2017: Big Little Lies
We’re currently in the golden age of television, and TV has gotten so good that big-time movie stars are making the leap back to the small screen. And thank God they did, because now we have shows like Big Little Lies, starring Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Laura Dern (and Meryl Streep is set to star in season two). The show is based on the novel of the same name, and despite being promoted as a miniseries, it was renewed for a season two by HBO.
Big Little Lies tells the story of a group of mothers from Monterey, California who end up in the middle of a murder investigation. The drama utilizes flashbacks and mixes in police interrogations to keep viewers guessing how the women are involved in the murder. We also witness the struggles the women face that make them so emotionally unstable, like their affairs, troubles their kids are having at school, and their troubled relationships with their husbands — including one husband who has been abusing his wife.
The show earned rave reviews, which wasn’t surprising based on the superstar cast and the award-winning creator/director involved in the project, Jean-Marc Vallée. Big Little Lies swept the awards in 2017, and received 16 Emmy Award nominations, winning eight. Some of the awards they took home were Outstanding Limited Series and acting awards for Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgård, and Laura Dern, who also took home Golden Globe Awards.