Big Little Lies HBO Series: Season 1 Review (2 Years Later)

So we just finished watching Big Little Lies, and I can’t remember the last time I felt this disappointed. Between the mediocre acting, the strange casting choices (Adam Scott and Zoe Kravitz? Really?), and the rather unnecessary deviations from the book’s original storylines, well, I just wish I could have all of those precious 7 hours back.

Yes, I agree that the book was good enough to warrant some type of film adaptation — whether that be a series, a film, or a made-for-tv Lifetime movie (which may have been the best possible choice because the acting really couldn’t get much worse)– I just don’t believe the show HBO created does Liane Moriarty’s novel any justice.

And while I do understand how common it is for film/ TV adaptations to alter books’ original plots, the way this show was handled just couldn’t have been worse. The season was only 7 episodes long, and it really felt like 5 episodes too many — there was just nothing happening most of the time. It’s like they saved all the juicy details for the very last episode, and I’m sorry, but the book was a lot more engaging than the HBO miniseries would have you believe.

I would even go so far as to say that if you watched this show without having read the book and didn’t end up actually enjoying it, you should still take the book out of your library, because it truly is so much better.

I’m actually pretty surprised that HBO — whose name, at least in my mind, was once known for excellence — is capable of producing such a lackluster show.

Needless to say, there’s no way I’m going to make the time to commit to season 2 — maybe if I’m bored one day and have absolutely nothing else to do (ha!), I might check out an episode, but I doubt I’ll end up watching the whole thing.

My overall rating? 1 out of 10. And even Meryl Streep herself can’t make this show worth my time.

I’m just finding myself constantly let down by every series I try lately, and I don’t want to waste any more of my precious time watching garbage.

So, for now, I’m going to pass on the series and stick to true crime documentaries and Shark Tank.

What shows have you been enjoying most lately? Leave me a comment below, and don’t forget to follow me on social media, too!

Originally published at alittleadult.com on March 18, 2019.