Books

A 'Big Little Lies' Spin-Off May Be Coming — But Not In The Way You're Expecting

by Kerri Jarema
Merie W. Wallace/HBO

When it comes to television, I just can't get enough of my favorite shows: I celebrate when hits like Supernatural stay on the air for 15 seasons; I get excited when oldies like Gilmore Girls are rebooted; I rejoice when canceled cult hits like One Day at a Time get revived by a new network; and I cheer when I hear the news of a possible Big Little Lies spin-off.

Big Little Lies showrunners have already squeezed two seasons out of the source material — a book of the same name by Liane Moriarty — and HBO's president has all but confirmed that a Big Little Lies season 3 won't be happening. But according to Variety, Moriarty has more plot twists in the works. Although the author says she is done writing books specifically about the Monterey Five, she has not ruled out the possibility of writing future stories set in the same world — with some recognizable characters.

She tells Variety:

"The only thing I had sometimes thought, even before any of this had happened, was maybe jumping ahead to when the children are in high school — years ahead. So, that’s a possibility, but not for years to come. I feel like I would need a break, too, before I did that."

It would also be quite some time before any possible spin-off hits the small screen, too, as Moriarty intends to write any future stories as novels first.

She tells Variety:

"That would be for me, for a book, which maybe wouldn’t even have the same characters. Maybe I’m in the same town. But I don’t know. It’s just thoughts."

In the meantime, the author still has tons of exciting projects in the works. Big Little Lies star Nicole Kidman will star in and executive produce the upcoming Nine Perfect Strangers Hulu series, adapted from Moriarty's 2018 novel of the same name and expected to premiere in 2020. In addition, Moriarty's novel Three Wishes is also being developed for television, according to Deadline. Both novels bring the drama and intrigue of Big Little Lies and focus on the lives of dynamic women, so be sure to read them before you watch the shows.

Whether or not fans will get to revisit Monterey anytime soon remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: People want stories that center powerful women more than ever — and Moriarty will continue to deliver just that.