After months of talk and speculation it’s now official! The HBO series Big Little Lies is getting a second season.
According to HBO, season two will explore “malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and, of course, the vicious ferocity of sound parenting. Relationships will fray, loyalties will erode … the potential for emotional and bodily injury shall loom,”
With the renewal comes major changes. The show which was initially a limited series is getting a new director. Andrea Arnold is replacing Jean-Marc Vallée . Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon have also signed on to executive produce as well as star in the show.
In a statement Witherspoon said,
“I’m thrilled to be bringing back this talented team of artist. It gives us the opportunity to delve deeper into the lives of these intriguing and intricate Monterey families and bring more of their stories back to the audience who embraced and championed them. I’m beyond excited to be working with talented and acclaimed director Andrea Arnold who will be at the helm. Andrea’s unique storytelling style will be a welcome addition to the filmmaking team.”
Kidman added, “This is inspired by the overwhelming response by audiences around the world, conceived once again by Liane Moriarty, realized by David Kelley and now in the hands of visionary filmmaker Andrea Arnold. What a journey this has been. I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to keep exploring these female characters and make this series with my friends.”
Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Zoe Kravitz, and Adam Scott are expected to return.
While the news is exciting, not everyone is happy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, competitors are fuming that HBO waited until after the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globes nomination voting periods had ended to share the news that it wasn’t, in fact, a limited series. The Producers Guild Of America responded by moving the show into the episodic drama category and restarting the voting.
On Friday, PGA released this letter
Dear PGA member:
New information has come to light today that compels us to re-set the voting for the television nomination ballot.
At the time of the release of the ballots, HBO’s series Big Little Lies qualified for the Guild’s Long-Form Programs category. However, with today’s announcement that HBO has ordered a second season of the series with the main characters continuing into the second season, the series no longer qualifies within that category. In accordance with our rules, we have determined that the most equitable course of action is to adjust the ballots – placing Big Little Liesin the Episodic Drama category for which it now is qualified – and re-start the voting afresh.
We apologize for the inconvenience for those of you who have already cast your ballots. Please take a moment to re-cast your votes as all ballots submitted to date for television for the 2018 Producers Guild Awards have been voided.
The original voting information and your new ballot link are listed below.
Sincerely,
PGA Awards Administrator
No word on when season 2 will premiere, but it’ll consist of 7 episodes.
