What to Watch After Big Little Lies Is Over
We know you’ll want to fill that Renata-sized hole in your heart once season two of Big Little Lies ends.
As season two of Big Little Lies comes to a close, may we bow our heads and say a prayer after a moment of silence.
What a wild ride it’s been in Monterey! We started with the Meryl Streep meme hype and ended with a showdown for the ages between Celeste and Mary Louise. Wigs were criticized. Integrities were destroyed. Renata Klein, misguided as she may sometimes be, turned out to be our hero. But what do you do when Big Little Lies is over? How are you supposed to move on from the television event of the summer when season three is yet to be announced and, honestly, might not even happen?
Well, maybe you don’t have to move on. Maybe you can get your fill of watching rich white women duke it out over wine elsewhere. Here, a roundup of the best shows that are similar enough to Big Little Lies to get you through this tough time and fill that Renata-sized hole in your heart.
Desperate Housewives
Before HBO brought us all to Monterey, there was Wisteria Lane. The bar for petty suburban drama was set high when Desperate Housewives premiered in 2004, and frankly, there hasn’t been anything else quite like it. The affairs, the murders, the drama—all of it was so deliciously campy, and worth a re-watch.
Where to stream: Hulu
The Real Housewives Franchise
Watching (mostly not self-aware) wealthy people do crazy things on camera will never get old, and that’s why the Real Housewives franchise has endured for over 13 years. Take your pick between New York, New Jersey, Orange County, Beverly Hills, Atlanta, Potomac, Dallas, D.C. and Miami—or just binge them all.
Where to stream: Hulu
The Affair
If the adultery aspect of Big Little Lies is as intriguing to you as it is soul crushing to everyone else, then The Affair—a show about people having extramarital affairs willy nilly—might be something for you to dive into. A little murder here, a little seaside locale there, and you’ve got the perfect post-BLL binge. Just be sure to catch up before The Affair‘s fifth and final season premieres in August.
Where to stream: Showtime
Claws
In Claws, five manicurists in Central Florida get caught up in some money laundering and organized crime. Niecy Nash stars as one of the manicurists, as do Karrueche Tran and Carrie Preston. If the sisterhood aspect of the Monterey Five is what draws you to Big Little Lies, then the first couple seasons of Claws that are available for streaming might be for you.
Where to stream: Hulu
Enlightened
When Big Little Lies ends and all you want is more Laura Dern in your life, look no further than Enlightened, a criminally underrated series about a corporate executive who suffers an on-site nervous breakdown and is banished to a holistic rehab program in Hawaii. Dern co-created the series with Mike White (who plays her tragically shy co-worker, Tyler) and—if you ask us—it was canceled far too soon, after just two seasons. Upping the Dern-quotient: the actress’ real-life mother, Diane Ladd, also plays her mother on the show.
Where to stream: HBO
