History Series / BigLove

...except for how Bill is actually a member of a fundamentalist Mormon splinter group that practices polygamy. The two neighbors, Nicolette Grant (Chloe Sevigny) and Margene Heffman (Ginnifer Goodwin), are also his wives, and their sons and daughters are his. Nicky Grant is the daughter of [[DarkMessiah Roman Grant]], who took over the Juniper Creek polygamist compound where Bill grew up, after Bill's grandfather, the former leader, passed away under mysterious circumstances. She joined the family to help look after them all during Barb's illness and convalescence. When she herself began to have children of her own, Margie was brought in as a babysitter. Both women joined the plural marriage of their own free will, though Barb's mother, a traditional Mormon, disowned her for the decision.

* CaliforniaDoubling: The interior and exterior of several cult buildings are The House of the Book performance hall and library building at the American Jewish University, Brandeis-Bardin Campus in Simi Valley, California.

* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Margie goes blonde after her (blonde) mother dies.

** Other characters seems to sense this about Alby as well.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Nikki. Well established from the second episode, when she's clearly jealous of Bill and Margene's loud sex, but claims to be upset because it's happening on Barb's day. She goes to confront Bill about it--and ends up bedding him herself! So it's wrong for Bill to go off schedule for Margene, but not for her.

* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler:Dale commits suicide in season 4]].

* {{Subculture}}: Radical LDS Offshoots.

* AxCrazy: so very, very many people on the compound. Lois, Adaleen, Wanda, Roman and company...
Nicki's also no slouch in the coo-coo bananas department when she's pushed, either.

* HaremSeries: Possibly the ''only'' example to occur in LiveActionTelevision.

Nikki's also no slouch in the coo-coo bananas department when she's pushed, either.

Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) is, by all appearances, a traditional family man. He met his wife Barbara (née Dutton) Henrickson (Jeanne Tripplehorn) in college and has had three children by her: Ben (Douglas Smith), Sarah (Creator/AmandaSeyfried) and Tancy. Though Barb had a close brush with uterine cancer, the two remain HappilyMarried. Bill has started his own business, "Home Plus," a small chain of home-improvement stores, and has made enough to buy the two houses on either side of his own, which he now rents out to single mothers as a charity project. Oh, and, yes, he and his wife are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, that's not really a big deal...

* TheUnfavorite: Nikki, in spades. Her dialogue and backstory makes it's obvious that she grew up as this, being female on the male-dominated compound. Then, we learn Bill took her in not because he'd fallen in love with her, but both to secure a loan from her father, and because Barb's illness left her unable to have more children, meaning that she's this in her own marriage. A good deal of her behavior can be attributed to this.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Bill is dead]]. But his first grandchild has been named after him, Barb has taken her role as head of the household, Margene is becoming more independent and self-sufficient, and after years of bickering, the three wives have forged a sincere, profound connection.

* ActingForTwo: the actress that played twins Kathy and Jodean.

* TheDanza: Bill Paxton as Bill Henrickson.

* TheOtherDarrin - Teenie was replaced in season 4, came back for a few episodes, and [[LongBusTrip did not feature at all]] in Season 5 except in two or three brief mentions by other characters.

''Big Love'' is an {{Creator/HBO}} drama about the Henricksons, a polygamous family with its roots in a fundamentalist Mormon splinter group hiding in plain sight in a Salt Lake City suburb. The series lasted from March, 2006 to March, 2011, with a total of 53 episodes in five seasons.

Bill, the father and husband, was born on the Juniper Creek Compound, run by a radical offshoot of mainstream Mormonism known as the United Effort Brotherhood (UEB). His grandfather was a prophet who died under mysterious circumstances. [[DarkMessiah Roman Grant]] took over the sect afterward and Bill was thrown out of the compound at age 14. He eventually succeeded in life despite being thrown out. He attended college where he met his first wife Barbara, and eventually started his own business, Home Plus, a small chain of home improvement stores similar to Home Depot.

