Will There Be a Season 3 of Big Little Lies? Is BLL Cancelled or Renewed?

Getty Zoe Kravitz, Laura Dern, Reese Witherspoon, David E. Kelley, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Shailene Woodley of the Season Two series 'Big Little Lies'

The season 2 finale of Big Little Lies airs Sunday, July 21; as BLL comes to an end once again, fans of the hit HBO show are wondering if the series will return for a season 3.

As of now, there are no plans to continue the show into a third season. According to TV Guide, HBO president Casey Bloys said a season 3 is “not realistic,” since its stars “are some of the busiest actresses working in Hollywood,” though he said the network would be open to continuing the series if its leads’ could make it work in their busy schedules. The show stars Hollywood A-listers Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, Laura Dern, Reese Witherspoon, and Nicole Kidman; this season, Meryl Streep was added to the cast, moving the storyline’s drama along for another seven episodes and continuing the show’s reputation for top-notch performances.

The show creator David E. Kelley confirmed that the fate of the show’s future is unclear, but that they didn’t head into season 2 with a plan to keep going beyond what they created in those 7 new episodes. According to Harpers Bazaar, he said back in February “I think that it’s one and two, and we like where our closure is at the end of Season 2, so that will probably be it.”

That being said, the show was originally supposed to be a single-season mini-series, and it seemed unlikely when the show first aired that it would run beyond its 7-episode first season. Kelley has acknowledged that, admitting to The Hollywood Reporter “Well, I guess you have to say a little open-minded, because we were convinced the first one was a one-off. But we’re equally convinced that season two will be it, too… Maybe not equally, but in my mind, it’s only one more year.”


The Shows’ Stars Schedules May Prevent Season 3, Not Their Interest

According to TV Guide, HBO president Casey Bloys said a season 3 is “not realistic,” since its stars “are some of the busiest actresses working in Hollywood,” though he said the network would be open to continuing the series if its leads’ could make it work in their busy schedules. The show stars Hollywood A-listers Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, Laura Dern, Reese Witherspoon, and Nicole Kidman; this season, Meryl Streep was added to the cast, moving the storyline’s drama along for another seven episodes and continuing the show’s reputation for top-notch performances.

In spite of Bloys’ uncertainty, the shows’ leads seem to love the show and their castmates, and Kidman recently said she would love to return for a third season, so long as the same people stayed with the project. She told News Corp Australia “I think we would love to do a season three because there is certainly ideas,” adding “but we would not do it without all of the same people involved … even the kids.”


The Season 2 Finale Will Be ‘Satisfying,’ Whether or Not it Ends the Series

The description for the season 2 finale episode, entitled “I Want to Know,” reads “Celeste questions Mary Louise about a tragic event from Perry’s childhood; Madeline worries their lie is tearing the Monterey Five apart.” The episode is expected to bring the drama surrounding Celeste, her guilty friends, and the nosy, controlling mother of her late husband, who is currently battling for custody of Celeste’s children and seeking answers concerning the death of her son.

If the season 2 finale turns out to be the final episode for the show, fans should not be worried about being left with an incomplete end; Bloys assured that “Season 2 was a chance for everyone involved to end in a way that feels satisfying,” suggesting that the finale will complete this season’s arc for the story and its characters.


Tune in to the season 2 finale of Big Little Lies, Sunday, July 21 at 9pm on HBO.

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