50 Fun Facts About Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies is based on a 2014 novel by which Australian author?

Kidman and Witherspoon optioned the book less than a month after it was published.

Who created and wrote the HBO series Big Little Lies?

Kelley, the creator of Ally McBeal and The Practice, later reunited with Kidman on The Undoing.

In which California town is the TV series set?

The novel had placed the story in suburban Sydney; the show moved it to the California coast.

How many episodes of Big Little Lies were made across its first two seasons?

Each of the first two seasons ran seven episodes, despite the show originally being billed as a one-off miniseries.

Which Canadian filmmaker directed every episode of season one?

Vallée had just directed Witherspoon in Wild and Laura Dern alongside her; he shot the series handheld with natural light.

Which English director took over for season two?

Arnold, an Oscar winner for the short film Wasp, reportedly lost creative control of the edit to the season-one director.

Which character does Reese Witherspoon play?

Witherspoon also produced the series, her first TV project since 1993's Return to Lonesome Dove.

Which character does Kidman play in Big Little Lies?

Celeste is a former lawyer; the role won Kidman the Emmy for lead actress in a limited series.

Shailene Woodley plays which single mother who is new in town?

Woodley earned a Primetime Emmy nomination; Laura Dern helped convince her to join the cast.

Laura Dern's character Renata Klein is married to whom?

Gordon is played by Jeffrey Nordling; Dern's Renata is a fierce, high-powered tech CEO.

Zoë Kravitz plays Bonnie Carlson, the wife of which character?

Nathan, played by James Tupper, is Madeline's ex-husband, which makes Bonnie her rival for daughter Abigail's affection.

Who plays Perry Wright, Celeste's husband?

Skarsgård won the Emmy for supporting actor in a limited series for the role in 2017.

Which screen legend joined the cast in season two as Perry's mother?

It was Streep's first main role in a television series, and she accepted without reading a script.

The season two character Mary Louise was named in tribute to what?

Moriarty wrote a 200-page novella for season two and named the new character after the actress herself.

Which child actor, later Young Sheldon's star, plays Jane's son Ziggy?

Armitage was promoted to the main cast for season two alongside Kathryn Newton.

Which character does Kathryn Newton play?

Newton was recurring in season one and was upgraded to main billing for season two.

What is the name of the school at the center of the story?

In Moriarty's novel the school was Pirriwee Public in Sydney; the show relocated it to California.

Who plays Detective Adrienne Quinlan, who investigates the death?

Dungey returned for season two as the detective keeps circling the five women.

Robin Weigert plays Dr. Amanda Reisman, who is what to Celeste and Perry?

Her sessions with Celeste became some of the most discussed scenes of the first season.

In season two, Jane's love interest Corey works with her at which attraction?

Corey Brockfield is played by Douglas Smith, cast in a recurring role in March 2018.

Who plays Ira Farber, Mary Louise's lawyer in the season two custody case?

Poorna Jagannathan plays Celeste's lawyer Katie Richmond on the other side of the courtroom.

Who plays Elizabeth Howard, Bonnie's mother, in season two?

Martin Donovan plays Bonnie's father; their arrival lets the show explore her difficult childhood.

On what date did Big Little Lies premiere on HBO?

The date was unveiled in November 2016; the UK and Ireland got it on Sky Atlantic the following month.

In what year did Kidman and Witherspoon option the screen rights to the novel?

They announced the deal on August 6, 2014, less than a month after the book came out, first planning a film.

The project was first expected to be developed in what format?

By November 2014 the actresses had shifted it into a limited-run TV series written by the creator of Ally McBeal.

How many Primetime Emmy nominations did season one receive?

It converted eight of them into wins, including the top prize for a limited series.

Which Emmy category did the show win for its first season?

Its late renewal for a second season later forced the Producers Guild to reclassify it as a drama series.

Which camera did Vallée shoot the first season with?

He favored natural lighting and handheld shooting so actors could move freely around the set.

Besides Big Sur and Carmel Highlands, scenes were filmed in which other town?

The coastal locations became a signature of the show, along with its moody soundtrack.

Which label released the Big Little Lies soundtracks?

The season one album arrived on March 31, 2017, and season two's on July 19, 2019.

Where did the series hold its official Los Angeles premiere in early 2017?

Australia got the show a day after the US premiere on Showcase; the UK followed on Sky Atlantic.

In which month and year did HBO officially renew the show for season two?

The timing angered rival producers because awards voting for limited series had already closed.

Which industry body restarted its voting after the show was reclassified as a drama?

The announcement came after voting for other awards' limited-series categories was already over.

Which HBO miniseries was Vallée finishing before he re-edited season two?

Once Sharp Objects wrapped, he took over the edit with his own team and HBO ordered 17 more shooting days.

Which HBO executive dismissed reports about Arnold's lost control as 'misinformation'?

Bloys said the director 'typically does not have final creative control' and that the producers had asked Vallée back.

When did season two premiere on HBO?

The season drew a larger audience than the first and became HBO's most-watched night for an original series that year.

Who was hired in September 2025 to write the first episode of season three?

Moriarty's follow-up novel was reported finished and due in 2026 when the third season was confirmed.

In Moriarty's novel, where is the story set?

The school is Pirriwee Public and the climactic event is the school's trivia night.

What school event is the setting for the fatal evening in the novel?

Moriarty describes the adults' costume party as more reminiscent of a middle-school dance.

Which Australian crime-writing prize did the novel win in 2015?

The Davitt Awards honor crime writing by Australian women; the book also made the New York Times bestseller list.

Which publisher released the novel in July 2014?

Moriarty's first novel, Three Wishes, had been sold to Pan Macmillan back in 2002.

What inspired Moriarty's story, according to her own account?

A woman recounted hiding under her bed from her parents' fighting, a memory Moriarty turned into a scene.

Which of Moriarty's earlier novels did critics compare Big Little Lies to?

The Husband's Secret was her 2013 breakthrough and was optioned by CBS.

Which other Moriarty novel did Kidman and the show's creator adapt together?

Kelley and Kidman's partnership began with Big Little Lies and continued through The Undoing.

Which producing partner of Witherspoon co-founded Pacific Standard, which made the show?

Pacific Standard's first projects were Gone Girl and Wild, both optioned before the books were published.

Per Saari, an executive producer on the show, is the producing partner of which star?

Saari and Kidman's Blossom Films also backed The Undoing with Kelley and Papandrea.

Which Vallée film had earlier paired Witherspoon and Laura Dern?

Dern played the mother of Witherspoon's Cheryl Strayed and earned an Oscar nomination for it.

Vallée won the Emmy for directing the show; which city was he from?

He died on December 25, 2021, which left Zoë Kravitz doubting a third season could happen.

Kidman, Skarsgård and Dern each won which award in addition to their Emmys?

The show itself won the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries or Television Film.

Reese Witherspoon's 'Performer of the Week' honors for the show came from which outlet?

The Washington Post compared her Madeline to her roles in Election and Legally Blonde.