, the show’s popularity encouraged Kelly to come up with a story to follow season 1’s success, which would likely explain the delay. That said, Moriarty did pen a small novella-style story as a kind of jumping off point.
Big Little Lies Season 2 Story
As satisfying as season 1’s finale might have been for its main cast of women, there were plenty of loose ends; not the least of which being the fact that there is a murder investigation underway. In Big Little Lies season 2, Meryl Streep joins the cast as Perry’s mother (and Celeste’s mother-in-law) Mary Louise Wright - not only to grieve and help look after her grandsons, but to possibly better understand what really happened to her son. That said, the main focus will revolve around the main quintet as they come together amid accusations.
Big Little Lies Season 2 Is The End
Big Little Lies season 2 will likely be the last, according to Kelly. At the TV Critics Association in California, he and some members of the cast discussed some elements of the show, and when asked whether or not it would continue, he said, “There is no such plan now. We like our closure at the end of season two, so that will probably be it.” Still, Witherspoon joked that Kelly said the same thing about season 1, so even though Big Little Lies season 2 is expected to be the end, there’s always a chance that it could continue.
