Yes, and it packs an emotional punch – with a cupcake-filled school event and '70s-themed Monterey fundraiser quickly giving way to barbed remarks, tears, and enraged screams. Most notably, there’s a first extended look at Meryl Streep as Mary Louise Wright, Celeste’s heartbroken mother-in-law, who has a lot of questions about the mysterious death of her son, Perry. In a particularly revealing moment, she tells Celeste accusingly: “You were planning to leave him and you learned of his infidelity just 10 seconds before he died.” The trailer builds on the first drama-filled promo, which shows the Monterey Five attempting to contain the fallout (and endless gossip) about their role in Perry’s death, with some handling it more gracefully than others.
Every member of the Monterey Five is, of course, back, including Reese Witherspoon as loveable loudmouth Madeline MacKenzie; Zoe Kravitz as her ex-husband’s effortlessly cool new wife; Nicole Kidman as the newly widowed Celeste Wright; Shailene Woodley as outcasted single mother Jane Chapman; and Laura Dern as ruthless mogul Renata Klein.
Read more: Every Major New Character In Big Little Lies – And What They Mean For The Monterey Five
Their children and husbands will all return too, which means more of Kathryn Newton as Abigail Carlson, Madeline’s angsty teenage daughter who memorably attempted to auction off her virginity; Adam Scott as Ed Mackenzie, Madeline’s dorky husband who she worries she settled for; Jeffrey Nordling as Gordon Klein, Renata’s high-powered husband and her calming force; Iain Armitage as Ziggy Chapman, Jane’s unjustly maligned sweet young son. Additionally, Merrin Dungey returns as cynical Detective Adrienne Quinlan investigating into Perry’s murder case; and Robin Weigert as Celeste’s observant psychologist Dr. Amanda Reisman.
Read more: Zoë Kravitz's Big Little Lies Photocall Look Is Aeons Away From Her Last Red Carpet Turn
Besides the probing Mary Louise, there’s a wealth of other characters joining the drama this season. Bonnie’s mother Elizabeth (Crystal Fox) and father Martin (Martin Donovan) will both feature, along with teacher Michael Perkins (Mo McRae) and surfer Corey Brockfield (Douglas Smith). It also seems likely that Alexander Skarsgård will make an appearance in at least one of Streep’s flashbacks.
The central issue this season is unsurprisingly the ladies’ attempts to deal with the fallout from Perry’s murder – but the day-to-day insanity of life in Monterey will also have a role. Per HBO’s menacing synopsis: “The darkly comedic drama will continue to explore the malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and, of course, the vicious ferocity of sound parenting. Multiple characters will be dealing with Perry’s death, and the prospect of moving past a life-altering event. In short: Things could get messy.”
Besides the trailer, the biggest hints about what might happen in the series have come from Liane Moriarty herself. Adapted from her bestselling novel, the first season of Big Little Lies was also meant to be its last, but when HBO renewed it for another season, Moriarty wrote a follow-up novella to anchor the script. She revealed to The Sydney Morning Herald that there would be more of a focus on Bonnie going forward – particularly as it was her history of abuse that led her to push Perry over the cliff in the first place. Meanwhile, both Celeste’s grief and Jane’s trauma will both be explored in more detail.
The series premiere will air on Sky Atlantic at both 2am and 9pm on June 10 and will be available to stream on NowTV.
