HBO’s upcoming series Big Little Lies looks like it has all the components of a hit TV show: an amazing cast, wealthy characters, steamy affairs, and hints of murder that heighten the stakes a few notches. The show, which premieres on February 19 at 9 p.m., is based on the best-selling novel of the same title by Liane Moriarty. Hollywood heavy hitters Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley lead the cast as three mothers in affluent Monterey, California, whose competitive spirits catapult them down a darker path.
In what could thus far be described as Real Housewives meets The Affair, Big Little Lies feels like strangely familiar territory. I can’t shake the notion that HBO’s new dramedy is the TV-MA version of Freeform’s teen drama Pretty Little Liars. PLL is the story of a perfectly normal group of teenage girls, led by a mysteriously mischievous queen bee named Alison, who are targeted by a murderous stalker threatening to reveal their darkest secret. In Big Little Lies, Witherspoon’s character, Madeline, seems to take Ali’s place as HBIC in Monterey. Kidman’s Celeste is Madeline's seemingly devoted sidekick. Woodley plays newcomer Jane, who is just trying to fit in. I’d like to imagine that the other three pretty little liars got away and grew up with a lot less drama.
It’s not clear from the trailer who is going to resort or succumb to murder, but it’s pretty obvious that the Monterey moms’ need for popularity and social power — the same things that land Alison and her crew in hot water — is to blame.
Let’s hope Big Little Lies doesn't also become a never-ending saga of poor decisions and unrealistic plot twists like PLL. I’m not sure I can commit another six years of my life to a show like that; even though I’m sure I’ll try. Check out the trailer, below.
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