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.

Big Little Lies offers a modern take that is consistently engaging and artistically rewarding. Narratively, it could have been one or two episodes shorter than its seven-episode length (the plot doubles back and spins its wheels a few times). But this world has been so fully-realized and perfectly calibrated by the cast and crew that you’ll probably wish it was one or two episodes longer.

Big Little Lies could have easily devolved into clichés, like the mean-girl moms in a sitcom. As constructed, though, the story advances at an almost lyrical pace, investing the air kisses and preoccupation with appearances with greater gravity and allowing the characters to gradually develop over the six previewed hours of this seven-episode run.

There are times when you get so wrapped up in the private despair and public pettiness of Madeline, Renata, Celeste, Jane & Co. that when the series reminds itself to tend to its crime-puzzle elements, it suddenly seems less special. Big Little Lies is still a must-see because of its extraordinary actors, all of whom bring either new shadings to the sorts of characters they’ve played brilliantly before or show new sides of their talent.

Whatever deeper point is being made here is obscured both by Lies' labored attempts to keep us guessing about the murder and, paradoxically enough, by the same star power that makes it worth watching in the first place. Still, assuming you're willing to sit through yet another story about the sad travails of rich, spoiled people, there is entertainment value to be found in the feuds and the gloss.

Too often the series fixates on Madeline’s entertaining but ultimately predictable passive-aggressive battles with another mom, Renata (Laura Dern). These mommy rivalries play like something out of a high-end prime-time soap.

The series might have worked better if it let the strong cast make the most of the troubled writing--good actors can elevate tired scripts and, in reverse, tamp down overly dramatic ones. But that Greek chorus of witnesses that props up the construction of the series undermines their work.

The best mini series I have ever watched and I am very happy they decided to change it into a whole show with more than one season. The writing and storyline is spectacular. It was funny but very dramatic. The cast all have stupendous performances especially Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Adam Scott, Alexander Skarsgård, and Zoë Kravitz.

I guessed the twist reveal of the last few minutes of the last episode, in the third or fourth episode. Very obvious passe story. The story is about 3 sets of insanely wealthy parents living in mega-homes who for unknown reasons send their kids to public school, plus one single mom who lives in a normal home. Honestly the immense wealth displayed is a distraction and makes one scratch one's head. Sure, the public school is good but if you can afford a 25 million dollar home, I think you'd spring for private school for your kid. And for some reason many of the parents can sing like megastar recording artists. They do this at a talent show of sorts in the last episode, and again their crazy talent is distracting and frankly ridiculous. Maybe they should have allowed one to sing like a star, and could have been more realistic with the rest. We learn at the very beginning of the very first episode that someone has been murdered. We don't know who; nor do we know who did it or why until the final episode. But actually it's so obvious who will be killed, that you will guess early on and then dismiss it as too obvious. But you'd be right. However, the exact killer (think True Crime season one) seems random because, I am told, they didn't include the information from the book that reveals the motivation. So, that's a bit of a problem. That said, the acting is great.

Feels a bit like because it has Kidman and Witherspoon in it it has to be good. For me I find it ok, definatley average, certainly not something new, stunning or special. I think its being over-hyped and the PR wagon is making it appear better than it really is.

Rich White People Problems. Ocean front mansions. Pettiness. Spoiled precocious kids. Overacting. Overreacting. Nic Kidman doesn't look a day over 30 (thanks to Botox & Juvederm). Keep waiting for Witherspoon, as she's sipping her white wine, to look at the camera and say "Don't you know who I am?!" Keep waiting for Skarsgard to take his shirt off. Kravitz is the "exotic" addition who sticks out like a sore thumb "Why am I here?" Woodley is the only character that's keeping me watching out of **** sure I can take much more of this show.

Shallow Story Line, and Shallow Lives. And no 6 year old would have the music taste of a 50 year old man. The murder suspense is a cheap trick to keep the viewer engaged, yet doesn't work for me.