Somehow, some way, HBO has managed to come out of nowhere and steal the hearts of people around the globe. Their shows are unmatched in acting, quality and expense— the perks of having more money than God. Their only shortcoming is how long it takes them to put out a new season and it seems the better the show gets, the longer the next season takes to come out.
“Big Little Lies,” HBO’s latest hit, at least has an excuse. After the boom of season one, producers weren’t expecting a season two and didn’t have a script for it. The original script was based on the novel Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. It wasn’t intended to run more than one season, but the show has been so loved that producers decided to give it a shot. There is still a good amount of skepticism about the script based on some spin-off stories also written by Moriarty. The addition of Meryl Streep to the cast has calmed many fears, however, and how could it not? Streep makes everything better. Plus, for those who first fell in love with Alexander Skarsgard in True Blood, his time is not over. Rumor has it the hunk is still involved in season two (not dead yet?) and has read all the scripts. Top it off with such an all-star, all-female cast and there is just really not a lot that can go wrong.
“Big Little Lies” premiered as a story of the struggles faced by ordinary women. Things like domestic abuse, rape and adultery are prevalent in the world whether we like it or not. This little show explores how to handle difficult issues and how women can support each other. If ever there was a show about sisterhood, here it is. HBO has been vague about official release dates, but filming has wrapped. It’s on my watch list for sure, sometime in 2019.
“True Detective” has been much more forthcoming, and will premiere on Jan. 13 of the new year. Unlike other HBO shows, each season is a stand-alone story with its own cast and victims. As the name might imply, it’s a non-linear crime drama meant to keep viewers on edge. The second season, starring Colin Farrell, certainly drew a following, and season three promises to continue the trend.
The real distraction of 2019 is going to be “Game of Thrones.” “GoT” is in its final season and has not left audiences feeling comfortable about where it ends. Ask around and you’ll find expected death tolls in the hundreds, not to mention lots of sex and violence in the meantime. We now have a fully grown ice dragon to battle the fire dragons in some epically expensive fight scenes, and if you aren’t caught up on the theories, dive into Google.
The truth is this show and its writers hold nothing back and we all know no one is safe. What do you do with a show that routinely kills major characters? Some of them might come back, but this is no Marvel movie where the dead have planned feature films coming out in the next year. Just bear in mind, if you hate the character, they probably won’t die, so buckle up and start rewatching now. The final season is officially set to come out in April 2019. That’s all we get so far, although the first trailer has launched. Watch carefully because one of these clips is not like the others.
Grab some popcorn, and get ready. We have a big year ahead of us on HBO.