Big Little Lies

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 19, 2017
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 313 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 279 out of 313
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 313
  3. Negative: 20 out of 313
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User Reviews

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  1. Berlyvonne
    Apr 15, 2017
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. START OVER USING SAME CAST WITH A DIFFERENT SCRIPT
    Let me preface my review by saying I'm an avid reader and fairly critical of books made into movies. I understand that minor changes are sometimes needed to make the transition to screen. However, my # 1 pet peeve is major plot changes. If someone liked the book enough to license the movie then stay true to the plot of the book and keep the essence of the characters. Otherwise, write your own story! Big Little Lies was a fairly good read. I don't think anything about the characters or plot needed to be tweaked or changed. This book was quite literally made for TV.

    The positives
    *Well cast show- Reese Witherspoon was the perfect Madeline!
    * The location change from Australia to California actually worked and made no appreciable difference to the plot.

    Negatives that caused me to feel less enthusiastic about the show each week.
    *The editing was distracting. For example, Jane is talking one minute and then all of a sudden she'd be screaming on the cliff. Other flashbacks seem totally misplaced.
    *The music in and of itself was good, but my goodness it served as a distraction. Who demanded that their playlist serve as the background music? This criticism is coming from a 45 yr old woman by the way. We all know that these characters would not have had most of that music on their playlists...lol.
    *I didn't feel like Jane's back story or story came across well. The show lost the nuance portrayed in book.
    *There was no need to make Madeline have an affair. This plot was a major distraction especially discussing the affair with a teenage daughter.
    *Totally missed the mark with Nathan's character (compared to book). The book provided more nuance with this character that could have been captured on screen. Nathan was just a jerk in the mini-series.
    *In the book Renata and her husband had a juicy story with an actual affair. I was disappointed that Renata's story wasn't developed a little bit more. The show could have spent less time on the talent show and Madeline crying over an affair that didn't even happen in the book and used those minutes to develop the character's stories from the book that were actually interesting.
    *The ending was a huge let-down! Did not do the book justice AT ALL. Hollywood it's ok to end a TV show on an amibigous note rather than a happy one. Why no dialogue to explain why Bonnie push Perry.

    I originally started with a rating of 2, but the actors work good so I bumped the score to a 4.    … Expand
  2. NikolayG
    May 5, 2017
    5
    I guessed the twist reveal of the last few minutes of the last episode, in the third or fourth episode. Very obvious passe story. The story is about 3 sets of insanely wealthy parents living in mega-homes who for unknown reasons send their kids to public school, plus one single mom who lives in a normal home. Honestly the immense wealth displayed is a distraction and makes one scratchI guessed the twist reveal of the last few minutes of the last episode, in the third or fourth episode. Very obvious passe story. The story is about 3 sets of insanely wealthy parents living in mega-homes who for unknown reasons send their kids to public school, plus one single mom who lives in a normal home. Honestly the immense wealth displayed is a distraction and makes one scratch one's head. Sure, the public school is good but if you can afford a 25 million dollar home, I think you'd spring for private school for your kid. And for some reason many of the parents can sing like megastar recording artists. They do this at a talent show of sorts in the last episode, and again their crazy talent is distracting and frankly ridiculous. Maybe they should have allowed one to sing like a star, and could have been more realistic with the rest. We learn at the very beginning of the very first episode that someone has been murdered. We don't know who; nor do we know who did it or why until the final episode. But actually it's so obvious who will be killed, that you will guess early on and then dismiss it as too obvious. But you'd be right. However, the exact killer (think True Crime season one) seems random because, I am told, they didn't include the information from the book that reveals the motivation. So, that's a bit of a problem. That said, the acting is great.… Expand
  3. batesm0t3l
    Mar 13, 2017
    5
    Feels a bit like because it has Kidman and Witherspoon in it it has to be good. For me I find it ok, definatley average, certainly not something new, stunning or special. I think its being over-hyped and the PR wagon is making it appear better than it really is.

Awards & Rankings

67
#67 Best TV Season of 2017
28
#28 Most Discussed TV Season of 2017
39
#39 Most Shared TV Season of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Emily Nussbaum
    Feb 27, 2017
    80
    Generous to its characters, even those who begin as clichés, the series becomes a reflection on trauma; at its best moments, it makes risky observations, especially about the dynamics of domestic abuse. Even when it doesn’t dig so deep, it’s still full of strong performances, including those by a terrific set of child actors.
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  2. The Huffington Post
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Feb 22, 2017
    70
    While a tale of restless discontent in a rich California coastal town offers an intriguing ride, it’s also a deliberate one. Think of it as a Sunday drive, at a leisurely pace that enables the passengers to absorb every detail of the scenery.
    Read full review
  3. Salon
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    Feb 21, 2017
    50
    Too bad its uptightness gets in the way of its potential for pleasure--even that of the guilty variety.
    Read full review
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