History YMMV / BigLittleLies

** The AdaptationExpansion in Season 2 rubbed television fans the wrong way, since there was nothing left to adapt. Some also complained that the writing became sloppier because of this, such as how a lot of characters' secrets ([[spoiler:such as Ed discovering Madeline's affair]]) were discovered by unintentional eavesdroppers [[NiceJobBreakingItHero walking in on the conversations]], whereas Moriarty's writing was [[DefiedTrope a lot cleverer]] ([[spoiler:e.g. Perry discovering Celeste's plan to escape with the sons]]).

** Ed.

* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass: [[spoiler: GranolaGirl Bonnie is ultimately revealed to be the one who killed {{Domestic Abuse}}r Perry]]

* IKnewIt: [[spoiler:Anyone suspicious of Renata's husband Gordon in the television series (e.g. his somewhat reserved reaction to his daughter being bullied, compared to his wife's understandable MamaBear hysterics) felt vindicated when he was arrested for fraud in season two, losing both his and Renata's fortunes. However, this is a double subversion because his crime did not occur until a year after the events of the first season. And to add insult to injury, his affair with the babysitter from the novel is revealed to be canon to the show as well!]]

* {{Jossed}}: Any beliefs that Renata was a WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant were quashed in season two after [[spoiler:Gordon's prison time and Renata throwing him out of the car for almost bankrupting the family, as well as when]] she [[LampshadeHanging confirmed]] crossly, "I am self-made!"

* AwardCategoryFraud:
** The show was originally supposed to be a miniseries, thus being nominated and sweeping the limited series categories that year. After all this awards success, it was announced that the show would be returning for another season (something that had been rumored even before the Emmys), thus meaning that a continuing drama series was able to compete against and defeat actual miniseries.
** Creator/ShaileneWoodley was nominated as a supporting actress for the first season, even though most thought of her as a co-lead with Creator/NicoleKidman and Creator/ReeseWitherspoon. In the end, she was beaten by her actually supporting costar Creator/LauraDern.

*** On a related note, Celeste causing Marie Louise to have a near breakdown when questioning her during the custody battle. She had previously been asked very intrusive, loaded, and leading questions about her sexual history and relationship with Perry. She then gets the chance to force Mary Louise to confront the fact that she was not a good mother to Perry and watch irrefutable evidence that Perry was abusive.

** Shailene Woodley received this reaction, considering how she had only been known for starring in movies for teenagers and had just finished the box-office failing-turned-DevelopmentHell ''Film/{{Divergent}}'' series.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:

** [[spoiler:After being RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap,]] Renata became this in season two, with her [[{{bathos}} amusing]] UnstoppableRage, FloweryInsults [[ClusterFBomb full of swear words]], and {{camp}}iness, which made her WinBackTheCrowd almost immediately. She even won back Laura Dern, who had admitted that Renata gave her second-hand embarrassment at times in the first season.

* IdiotPlot:
** It gets lampshaded many times that Bonnie's crime was technically in self-defence and, even if that argument wasn't believed, the police would have been a lot more lenient on her if she had just come forwards (and plus the argument would have seemed much more believable). Even worse, [[AdaptationExpansion this is exactly what happens in the book]] and Bonnie only gets twelve months of community service. While Madeline pressured Bonnie into lying, it isn't particularly persuasive about ''why''.
** The amount of LooseLips in Season 2. Abigail mouthing off about Madeline's affair when Ed happened to be in the house? Understandable, maybe. Chloe overhearing (offscreen) Madeline talking on the phone about Perry [[spoiler:being Ziggy's father]]? Completely ridiculous. Her then ''telling'' Ziggy, Josh, and Max?

* LesYay:

* {{Jossed}}: Any beliefs that Renata was a WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant were quashed in season two after [[spoiler:Gordon's prison time and Renata throwing him out of the car for almost bankrupting the family, as well as when]] she [[{{lampshaded}} confirmed]] crossly, "I am self-made!"

* SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct:

** Ed.

* UnfortunateImplications: Monterey local press has pointed out how the majority [[WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant WASP-ey]] main cast and extras washes both the prominent Hispanic population and that most of the city proper's wealthy are of Italian-American descent.

* WhatAnIdiot:
** Ms. Barnes knows that Amabella has bruises from being attacked.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' She tells Renata privately about it so that Amabella doesn't feel pressured to be honest about who attacked her - and to keep the whole thing a secret from the town's GossipyHens.\\
'''Instead:''' She announces it in front of all the other children and parents, telling Amabella to publicly name her attacker. She doesn't consider the possibility that the girl could be lying [[spoiler: which turns out to be partially the case]] or the ramifications this could have afterwards.
** Madeline and the other mothers learns that [[spoiler:Perry]] is Ziggy's father at the end of Season 1.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' This becomes a closely guarded secret among them all, especially as it gives them a motive for killing [[spoiler:Perry.]]\\
'''Instead:''' Madeline talks about this on the phone, so loudly that her six-year-old daughter, Chloe learns the truth, and tells Ziggy, Josh, and Max.

