Once upon a time, the idea of a second season for Big Little Lies seemed like fiction because, seriously, pulling those five incredibly busy actresses onto a single set at the same time was probably already difficult for a first season. Then the unthinkable did happen with the lies growing bigger in 2019, followed by a Hollywood production hellscape in many ways. Now and after years of speculation about the ladies wanting to get the band back together, the third season is almost certainly in the works.
Yes, David E. Kelley’s series with an unbeatable leading five — portrayed by Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravitz, Laura Dean, and Shailene Woodley — has more lies that it wants to tell, despite author Liana Moriarty never writing a third book. And that’s alright because she didn’t technically write a second book either, but she did pen a novella specifically for HBO once it became apparent that the first season was a hit, and audiences wanted more. In doing so, Moriarty specifically created a role for Meryl Streep, who gave us the most loathsome mother-in-law possible as Mary Louise, who managed to be annoying even while grieving for her son, Perry (Alexander Skarsgård), who was the abusive husband to Kidman’s Celeste.
What shall come in the third season, for which Moriarty has reportedly done the deed again? Let’s talk it out.
Plot
David E. Kelley recently put a bow on almost-confirmation while promoting Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent (starring Jake Gyllenhaal) during a chat with TV Line:
“We’re a bit away from [starting production]. We’ve got Reese [Witherspoon] and Nicole leading that charge, freeing me up to deal with Presumed [Innocent] here. There are a lot of schedules that have to be worked out, but there’s a lot of passion for the project, from everybody involved. And I miss the characters! It would be great to spend time with them again because they were all very close to me. So, yeah, we’re all crossing our fingers.”
As for Nicole Kidman, she also revealed, “We’re moving fast and furious. Liane [Moriarty] is delivering the book. We’re in good shape.” She added that her daughter believed that Celeste needed to do a lot more work before being able to leave her marriage behind and be happy in life. Well, it would help if Mary Louise never showed her face again, but you know that isn’t possible. Gotta have that drama in this show because, c’mon, it’s a David E. Kelley production.
What could happen in this season? Well, we need to see some legit ice cream throwing, but on a more serious note, we last saw the Monterey Five — Madeline, Celeste, Bonnie, Renata, and Jane — they had headed to the police station to give interviews on their involvement in Perry’s death. The audience knows that Bonnie was actually the person who killed Perry during a fit of rage, so it’s unclear whether Bonnie will be only person truly on the hook or whether the other four will be charged with aiding and abetting a homicide.
This show wouldn’t fare so well if it transformed into a prison-based drama, so we can assume that somehow, these ladies squirm out of this mess. Yes, the group coverup does not look good, but surely, probation will suffice, so that the soap operatics and school-run drama can begin again in earnest.
Cast
Nobody could portray the five stars other than Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Kravitz, Laura Dean, and Shailene Woodley.
Will we see these ladies’ ridiculous (and somewhat long-suffering) husbands again, as portrayed by Adam Scott, Jean Marc-Vallée, and Jeffrey Nordling? Surely, Adam Scott could find a few days to pop over in the midst of his Severance duties. As for Alexander Skarsgård’s character, Perry remains dead, but flashbacks are possible, as is the return of Meryl Streep as Perry’s nightmare mother, Mary Louise.
Release Date
As soon as filming can begin, a release date shouldn’t be too far away. No special effects will be needed, after all, so 2025 is entirely conceivable for airtime.
Trailer
Since we were robbed of the scene where Madeline throws an ice-cream cone at Mary Louise, the next best thing is to refresh on their first scene together. Imagine meeting a person for the first time and hearing that you are “short” and that “little people” are “untrustworthy.”
