In the sun-soaked cliffs of Monterey, California, where the ocean crashes against hidden coves like waves of unspoken truths, the whispers have finally turned to roars: HBO’s Emmy-sweeping drama “Big Little Lies” is officially charging ahead with a third season. After a tantalizing six-year drought since the Season 2 finale aired in July 2019, the network confirmed on September 11, 2025, that production is underway, with fresh talent at the helm to unravel even deeper layers of deception, desire, and domestic dysfunction. The powerhouse behind this revival? Francesca Sloane, the acclaimed co-creator and showrunner of Amazon’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” who has inked a two-year overall deal with HBO and signed on to pen the premiere episode while executive producing the entire season. This isn’t just a sequel—it’s a seismic return for the Monterey Five, promising to drag their polished lives back into the spotlight with all the sharp wit, sultry tension, and shocking twists that made the series a cultural juggernaut. As Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman lead the charge once more, fans are buzzing: After all these years, are the lies finally unraveling for good?
The announcement landed like a cliffhanger resolved, sending shockwaves through Hollywood and social media alike. HBO, fresh off a banner year with hits like “The Penguin” and “Hacks,” has been teasing the revival for months, but Sloane’s involvement seals the deal as a game-changer. The 35-year-old writer-producer, whose sharp scripts for FX’s “Atlanta” and “Fargo” earned her a reputation for blending high-stakes intrigue with intimate character studies, brings a modern edge to the ensemble drama. “Big Little Lies” was always about the cracks in perfect facades,” Sloane shared in a statement, her words dripping with the series’ signature intrigue. “I’m thrilled to dive into these women’s evolving worlds and explore what happens when old secrets collide with new realities.” Her hiring caps an extensive search launched by HBO this summer, signaling not just commitment to the project but a broader partnership—Sloane will develop and produce additional content for the network, potentially spinning off more Monterey magic.
For those who need a refresher on why “Big Little Lies” became appointment television, let’s rewind to its intoxicating origins. Based on Liane Moriarty’s 2014 bestseller, the series premiered on February 19, 2017, as a seven-episode limited event, created by David E. Kelley—the legal drama maestro behind “Ally McBeal” and “The Practice.” What started as a taut murder mystery among affluent moms at Otter Bay Elementary School blossomed into a razor-sharp dissection of female friendships, toxic marriages, and the quiet violence of suburbia. The pilot hooked viewers with its nonlinear storytelling: flash-forwards to a murder investigation framing present-day vignettes of Celeste Wright (Kidman), a lawyer enduring her abusive husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgård); Madeline Mackenzie (Witherspoon), the fiery career woman juggling family and feuds; Renata Klein (Laura Dern), the cutthroat executive; Bonnie Carlson (Zoë Kravitz), the intuitive yoga instructor; and Jane Carlson (Shailene Woodley), the single mom with a traumatic past. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée with a dreamlike cinematography that captured Monterey’s misty beauty, the first season clinched eight Emmys, including Outstanding Limited Series, and a Golden Globe for Kidman.
Season 2, greenlit as a continuation rather than a limited series, arrived in June 2019 with another seven episodes, this time without Moriarty’s direct source material but inspired by her outline. The stakes escalated: Perry’s death from Season 1’s stunning finale—pushed down the stairs by Bonnie during a brawl—unleashes a web of guilt, cover-ups, and Perry’s vengeful mother Mary Louise (Meryl Streep, in a tour-de-force of passive-aggression). New layers emerged, like Jane’s quest for her rapist’s identity (revealed as Perry) and Madeline’s marital strife with Ed (Adam Scott). The season earned 20 Emmy nominations, including nods for Streep and the ensemble, but critics noted a slight dip in momentum, with some calling it “more soap than substance.” Still, it drew 2.3 million viewers per episode, cementing its status as HBO’s prestige powerhouse. The finale left threads dangling—Bonnie’s confession, the women’s fragile alliance—fueling years of speculation. Kidman, who executive produces with Witherspoon via their Hello Sunshine banner, first slipped in November 2023 that “something is happening,” while Witherspoon confirmed on “The Tonight Show” in September 2025 that scripts were in progress.
