10 biggest TV returns of 2019 you need to watch out for

Big Little Lies

The critically acclaimed HBO drama Big Little Lies is returning for a second season – one which, unlike its first, is no longer based on the novel of the same name. (Lianne Moriarty’s book largely ended the same way season 1 did and doesn’t have a sequel, so we’re jumping into all-new territory here.)

Did this show – originally billed as a “limited series” – need a season 2? Probably not, given that its first provided closure to most of the series’ ongoing storylines. But, somehow, HBO got Meryl Streep to join the cast – which already included heavy hitters like Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, and Laura Dern – so this show could basically be six hours of these women sitting around reading Craigslist ads and we’d be fine with it.

Instead, it looks like we’re going to get some kind of follow-up storyline involving the death of Celeste’s abusive husband Perry. (Streep is playing his mother, Mary Louise.) This also likely means we’ll see Alexander Skarsgard again in some capacity, as his character could easily appear in flashbacks. Hopefully, we’ll also get to see the relationships between the series’ female leads deepen, as these friends and former frenemies navigate life in Monterey. And it wouldn’t hurt to learn a bit more about secondary characters Renata and Bonnie, either. Just as long as we’re making requests.

At any rate, Big Little Lies’ second season will doubtless be perfectly acted and emotionally compelling. (And we’ll all be watching it, whether we “need” it or not!)