Big Little Lies Season 3 Is Finally Happening

Big Little Lies fans will be able to head back to the shores of Monterey soon. A highly anticipated third season of the acclaimed series is officially in development at HBO, according to Variety and Deadline reports. Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman are set to return as stars and executive producers.

It’s been more than six years since the final episode of Big Little Lies Season 2 aired on July 21, 2019, and there will be some changes. Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-creator and showrunner Francesca Sloane has reportedly been hired as an executive producer for Season 3, alongside Witherspoon, Kidman, and series creator David E. Kelley. She will also write the first episode.

The show began as a limited series based on Liane Moriarty’s novel of the same name, and focused on five Monterey mothers who get embroiled in a homicide investigation. It was a critical and commercial success, winning eight Emmys, including prizes for Kidman and Dern. As a result, HBO changed course and green-lit a new season, based on original material from Moriarty.

Following Season 2, Witherspoon and Kidman, along with co-stars Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz, and Laura Dern — who make up the show’s Monterey Five — advocated for the show’s return. In fact, Kidman teased a third season in 2023, stating during a Q&A at the CME Group Tour Championship, “I loved Big Little Lies... We will be bringing you a third one, just FYI.”

What Is Big Little Lies Season 3 About?

Season 2 focused on the aftermath of the investigation, with Meryl Streep joining the cast and earning an Emmy nomination of her own. In November 2024, HBO executive Casey Bloys indicated that the network was waiting for Moriarty’s sequel book before moving forward with a new season.

According to Deadline, Moriarty’s follow-up novel to Big Little Lies is now finished and will be published sometime in 2026. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the author told Radio Times in 2024 that the new book will feature a significant time jump, showing the lead women as mothers of teenagers, which may be mirrored on the series. “It’s still early stages so I can’t really tell you anything much except that they’re parenting teens,” she said at the time.

Moriarty also confirmed that she’d brought back her main characters, saying, “They’re all there for sure.” The novel has new characters, too, but the author wouldn’t say whether or not they’ll be in Big Little Lies Season 3.