Ranking Every HBO Drama Series From Worst To Best
12. Big Little Lies
The show The Undoing wanted to be, this Nicole Kidman murder mystery was a breath of TV fresh air thanks to its extraordinary, A-list cast, superb plotting and relentless pacing. The first season in particular was proper water cooler telly, immersive stuff that combined an exciting narrative with careful and detailed character building.
The cast alone makes this worth watching, with Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Zoe Kravitz, and Shailene Woodley as the five California women who find themselves at the heart of a grizzly mystery. With the addition of Meryl Streep in the second season, it can only be assumed that this is the most Oscar-laden TV show ever made.
Alongside the unfolding mystery, we dive into each of the women’s lives, all of which are in turmoil of some nature. There’s tragedy and hardship but the strength of the performance and characters escalates this far above many domestic misery dramas we see so often on TV.
The second season is admittedly not as good as the first (a degree of behind the scenes turmoil makes it a little disjointed), but Big Little Lies’ 14 episodes are the definition of bingeable TV - it’s compulsive stuff.