Astronomic wealth, beachfront real estate porn and oversized glasses of wine that belie abuse, affairs and a swank community’s murder mystery — at first glance the hit show “Big Little Lies” appeared little more than a glorified soap opera.
But the HBO limited series with a stacked cast made such a splash that it’s back for an unexpected second season, set to premiere Sunday, after delighting viewers with its high-octane drama, sweeping pans of the California seaside and rich portraits of complex women.
The darkly comedic show’s success also highlights Hollywood’s growing recognition of so-called “mature actresses,” who until recently were often relegated to stock grandmother roles — if not written off.
The female powerhouses of “Big Little Lies” include megawatt mainstays Reese Witherspoon (43), Nicole Kidman (51) and Laura Dern (52), along with kindling talents Shailene Woodley (27) and Zoe Kravitz (30).
And for the second season, the legendary Meryl Streep, 69, came onboard to play the steely, quietly sinister mother-in-law of the ethereal but tortured Celeste, played by Kidman, whose late — and abusive — husband Perry was pushed to a grisly death as he physically attacked his wife and her friends in last season’s final episode.
That horrifying-if-cathartic exclamation point was supposed to mark the end, but after the first seven-episode limited series directed by Canadian Jean-Marc Vallee soared to acclaim, HBO renewed it for a second season by the same writer, David E. Kelley, but helmed by British director Andrea Arnold.
“The response around the world was so extreme,” Woodley told journalists at a press preview ahead of the June 9 premiere, saying the show’s creators at first dismissed the idea of a renewal.
“It was the power of the people that made ‘Big Little Lies’ come back.”
