If you just finished binge-watching the Monterey Five and you're scouring the internet to figure out how many seasons of Big Little Lies are actually available, the answer is pretty straightforward, yet also a bit of a tease. As of right now, there are two seasons. That’s it. Fourteen episodes of stunning coastal views, high-end kitchens, and some of the most intense "rich people problems" ever put to screen. But if you’re sensing there’s more to the story, you aren't wrong.
The show is a weird beast. It was never supposed to be a long-running series. It was a "limited series." One and done. But then it became a massive cultural juggernaut, swept the Emmys, and suddenly everyone—from the fans to the HBO executives—wanted more of Celeste, Madeline, and Jane.
Why We Only Have Two Seasons Right Now
It’s actually kinda wild how we even got a second season. Liane Moriarty wrote the original book as a standalone novel. There was no sequel. When Season 1 ended, the story was technically over. The Perry Wright problem was "solved," the secret was kept, and the women were bonded on that beach.
But money talks. So does critical acclaim.
HBO convinced Moriarty to write a novella-length treatment for a sequel, which David E. Kelley then turned into Season 2. They even brought in Meryl Streep. I mean, when you add Meryl to a cast that already includes Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, you're basically printing prestige TV gold.
Season 2 premiered in 2019 and explored the fallout of "The Lie." It dealt with grief, the legal system, and Mary Louise (Streep) being the mother-in-law from hell. Since then? Total silence for a long time. The show exists in this limbo where it’s not cancelled, but it’s definitely not "on."
The Complicated Status of Season 3
You've probably seen the headlines. For years, the cast gave these vague, polite "never say never" answers. Then things got real in late 2023 and early 2024. Nicole Kidman essentially let the cat out of the bag at a Q&A, telling the audience that they "will be bringing you a third one."
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Reese Witherspoon later confirmed that she and Nicole are actively working on it. So, while the official count for how many seasons of Big Little Lies is currently two, a third is in development.
Honestly, the biggest hurdle isn't the story. It’s the schedules. Just look at that cast.
- Nicole Kidman is constantly filming three things at once.
- Reese Witherspoon is running a literal media empire (Hello Sunshine).
- Zoe Kravitz is directing and playing Catwoman.
- Shailene Woodley and Laura Dern are booked solid.
Getting them all in the same room at the same time is a logistical nightmare that probably requires more planning than a military operation.
Addressing the Jean-Marc Vallée Tragedy
We can't talk about why the show took such a long break without mentioning Jean-Marc Vallée. He was the director and the visionary behind the show’s unique, tactile style. His editing and his use of music made the show feel like a fever dream rather than a standard soap opera.
Sadly, Vallée passed away in late 2021. For a long time, the cast and crew said they couldn't imagine doing it without him. It felt disrespectful or just... impossible. He was the heart of the production. The shift toward a third season only happened after the "Monterey Five" had time to grieve and eventually decided that the best way to honor him was to keep the story going.
What the Fans Get Wrong About the Timeline
A lot of people think the show was cancelled. It wasn't. HBO would renew this show for ten seasons if they could. The delay is purely creative and logistical.
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Also, there’s a misconception that Season 2 finished the story. If you watch that finale again, you'll see those women walking into the police station. That’s a massive cliffhanger! We still don’t know if they actually confessed or what the legal repercussions were. That's why the demand for more is so high.
Does the Book Help Predict the Future?
Short answer: No.
Since Season 2 already went beyond the source material, a potential Season 3 is basically uncharted territory. Liane Moriarty is reportedly involved in the new ideas, but we don’t have a book to spoil the ending for us this time. This is rare for a show that started as an adaptation. Usually, you can just Google the plot of the novel, but here, we’re all flying blind.
Real-World Impact and Why it Still Matters
Why are we still talking about how many seasons of Big Little Lies exist five years after the last episode aired? Because it changed how TV is made.
Before this, it was rare to see five A-list movie stars lead a television show. Now, it’s the standard. It proved that "women’s stories"—which are often unfairly dismissed as "domestic dramas"—could be gritty, cinematic, and globally popular.
The show tackled domestic abuse in a way that felt terrifyingly real. Celeste’s therapy sessions in Season 1 are still used by some real-life counselors to illustrate the complexities of trauma and why victims stay. That kind of legacy means the show stays in the zeitgeist, leading to constant "Is there a new season yet?" searches.
Comparison to Other HBO Hits
If you’re looking for something to fill the void while waiting for Season 3, you've probably noticed that HBO tries to replicate this formula a lot.
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- The Undoing: Also stars Nicole Kidman. Also a David E. Kelley project. Only one season.
- Nine Perfect Strangers: Another Liane Moriarty adaptation. Also Nicole Kidman.
- The White Lotus: It has that "rich people in a beautiful place with a dark secret" vibe, though it’s much more of a satire.
None of them quite capture the specific chemistry of the Monterey Five, though. There's something about the specific friendship between Madeline and Celeste that people miss.
Where Can You Watch All Seasons?
Since it’s an HBO original, you’ll find both seasons on Max (formerly HBO Max). It’s also available for purchase on platforms like Amazon or Apple TV, but Max is the "home" for it.
If you are a physical media collector, they did release Blu-ray versions, which honestly are worth it just for the behind-the-scenes stuff about the music. The soundtrack is a character in itself. Leon Bridges, Michael Kiwanuka, Charles Bradley—the music supervisor, Susan Jacobs, deserves a trophy just for the Season 1 opening credits.
What to Do Now
If you've already burned through all 14 episodes, you have a few options to stay in that world while waiting for more news.
Read the actual book. If you’ve only seen the show, the book is a different experience. It’s set in Australia, not California. The tone is slightly more humorous and less "prestige drama." It gives you a deeper look into the characters' internal monologues that the show sometimes has to skip.
Check the production updates. Keep an eye on trade publications like Variety or The Hollywood Reporter. Any official greenlight for Season 3 will break there first. Avoid the "fan-made" trailers on YouTube that claim Season 3 is coming "this month"—they are usually just recycled clips from the actors' other movies.
Re-watch Season 2 with a critical eye. Many people felt the second season was messier because of the behind-the-scenes drama regarding the director (Andrea Arnold) and the editing process. Re-watching it now, knowing it’s likely the middle chapter of a trilogy rather than the end, changes the perspective on those final scenes.
The Monterey Five aren't done yet. We just have to wait for the stars to align—literally.