HBO offers up disappointing update on Big Little Lies season 3 (though it's far from surprising)

Fans of Big Little Lies are still waiting for word on a third season, but there’s a good reason why it’s being delayed!

Debuting in 2017, Big Little Lies became an instant hit for HBO. Based on the novel by Liane Moriarty, it focuses on how a murder rocks the town of Monterey, California, although it took a while for the viewers to discover just who the victim was. The death soon opens the door for various secrets to be revealed that show the dark side of this seemingly sunny hamlet. 

The show stood out thanks to the stunning cast with Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Reese Witherspoon, Alexander Skarsgård, Adam Scott and more. It was met with huge critical acclaim, including winning Emmys for Best Limited Series and acting wins for Kidman, Skarsgard and Dern. 

The show was meant to be a limited series, but the huge success led to HBO green-lighting a second season, based on a novella by Moriarty. That upped the star power by adding on Meryl Streep, and while not as successful as the first season, it was still a hit. 

A third season seemed inevitable, but there have been various delays. Kidman would later star in Hulu’s adaptation of Moriarty’s novel Nine Perfect Strangers and the other actors have been involved in other projects. As it turns out, there’s a very good reason why the show’s next year has been delayed.

Why Season 3 of Big Little Lies is taking so long. 

Speaking to reporters on a press tour, HBO President Casey Bloys summed up the obvious problem with Season 3 is they need Moriarty to finish up the source material. “We’re waiting for the book. We need to read the book [first].”

Moriarty is in the planning stages of a sequel to Lies with Witherspoon and Kidman speaking over the summer to various places on how it should pick up years later but no other plot details. Moriarty has been busy with various novels, the latest being Here One Moment, which was published in September of 2024. This means her Lies sequel wouldn’t hit until at least later in 2025. 

So, a new season of the show wouldn’t come until, at the very earliest, 2026. There is another obstacle in the tragic death of the original executive producer and director Jean-Marc Vallée in 2021. While David E. Kelly will remain as chief producer and head writer, the loss of Vallee will be hard to overcome. 

So, for now, fans of Big Little Lies are in for a long wait before Season 3 comes around, but hopefully, we can return to this gripping drama. 

Big Little Lies is streaming on Max.