Big Little Lies Season 2: Release date, plot, cast, trailer and everything else about new season of HBO show

Meryl Streep is the latest addition to the already explosive cast of 'Big Little Lies' and the show will take it forward from Perry's death

With eight Emmys and four Golden Globes in its kitty, HBO’s hit drama ‘Big Little Lies’ is returning for a second season this summer. The drama series tells the story of three emotionally troubled women (played by Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Shailene Woodley) in Monterey, California, who find themselves caught up in a murder investigation.

The first season was based on the best-selling book of the same name by Liane Moriarty. While the show was originally supposed to be a limited series with no plans for a second season, HBO renewed the series and Moriarty wrote a novella as a template for the script.

BIg little lies

Release date

The second season of Big Little Lies will premiere on June 9, 2019, exclusively to HBO.

Plot

HBO describes the upcoming season as, "The subversive, darkly comedic drama ‘Big Little Lies’ will explore the 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.”

The second season will look into the aftermath of Perry’s death and how the lies from the first season follow the families and their friendships.

Cast

Reese Witherspoon as Madeline Martha Mackenzie

Reese Witherspoon of the Season Two series 'Big Little Lies' appears onstage during the HBO segment of the 2019 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on February 08, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Getty Images)

Witherspoon has several accolades under her belt including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards. She received international fame for the role of Elle Woods in 'Legally Blonde'. Her next film 'Sweet Home Alabama' became her biggest live-action commercial success. She has received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie and Outstanding Limited Series, winning the latter as a producer, all for 'Big Little Lies'.

Nicole Kidman as Celeste Wright

Nicole Kidman attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Getty Images)

Kidman won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her role of Wright in 'Big Little Lies'. She also won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series for co-producing the show. She has received two consecutive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing a courtesan in the musical 'Moulin Rouge!' and for essaying the role of acclaimed writer Virginia Woolf in 'The Hours'.

Shailene Woodley as Jane Chapman

Actress Shailene Woodley attends Carolina Herrera fall 2019 runway show during (NYFW) New York Fashion Week held at New York Historical Society 170 Central Park West on February 11, 2019 in New York City. (Getty Images)

Woodley rose to prominence for her role of Amy Juergens on 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager' - a role for which she received five Teen Choice Awards nominations. She also received critical acclaim for her film debut in 'The Descendants', for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. Her role in 'The Spectacular Now' won her the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Dramatic Acting. For her role of Chapman on 'Big Little Lies', she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award.

Meryl Streep as Mary Louise Wright 

Meryl Streep attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Getty Images)

Streep requires no introduction. The Academy Award-winning actress will be essaying the role of Perry's mother.

The actress is often described as the best actress of her generation and is known for her versatility and accent adaptation. She has a record nomination of 21 Academy Awards (winning three), 31 Golden Globe Awards (winning eight). She has also won three Primetime Emmy Awards and has been nominated for 15 British Academy Film Awards.

Creators of the show

All seven episodes were written by David E Kelly and directed by Andrea Arnold. She won an Academy Award for her short film 'Wasp' in 2005. She has since worked on feature films and television such as 'Red Road', 'Fish Tank', and 'American Honey' - all of which have won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. She has also directed four episodes of the Emmy Award-winning series 'Transparent'.

Trailers

Where to watch

The second season will release exclusively on HBO on June 9, 2019.

If you liked this, you'll love these

1. How to Get Away With Murder

2. Top of the Lake

3. Scandal 

4. The Slap

5. Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Sean Reagan’s past shapes a rescue in ‘Boston Blue’ Season 2 Episode 6 as Mika Amonsen discusses continuing the character’s ‘Blue Bloods’ story.
2026-11-14T19:02:59.000Z
Left Bank Pictures has responded to a tragic incident at the Edinburgh studio used for ‘Dept. Q’ as police inquiries into the circumstances continue.
2026-11-14T15:25:47.000Z
A fan-favorite ‘Matlock’ star shares a behind-the-scenes update as the CBS drama prepares for its Season 3 return.
2026-11-14T14:08:57.000Z
‘Gilmore Girls’ documentary ‘Drink Coffee, Talk Fast’ brings back familiar cast members, including Jared Padalecki and Scott Pattersonts
2026-11-14T10:08:21.000Z
'CSI' veteran Marg Helgenberger was once one of the highest-paid small-screen actresses
2026-11-14T09:17:43.000Z
Dexter sets his sights on the Jaw Splitter in Season 2, Episode 3, while a fan theory links the mysterious killer to actor Jack Dylan Grazer.
2026-11-14T07:37:35.000Z
‘Law & Order: SVU’ showrunner Michele Fazekas addresses Benson and Stabler’s future after their emotional reunion in the milestone 600th episode
2026-11-14T07:25:13.000Z
‘Station 19’ alum Jay Hayden joins ‘Fire Country’ Season 5 as Mason Ellis, whose return to Edgewater sparks a new conflict between Bode and Jake
2026-11-14T06:34:18.000Z
CBS brings ‘Marshals’ and ‘Tracker’ back to its Sunday lineup on November 15 with new episodes following a one-week break for ‘Cupertino.’
2026-11-14T05:54:18.000Z
Boone and Mickey's relationship gets complicated with Emmy's arrival in 'Sheriff Country'
2026-11-14T04:43:33.000Z