AustLit

'Promoting season one of its new show Big Little Lies (2017), HBO tweeted, “A perfect life is a perfect lie”. Life in Monterey, the show’s setting, certainly appears perfect: cliffs drop into the chaotic Pacific Ocean; the azure, sunny California sky seems endless; and women wear rose-printed designer dresses. Actress and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon began to bring this world to life when she optioned Liane Moriarty’s best-selling novel Big Little Lies in 2015; two years later, it turned into a seven-episode limited series on HBO. Due to its success, it even earned a second season, which premiered in 2019. Its success should come as no surprise; females and female friendships are the show’s core, which have proved popular subjects for prestige TV.' (Introduction)