‘Big Little Lies’ season 3 release window, cast, plot, and more

Although it began as a mini-series, fans of Big Little Lies have been hoping that there will be a third season of the hit mystery show. The popularity of the series, as well as the richness of the plot and intriguing characters, is reason enough to extend the show’s run, but when you add in the stellar all-star cast, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see HBO ordering more and more seasons.

The series, based on the novel of the same name by Australian writer Liane Moriarty, left viewers on a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of season 2, with one of the characters on the verge of a big confession. Fans have been speculating about what might happen next for four long years. The fact it was originally a mini-series, plus the pandemic and then the various strikes, meant the prospect of season 3 was up in the air, but a comment from star Nicole Kidman has given some fans hope that they’ll be getting their first does of the show since 2019.

Read on to find out about the potential Big Little Lies season 3 release window, the cast, plot, and more!

When will Big Little Lies season 3 be released?

Back in 2019, HBO president Casey Bloys said a third season wasn’t “realistic” thanks to difficulties around getting the star-studded cast together. The show creator David E. Kelley also made some pretty disheartening noises in a Harper’s interview, saying there was “no such plan” to carry on, adding: “I think that it’s one and two, and we like where our closure is at the end of season two, so that will probably be it.” 

However, as per Deadline in November 2023, Kidman said the show would be returning:

“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 and create that show. And then all of you watched it and made it a massive success. We will be bringing you a third one, just FYI.”

While we have no reason to doubt Kidman, nor her ability to use her considerable influence to get projects off the ground, nobody from HBO has confirmed this yet.

If there was to be a new series, it would almost certainly drop in late 2024. With a bit of a rush, it could fit the same July slot that season 2 was released during, although a fall release is more likely. However, it all remains up in the air for now.

Who would be in the cast of Big Little Lies season 3?

Despite the fact that one member was on the verge of handing herself to the police at the end of season 2, we can pretty safely say if there was a third season all of the members of the Monterey Five would be returning.

So, that would mean Reese Witherspoon would be back as group leader Madeline Mackenzie, Nicole Kidman returning as the former lawyer Celeste Wright, Shailene Woodley as single mother Jane Chapman, Zoë Kravitz as the yoga instructor who took up with Madeline’s ex-husband Bonnie Carlson, and Laura Dern as the wealthy and occasionally unhinged Renata Klein.

At the 2020 Golden Globes Dern was particularly effusive about taking on Klein again, saying:

“Well when Reese [Witherspoon] and Nicole [Kidman] get back here you ask them, but I can never say no to Renata, and she is a dream come true to play so it’s impossible to not want to play her more and be with truly my best friends.”

Outside of the core five, other returners are highly likely, especially given the prestige and great reviews of the show. Adam Scott and James Tupper will likely be back, but the biggest catch would be Meryl Streep, who appeared for the first time in season 2 as the mother of the murdered Perry (Alexander Skarsgård). In fact, the prospect of having Streep appear was one of the reasons why Kelley agreed to go for a second season, saying of Streep’s inclusion that “It’s a delicious character and I felt bringing her in was both liberating and daunting.” Although her character left Monterey Bay after her unsuccessful legal battle with Celeste, she was just scheming enough that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her return to be a thorn in the side of the main cast.

Fans would also likely see Poorna Jagannathan as Katie, Celeste’s lawyer in the second season, as well as the return of the various child and teen actors who took on the roles of the main cast’s sons and daughters.

One (off-screen) person who sadly won’t be returning to the show was the director Jean-Marc Vallée, who tragically died in 2021. This was another reason as to why a third season looked so unlikely, with Kravitz expressing to E! that without Vallée the prospect of going on wasn’t so appealing. However, Kidman’s reveal has clearly shifted the conversation.

What would the plot of season 3 of Big Little Lies be?

Here’s where things get a little confusing: we don’t really know. The show has already deviated from the original novel by going on to a second season, with the series using Perry’s death as a springboard for the rest of its plot.

One direction the third season might take is using more of Moriarty’s work as inspiration, especially her novellas. Kelley told Hollywood Reporter that these works had helped to inform season 2, so the prospect of them being utilized once more is very much in the picture.

No matter what way the showrunners end up going, the Monterey Five and their various struggles and lies are bound to be at the heart of a potential third season.