** Perry is a horrible abuser but there seem to be times when he's genuinely remorseful for what he does and it's clear he loves Celeste in his own twisted way and, deep down, even he agrees she should leave him. He also loves the two children too.

** Creator/ShalieneWoodley was nominated as a supporting actress for the first season, even though most thought of her as a co-lead with Creator/NicoleKidman and Creator/ReeseWitherspoon. In the end, she was beaten by her actually supporting costar Creator/LauraDern.

** The only husband in the series that seemingly hasn't divided fan opinion is Ed Mackenzie due to of his kind yet courageous character. Many were on his side him after discovering Madeline's affair (especially if you're in the anti-Madeline camp) and when he warned Nathan about pushing him around. Being played by Adam Scott helps.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The final line in the book: ''"This can happen to anyone"''.

* AwardCategoryFraud: The show was originally supposed to be a miniseries, thus being nominated and sweeping the limited series categories that year. After all this awards success, it was announced that the show would be returning for another season (something that had been rumored even before the Emmys), thus meaning that a continuing drama series was able to compete against and defeat actual miniseries.

* MoralEventHorizon:
** A subversion with Renata. When Jane discovers a petition to have Ziggy suspended, she assumes Renata is behind it. Upon seeing the woman gloating about it, Jane snaps and smacks her in the face. Of course, it turns out that Harper was the one who started it, and [[spoiler:Jane and Renata immediately patch things up]].
** [[spoiler:Mary Louise for suggesting to Jane that she had either misread her rapist's intentions or that she had forgotten that she had consented to the sex, although, Mary Louise entered the show a ''walking'' Moral Event Horizon.]]
* {{Narm}}:
** One episode opens with Madeline having a nightmare where Renata ambushes her on the cliff with puppets, and pushes her off. We also get a horrible green screen shot (Renata's POV) of Reese Witherspoon falling before she wakes up.
* NarmCharm:
** Renata just ''screaming'' "I said THANK YOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!!!" at Harper when dismissing her from her house in "Serious Mothering". Though it could easily be seen as a comedic scene, it's not subject to any mockery as it fits Renata's unpredictable and volatile personality ''perfectly''.

** The AdaptationExpansion rubbed television fans the wrong way, since there was nothing left to adapt. Some also complained that the writing became sloppier because of this, such as how a lot of characters' secrets ([[spoiler:such as Ed discovering Madeline's affair]]) were discovered by unintentional eavesdroppers [[NiceJobBreakingItHero walking in on the conversations]], whereas Moriarty's writing was [[DefiedTrope a lot cleverer]] ([[spoiler:e.g. Perry discovering Celeste's plan to escape with the sons]]).

* FailedASpotCheck: [[spoiler:Detective Quinlan tells a colleague that if the women had said in the interrogations that they were fighting Perry in self-defense which caused him to step back and fall to his death, the women could have been given 12 months community service for involuntary manslaughter, which is technically what happened, and what actually happens to Bonnie when she confesses in the book.]]

* AcceptableTargets: Averted for the most part. There's enough development to show that almost everyone's got issues.

* AbortedArc:
** The fact that Max abused Renata's daughter and threatened her life isn't ever brought up in season 2.
** Early in season 2, Bonnie's mother has visions of Bonnie drowning. This worries her dad, as such premonitions have come true in the past, but this is never discussed in the last few episodes and nothing comes of this by end of the season.
** Tori Bachman tries to convince Ed to start an affair with her to not only avenge Joseph Bachman and Madeline but because she thinks it would be "fun". This clearly tempts Ed but she is never seen or mentioned again for the rest of the season after this scene. Ed ultimately decides to remain faithful to Madeline off-screen with no clearly defined reason given for his change of heart, even though -- up until the scene where he proposes that he and Madeline renew their wedding vows -- he has been nothing but bitter towards her.
** Madeline throughout season 2 puts a great deal of pressure on Abigail to go to college; something she has no interest in but this is never given closure by the end of the season.
** Detective Quinlan throughout season 2 seems to be spying on the Monterey Five to intimidate them and to find evidence that they [[spoiler:pushed Perry]] but it's never made clear whether she was actually following them and sabotaging their lives or if her appearances are simply coincidences. Ultimately, she doesn't do anything in the series other than make the Monterey Five paranoid and the season ends with [[spoiler:Bonnie confessing to pushing Perry on her own with no involvement from Detective Quinlan.]]