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50 free Big Little Lies trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Big Little Lies began as a 2014 Liane Moriarty novel set on Sydney's Northern Beaches and ended up as HBO's most decorated limited series of 2017, relocated to the fog and cliffs of Monterey. This quiz covers both: the book's Pirriwee Public trivia night and Davitt Award, and the show's cast of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz and Alexander Skarsgård. The production story gets its own questions too: how Kidman and Witherspoon optioned the book within a month, Jean-Marc Vallée's handheld style, the Emmy haul, the late renewal that angered rival producers, Andrea Arnold's season two and Meryl Streep's character named after the actress herself. Season three's 2025 confirmation is here as well. Every answer is sourced from Wikipedia articles on the series, the novel and the people involved. Play in sets of ten, then try the other HBO quizzes.
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Q 01Big Little Lies is based on a 2014 novel by which Australian author?
Liane Moriarty
Kidman and Witherspoon optioned the book less than a month after it was published.
Q 02Who created and wrote the HBO series Big Little Lies?
David E. Kelley
Kelley, the creator of Ally McBeal and The Practice, later reunited with Kidman on The Undoing.
Q 03In which California town is the TV series set?
Monterey
The novel had placed the story in suburban Sydney; the show moved it to the California coast.
Q 04How many episodes of Big Little Lies were made across its first two seasons?
14
Each of the first two seasons ran seven episodes, despite the show originally being billed as a one-off miniseries.
Q 05Which Canadian filmmaker directed every episode of season one?
Jean-Marc Vallée
Vallée had just directed Witherspoon in Wild and Laura Dern alongside her; he shot the series handheld with natural light.
Q 06Which English director took over for season two?
Andrea Arnold
Arnold, an Oscar winner for the short film Wasp, reportedly lost creative control of the edit to the season-one director.
Q 07Which character does Reese Witherspoon play?
Madeline Mackenzie
Witherspoon also produced the series, her first TV project since 1993's Return to Lonesome Dove.
Q 08Which character does Kidman play in Big Little Lies?
Celeste Wright
Celeste is a former lawyer; the role won Kidman the Emmy for lead actress in a limited series.
Q 09Shailene Woodley plays which single mother who is new in town?
Jane Chapman
Woodley earned a Primetime Emmy nomination; Laura Dern helped convince her to join the cast.
Q 10Laura Dern's character Renata Klein is married to whom?
Gordon
Gordon is played by Jeffrey Nordling; Dern's Renata is a fierce, high-powered tech CEO.
Q 11Zoë Kravitz plays Bonnie Carlson, the wife of which character?
Nathan
Nathan, played by James Tupper, is Madeline's ex-husband, which makes Bonnie her rival for daughter Abigail's affection.
Q 12Who plays Perry Wright, Celeste's husband?
Alexander Skarsgård
Skarsgård won the Emmy for supporting actor in a limited series for the role in 2017.
Q 13Which screen legend joined the cast in season two as Perry's mother?
Meryl Streep
It was Streep's first main role in a television series, and she accepted without reading a script.
Q 21Who plays Ira Farber, Mary Louise's lawyer in the season two custody case?
Denis O'Hare
Poorna Jagannathan plays Celeste's lawyer Katie Richmond on the other side of the courtroom.
Q 22Who plays Elizabeth Howard, Bonnie's mother, in season two?
Crystal R. Fox
Martin Donovan plays Bonnie's father; their arrival lets the show explore her difficult childhood.
Q 23On what date did Big Little Lies premiere on HBO?
February 19, 2017
The date was unveiled in November 2016; the UK and Ireland got it on Sky Atlantic the following month.
Q 14The season two character Mary Louise was named in tribute to what?
Streep's legal name
Moriarty wrote a 200-page novella for season two and named the new character after the actress herself.
Q 15Which child actor, later Young Sheldon's star, plays Jane's son Ziggy?
Iain Armitage
Armitage was promoted to the main cast for season two alongside Kathryn Newton.
Q 16Which character does Kathryn Newton play?
Abigail Carlson
Newton was recurring in season one and was upgraded to main billing for season two.
Q 17What is the name of the school at the center of the story?
Otter Bay Elementary
In Moriarty's novel the school was Pirriwee Public in Sydney; the show relocated it to California.
Q 18Who plays Detective Adrienne Quinlan, who investigates the death?
Merrin Dungey
Dungey returned for season two as the detective keeps circling the five women.
Q 19Robin Weigert plays Dr. Amanda Reisman, who is what to Celeste and Perry?
Their therapist
Her sessions with Celeste became some of the most discussed scenes of the first season.
Q 20In season two, Jane's love interest Corey works with her at which attraction?
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Corey Brockfield is played by Douglas Smith, cast in a recurring role in March 2018.
Q 24In what year did Kidman and Witherspoon option the screen rights to the novel?
2014
They announced the deal on August 6, 2014, less than a month after the book came out, first planning a film.
Q 25The project was first expected to be developed in what format?
A feature film
By November 2014 the actresses had shifted it into a limited-run TV series written by the creator of Ally McBeal.
Q 26How many Primetime Emmy nominations did season one receive?
16
It converted eight of them into wins, including the top prize for a limited series.
Q 27Which Emmy category did the show win for its first season?
Outstanding Limited Series
Its late renewal for a second season later forced the Producers Guild to reclassify it as a drama series.
Q 28Which camera did Vallée shoot the first season with?
Arri Alexa
He favored natural lighting and handheld shooting so actors could move freely around the set.
Q 29Besides Big Sur and Carmel Highlands, scenes were filmed in which other town?
Pacific Grove
The coastal locations became a signature of the show, along with its moody soundtrack.
Q 30Which label released the Big Little Lies soundtracks?
ABKCO Records
The season one album arrived on March 31, 2017, and season two's on July 19, 2019.