Meet The Cast & Characters Of Sharp Objects, HBO’s Darkest Show Yet

There’s a reason why Sharp Objects, HBO’s dark new drama premiering on Sunday, July 8, will be constantly compared to Big Little Lies. Both shows are adaptations of popular books — Sharp Objects is adapted from Gillian Flynn’s first novel, and Big Little Lies from Liane Moriarty’s chart-topper. Both are directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. And both shows are taut puzzles whose mysteries unfurl the course of a short season that keeps audiences captivated during the high summer months.

The most significant difference? Sharp Objects is, to put it simply, creepy AF. In the show, journalist Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) reluctantly returns to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri, in the southern boot of the state, to investigate the murders of two pre-teen girls. While staying in her mother’s ornate Victorian house, she’s once again steeped in the stuffy environment from which she's tried so hard to escape.

Don't believe the sweet, treacly greetings exchanged between Wind Gap residents for a second — these niceties mask the real dynamics at work. With this cast and character primer, you can be as skeptical and as cunning as Camille while watching Sharp Objects.