Now, Season 3 promises a bold evolution, timed perfectly with Moriarty’s forthcoming third novel, set for publication in 2026. The book, a direct follow-up to her 2014 debut, features a significant time jump: the core women—Celeste, Madeline, Renata, Bonnie, and Jane—are now navigating motherhood to teenagers, their idyllic lives upended by resurfacing traumas and fresh scandals. HBO chief content officer Casey Bloys hinted earlier this year that the network had been waiting for this manuscript, ensuring the season stays true to the source while allowing Sloane’s fresh voice to infuse contemporary twists. “We’ve heard ideas that could be great,” Bloys told Variety in January 2024, praising the “rich emotional territory” ahead. Sloane, whose “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” reboot with Donald Glover earned Emmy nods for its spy-thriller reinvention, is poised to blend Kelley’s legal precision with her own knack for psychological depth. Expect episodes exploring midlife crises, teen rebellions, and perhaps a new murder—or at least the threat of one—to bind the group once more.
The cast, that glittering ensemble of Oscar winners and rising stars, is the beating heart of the revival, with Witherspoon and Kidman confirmed to lead and produce. “Reese and Nic are the dream team,” Sloane enthused, noting their hands-on involvement from day one. Kidman, 58, returns as the poised yet tormented Celeste, whose arc in the book delves into co-parenting Perry’s twins amid lingering abuse echoes. Witherspoon, 49, reprises Madeline, the mouthy matriarch whose family dynamics with daughter Abigail (now a teen) promise fireworks. Dern’s Renata, the no-holds-barred mogul, Kravitz’s introspective Bonnie, and Woodley’s resilient Jane are all expected back, their chemistry as electric as ever. Supporting players like Skarsgård (if flashbacks are involved), Scott, and potentially Streep could cameo, adding intergenerational tension. New faces? Sloane’s deal suggests opportunities for diverse additions, perhaps teen counterparts to mirror the moms’ youthful indiscretions. Production is eyeing a 2027 premiere, with filming likely returning to Monterey’s stunning locales—those cliffside homes and ocean vistas that became synonymous with the show.
Behind the scenes, this greenlight is a triumph of persistence. After Season 2, HBO hesitated, citing the challenges of sustaining a limited series without a clear endpoint. The pandemic delayed talks, but Kidman and Witherspoon never wavered, leveraging Hello Sunshine’s 2021 sale to Candle Media for $900 million to push forward. Moriarty’s novel completion was the final puzzle piece, with HBO’s Francesca Orsi championing the project as a “prestige return.” Sloane’s transition from Amazon—where “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” Season 2 was indefinitely paused amid creative shifts—feels serendipitous. Her Emmy-nominated work on the spy series, blending action with relational drama, aligns perfectly with “Big Little Lies'” mix of suspense and sisterhood. “Francesca’s voice is exactly what we need to take these women into their next chapter,” Orsi stated, emphasizing the two-year deal’s focus on female-driven stories.
Fan reactions have been euphoric, flooding social media with memes of the Monterey Five toasting with wine glasses and cries of “The lies are back!” On platforms like X and Reddit, #BigLittleLiesS3 trended worldwide within hours of the announcement, with users posting, “Six years? Worth the wait—Sloane writing the opener? This is going to be fire!” Collider called it “the revival we’ve been manifesting,” while The Hollywood Reporter praised the “smart hire” of Sloane to inject “new blood into an aging ensemble.” Even skeptics, wary after Season 2’s mixed reception, are intrigued by the time jump, speculating on plotlines like Renata’s corporate downfall or Bonnie’s legal reckoning. The series’ cultural impact—sparking conversations on domestic violence, female solidarity, and privilege—ensures its relevance, especially in a post-#MeToo landscape.
As scripts take shape and the cast reunites, “Big Little Lies” Season 3 isn’t just a sequel; it’s a reckoning for its iconic women, proving that some stories, like the tides of Monterey Bay, are eternal. With Sloane’s pen poised to script the premiere, expect a season that digs deeper into the psyche, blending Moriarty’s wit with HBO’s unyielding drama. After six years of silence, the lies are louder than ever—and we’re all ears.
