'Little Fires Everywhere' Is Online Now—Here's What You Need to Know

From Harper's BAZAAR

Celeste Ng's novel Little Fires Everywhere made virtually every "Best of 2017" list, and thanks to Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, and Hulu, it'll soon make many a "Best TV of 2020" round-up, too. The adaptation follows a mother-daughter duo who disrupt the lives of the Richardson family and their Shaker Heights community in 1997 Ohio, and we could not be more excited.

Washington and Witherspoon are teaming up to bring Little Fires Everywhere to life. Here's everything we know.

It could replace your Big Little Lies obsession.

The first teaser for Little Fires Everywhere has arrived, and it's every bit as mysterious as Big Little Lies was when it first appeared on our screens. You will not be disappointed.

The official trailer promises an intriguing show, too.

The first three episodes are already on Hulu.

Little Fires Everywhere's first three episodes were originally slated to premiere on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, but Hulu released them hours early, on the night of March 17. The following five episodes will drop weekly on Wednesdays.

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Here's how Hulu's describing the show:

Kerry Washington will play Mia Warren and Reese Witherspoon will play Elena Richardson.

Washington stars as Mia Warren, a single mother and artist who moves to Shaker Heights with her daughter, Pearl, and becomes a tenant of Elena Richardson, played by Witherspoon. Perfectly-coiffed Elena, her successful lawyer husband Bill, and their brood of children seem to have it all. But when a legal battle threatens to tear the town apart, both the Warrens and the Richardsons must face uncomfortable truths.

Joshua Jackson will play Elena's husband, Bill.

Bill is a workaholic lawyer who takes a case of deeply personal significance to his family. Shortly after his casting announcement, Jackson tweeted at author Ng, "Thanks for making Mr. Richardson in the first place. Can’t wait to give him a face."

Swoon.

Rosemarie Dewitt will play Linda McCullough and Geoff Stults will play Mark McCullough.

Linda is a close friend of Elena who adopts a baby girl with her husband, Mark. The couple name her Mirabelle. Mia soon discovers the baby is actually May Ling Chow, the daughter of Bebe Chow, with whom Mia works at a local Chinese restaurant. Bebe gave up May Ling in a fit of fear for the child's well-being, but regretted the decision and has been searching for her since.

Meanwhile, Britt Robertson and Jesse Williams are also joining the cast.

Huang Lu will play Bebe Chow.

When Mia informs Bebe of May Ling's whereabouts, Bebe launches a fight to get her daughter back—a battle that will affect everyone within the Shaker Heights community.

Additionally, Paul Yen will play Scott, who manages the restaurant where Bebe and Mia work.

All the children will be played by newcomers.

Mia's daughter, Pearl, and the four Richardson children—Izzy, Moody, Lexie, and Trip—will all be played by a crop of up-and-comers:

• Lexi Underwood will play Pearl Warren.

• Megan Stott will play Izzy Richardson.

• Gavin Lewis will play Moody Richardson.

• Jade Pettyjohn will play Lexie Richardson.

• Jordan Elsass will play Trip Richardson.

The official Little Fires Instagram account shared a photo of Washington and Witherspoon posing with their "kids" to mark the beginning of production.

Liz Tigelaar will write the adaptation and serve as showrunner.

Tigelaar is the creator of Life Unexpected, but she's also written for shows like Bates Motel and Casual. Her role with Little Fires Everywhere includes showrunner, executive producer, and writer.

Back in September, Tigelaar shared a photo of the shows writers' room:

Additionally, director Lynn Shelton will helm four of the show's eight episodes, including the premiere and finale, according to Variety.

Washington and Witherspoon are also executive producers.

Witherspoon is taking charge through her production company, Hello Sunshine, and Washington via her company, Simpson Street. Their partnership has been in the works for a long time, according to the Big Little Lies star.

"We had been looking for a project to do with Kerry for a long time," Witherspoon said at the Television Critics Association presentation in January. She added, "The first person who I thought was perfect was Kerry. She deepens the conversation and I knew I wanted to go on this journey with her. It just made sense that we were representing completely different kinds of women and different kinds of mothering but both with dignity and respect."

Other executive producers include Lauren Levy Neustadter, Pilar Savone, and Lynn Shelton. Author Celeste Ng is also a producer.

The on-screen adaptation will include deeper conversations about race.

The Hulu series portrays Mia Warren as a black woman, which "does complicate, but it also enriches" the story, Washington said at TCA in January.

"The book really does delve into class and sociopolitical differences and cultural differences, so I think adding the level of race to that really enriches the storytelling," Washington added at the time. "We are stepping away from this binary idea we have of race in this country—of black and white—because we’re also dealing with Asian American identity and immigrant identity."

The story's setting in the '90s also adds a layer of nuance to these conversations in the script. "There was a lot of focus in the '90s on being 'color-blind,' on making color unimportant, in some ways to make people feel more comfortable being around people of a different race," Washington told Variety. "We're at a point now when we know it does matter who we are with regard to race and gender, and it doesn't serve us to run away from that."

Watch this space for more updates on Little Fires Everywhere.

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