Critic Reviews

The series is so exquisitely conceived and structured--and so remarkably acted by a top-notch cast that includes two of Hollywood’s most resolute performers, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon--that the soapy layer quickly rinses away in the first episode. What remains is a deeply absorbing, highly addictive murder mystery matched with a carefully considered psychological work-up of an elite community.

Thanks to the stellar work of Vallee, Kelley and the top-flight cast, Big Little Lies, like its characters, delivers a high-sheen surface. But, unlike some self-consciously glum prestige TV dramas, Big Little Lies isn't afraid to be entertaining, mixing intimate, dark drama with sly social commentary. It's one of the best shows of this still-young year.

Big Little Lies is a slow burn. The joy is watching Witherspoon, Kidman and Woodley really working Kelley’s scripts, especially Witherspoon, who just commands the small screen with her abilities.

There is indeed more to say about these women and the fallout from the events of season one, as well as more exquisiteness to enjoy. ... But it’s not just Streep who is fascinating to watch. While all of the principal cast members were terrific in season one, each of them gives even richer performances this season.

If anything, Season 2 only gets richer as it digs deeper into these ladies’ lives. ... Savor this while it lasts, folks: This is as good as TV gets.

Big Little Lies is offering up some of the best psychological storytelling on television. ... Somehow, this kind of rigorous, thoughtful probing still manages to coexist in perfect harmony with the show’s barbed sense of humor, an incongruence that Streep, in particular, seems to relish. ... But the dazzle of Big Little Lies—the money and the stars and the searing comedy of modern manners—can’t override how incisive the show is about its characters, their damage, and their desires.

Though there are a few moments where Kelley gives in to his tendencies for burlesque – as in the characterization of the principal of the elementary school attended by the main characters’ children – in the first three episodes, “Big Little Lies” retains the invigorating mix of dark comedy and drama that made the first season so special. ... Rather than running out of gas in its second season, “Big Little Lies” is more deliciously watchable than ever.

Not the least of Big Little Lies' achievements is its relentless mockery of the moneyed class of California progressives from which most of its cast and writers presumably spring. Its characters embrace every crackpot totem of fashionable liberalism with bubblehead enthusiasm that masks a profound lack of sincerity.

The lessons learned from Big Little Lies won’t be as easily shaken. They lie not in discovering the truth, but in searching for it. And this is one damn addictive search.

Yes, it can be mean, and yes, superficial, and yes, a little draggy (almost a whole episode about a kids’ party, really?). But the cast is fabulous, and the script by Kelley sparkles. A winner.