Big Little Lies - Sky Atlantic

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As Big Little Lies returns, Meryl Streep joins an already star-studded cast

As Big Little Lies returns, Meryl Streep joins an already star-studded cast

Slick, star-studded and completely addictive, Big Little Lies was one of the must-see dramas of 2017, winning eight Emmys, including awards for Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgård.

Now, the A-list cast is back for a second series – with Meryl Streep joining the show for its new run on Sky Atlantic.

It’s an extremely rare TV appearance from the Hollywood icon, who is far better-known for her Oscar-winning performances in films Kramer vs Kramer, Sophie’s Choice and The Iron Lady.

"I was addicted to the first series of Big Little Lies and I wanted to be part of the world that had been created," reveals Streep.

"The show is an amazing exercise in what we know and what we don’t know about people, family and friends. It flirts with the mystery of things."

The first season followed a group of five friends and mothers living in Monterey, California – Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), Celeste (Kidman), Renata (Dern), Jane (Shailene Woodley) and Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz).

The women’s lives took a shocking turn when they found out that Celeste’s husband Perry (Skarsgård) was violent and abusive, and Jane also realised he was the man who had raped her several years before.

When Perry attacked Celeste during a school event, Bonnie rushed to her rescue, pushing him to his death down a flight of stairs – with all the women later telling the police that it was an accident.

As the new series starts, suspicion still hangs over the group, who have been dubbed the "Monterey Five".

Streep plays Perry’s mother, Mary Louise, who arrives in the beautiful coastal city searching for answers and suspects daughter-in-law Celeste of hiding the truth.

TV Times rating: *****