Here’s Everything We Know So Far About Season 3 Of “Big Little Lies” After Nicole Kidman Revealed That She And Reese Witherspoon Are Working On It “Every Day”

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

This post contains spoilers for Big Little Lies — you have been warned!

At long last, it sounds as if a third season of Big Little Lies is finally on its way.

The cast of Big Little Lies laughing together on the red carpet
Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images

The HBO series is based on a 2014 novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty and stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoë Kravitz.

The cast kissing their  Golden Globe awards backstage
Steve Granitz / WireImage

The story follows a group of women living in Monterey, California, who get tangled up in a scandalous murder investigation after the death of Perry Wright — who’s married to Nicole’s character, Celeste, and is played by Alexander Skarsgård.

The group in a police lineup
HBO

The first season of the Emmy-winning drama, which was initially intended to be only a limited series, premiered in 2017, and — thanks to popular demand — the second season came two years later, introducing Meryl Streep to the all-star cast.

Four of the costars, plus Meryl, sitting together and smiling
Lorenzo Bevilaqua / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Since then, the show’s stars have teased the possibility of a third installment, with Reese and Laura saying back in 2020 that they “want to do it” but were “trying to come up with the right story.”

The five costars standing together
Steve Granitz / WireImage

And now it sounds as if the Monterey Five might finally be returning to our screens.

The group of women walking together in a scene from the show
HBO

In November, Nicole seemed to casually confirm while speaking at a fan event that a third season of Big Little Lies was officially in the works.

Nicole and Reese sitting together
Filmmagic / FilmMagic for HBO

“I loved Big Little Lies because it sort of came along at a time in my life when I had my children, and I was thinking I was going to retire, and then this situation came along, where Reese Witherspoon and I were able to produce that show,” she said. “And then all of you watched it and made it a massive success.”

Close-up of Nicole at a media event
Don Arnold / WireImage

“And we will be bringing you a third one, just FYI,” she added, sparking a lot of excitement.

Close-up of Nicole smiling at a media event
Brendon Thorne / Getty Images for SXSW Sydney

At the time, HBO didn’t comment on Nicole’s surprise revelation — which, interestingly, came days after Reese, Laura, and Zoë were spotted having lunch together in LA.

  Monica Schipper / FilmMagic
Monica Schipper / FilmMagic

Eventually, Reese doubled down on the confirmation while speaking on the Golden Globes red carpet, telling Variety that she and Nicole have been “working on it a lot.”

Close-up of Reese at a media event
Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty Images

And now, as excitement continues to mount, Nicole is dropping more hints that things are slowly coming together, revealing that she and Reese have been “texting every day” about the highly anticipated project.

Close-up of Nicole and Reese sitting together and leaning in toward each other
John Shearer / Getty Images for the Country Music Association

“We’re at work on it,” she told Variety at the New York premiere of her new series, Expats, on Sunday. “And there’s a timeline and we’re doing it.”

Nicole smiling on the red carpet in a spaghetti-strap outfit with side cutouts
John Nacion / WireImage

When pushed for more insight, the actor said that she “can’t say anything more,” and joked that she and Reese have “got to start keeping our mouths shut.”

Meryl standing above seated Zoë, Reese, and Nicole at an event
Mike Coppola / Getty Images for Turner

Of course, at this stage in the process, it seems that there probably isn’t a whole lot to share. In fact, even Casey Bloys, the chair and CEO of HBO, said he had only “heard a little bit” about what Nicole and Reese are cooking up.

  Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images
Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images

“Where you have all these stars, you’ve got to get their schedules in line, we have to get it written,” he said in a recent interview with Variety. “So there’s a lot that needs to be done. It’s very early stages right now.”

The five costars smiling and holding awards
George Pimentel / WireImage

“The entire cast is doing shows and movies, and everybody’s very busy. But it’s a very special group,” he added. “They love working together. And when they land on an idea, I believe they will make it happen. We’re excited when they’re ready, and we will take those steps when they’re ready.”

The five costars at a media event
Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images

Based on that, it sounds as if we'll have to wait a little longer before we know exactly when to expect a premiere date. But until then, we can enjoy speculating about where they might take the Monterey Five next.

The cast presenting an award onstage
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic

If you’ve watched the show, you’ll know that Season 2 ended with Zoë’s character, Bonnie, informing the other women that she planned to own up to Perry’s death. So it’s highly possible that the third season might be centered on the aftermath of Bonnie’s confession.

  Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic for HBO
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic for HBO

However, Shailene noted in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar last month that the actors who played their respective children on the show are much older now, meaning that a time jump in the story might be necessary.

The five costars with their "children"
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic

Interestingly, the original Big Little Lies author, Liane — with whom Reese and Nicole have apparently been in contact regarding the third season — previously discussed the possibility of a spinoff focused more heavily on the kids as they embark on high school life.

Reese, Laura, Shailene, and Zoë
HBO

“The only thing I had sometimes thought, even before any of this had happened, was maybe jumping ahead to when the children are in high school — years ahead,” she said at the Season 2 premiere in 2019. “So that’s a possibility, but not for years to come.”

The five costars at a media event
Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

Well, whatever Nicole, Reese, Liane, and the rest of the Big Little Lies team have planned, we have high hopes it will be well worth the wait.

Reese and Nicole smiling together at a media event
Steven Ferdman / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

More on this