If there is a series you should watch next if you haven’t already, it’s Big Little Lies.

Basically Reese Witherspoon was tired of women always looking like they don’t have the solutions every time they ask what the solution should be (even though they know what it is, because, in her words, have you ever heard of a situation when a woman doesn’t know what to do?) and so she created her own bad ass production house and that resulted in this bad ass show where three bad ass, flawed, complex, interesting female leads revolve around a murder in their town.

As many good things are, lately, Big Little Lies is based on a book by Liane Moriarty, which I may have to read now (also, am I the only one who didn’t know Moriarty is an actual name, and not just a figment of the Sherlock writers’ imaginations?). A murder happens in the breathtakingly gorgeous town of Monterey, population 30,000. Seriously, gorgeous town, that actually exists, that I want to see maybe some day. It’s not high up there on my list of places to go because it’s in Trumpland (California, to be exact), but those houses and streets and seafront views are simply spectacular. Anyway.

Each of these women ties into the murder somehow, and they’re all brought together by the school that all their children, all the same age, go to. The series is shot so beautifully, shifting from witness testimonies to the press conference after the murder to the stories of these women’s lives with ease; uptight, controlling Madeline who always backs the underdog, especially if the underdog is herself; Celeste, a haunting beauty who gave up her career for a relationship that seems almost too perfect; and Jane, who is running away from  a past whose face she doesn’t even know to a future she’s only just building.

Shailene Woodley was convincing as a mom in this, even though I didn’t expect her to be, because Divergent. I was pleasantly surprised. I have never liked Reese Witherspoon as much in any other role as I have in this one. Same goes for Nicole Kidman, and yes, I did see Moulin Rouge. I don’t particularly like how she interviews, see, The Graham Norton Show, but boy, can this dame act (and she turns 50 this year!!). As for the delectable Mr Skarsgard – how do you come from a family where the entire fam can get it? The Swedes know what’s what – I might have to go back to True Blood again because the only person who was distracting me properly on that show was Nelsan Ellis (may Lafayette rest in peace) but now that I have seen him in another light, I’m wiling to give him another chance. And yes. His acting is convincing (he won an Emmy, as did Kidman). All of it is convincing – the acting, the setting, and most importantly – the script. 5 stars from me.