Barbara 'Barb' Henrickson was a mainstream LDS who met Bill at the U. They have three children: Ben, Sarah and Teeny. Barb worked as a substitute teacher to bring in extra money. She developed uterine cancer and nearly died after the birth of Teeny. Bill brought in a girl from the compound to help care for Barb and the children. On her "deathbed" she agreed to take Nicki as a second wife for the family. Barb's family disowned her for this decision. She is the HaremNanny.

Nicolette 'Nicki' Grant is a daughter of Roman Grant, the Prophet of Juniper Creek, by his sixth wife. She was raised on the compound and dresses very modestly. Of the three wives, she is the most comfortable with polygamy and the challenges of such a large family. She is not very used to the outside world and has her own issues relating to the world. She became a shopaholic and was responsible for most of the ProductPlacement. She has two sons by Bill. Her sons needed a baby sitter when the boys were younger, resulting in the hiring of Margene.

Margene 'Margy' Heffman is the third wife and the youngest. She was a klutzy employee of Bill who was not born a Mormon. Hired as the babysitter, she was very attracted to Bill and joined the family. She's been the breeder of the family with three kids in the short time she's been married.

Additional major characters live at Juniper Creek, including Roman Grant, the Prophet and leader of the compound. Bill's brother Joey and Joey's wife, [[{{Yandere}} Wanda]], as well as Bill's mother and father, and his father's other wives also make appearances.

* ClusterFBomb: ''The only show on HBO that averts this.''

* TheUnfavorite: Nikki, in spades. Her dialogue and backstory makes it's obvious that she grew up as this, being female on the male-dominated compound. Then, we learn Bill took her in not because he'd fallen in love with her, but both to secure a loan from her father, and because Barb's illness left her unable to have more children. A good deal of her behavior can be attributed to this.

* TheDanza: Bill Paxton as Bill Henrickson

* {{Subculture}}: Radical LDS Offshoots

* YourCheatingHeart: Nicki in season 3. Also Bill's flirtation with Ana that he carried on behind the other three's back. And a strange "inside" version, when Bill and Barb have an "affair" during Season 1(he's not supposed to sleep with her on nights designated for the other two). When Nicki finds out, she's very hurt and upset, as it confirms what she's clearly always suspected--that Bill doesn't love her as much he does Barn.

''Big Love'' is an {{HBO}} drama about the Henricksons, a polygamous family with its roots in a fundamentalist Mormon splinter group hiding in plain sight in a Salt Lake City suburb. The series lasted from March, 2006 to March, 2011, with a total of 53 episodes in five seasons.

* ImAManICantHelpIt: At one point Sarah discovers a flirtatious message from an ex-girlfriend on her boyfriend Scott's phone. She jokingly says it sounds like they hooked up, which he confirms. When she gets upset, he uses this as an excuse (Sarah and Scott are not sexually active at this point). Here, the claim is treated as completely legitimate. Bear in mind, by the way, that they're both Mormons.
** First of all, he was not a Mormon, IIRC, he was a Baptist (heresy!). And it was NEVER considered OK by the show - Sarah was devastated by the incident, and Scott was made out to be a complete douche for it. Their entire relationship was never treated as healthy - it was treated as Sarah running away from home in a socially acceptable fashion just to get away from the walking traumatizer that was Bill Henrickson.

* GoshdangItToHeck: Very much used, highly surprising for a HBO series, although justified considering the main characters are an offshoot of the conservative Mormons.

* HappilyMarried: Bill and Barb were apparently this before the other two came into the picture, and despite subsequent problems, it's consistently obvious that she's the one he loves most of all. He has moments of this with the Nikki and Margene as well.

* HotDad: Bill, without a doubt. In the first season, we see either him in his tighty whities or his naked butt.

* ArmchairPsychology: Used to avoid being taken by feelings of distrust and jealousy.

* HotMom: The three wives. Even Nikki in her conservative compound clothes.

* PsychoticLover: Rhonda, the child bride of the cult leader. She trades shamelessly on her status as an abuse victim, right up to the point when she flips completely and flaunts her status as bride of the Prophet. She's willing to blackmail and manipulate, but she takes pains to appear as a sweet innocent to anyone she's not specifically attacking.
** Wanda has a poisoning fetish as well. .
** In Season 3, [[spoiler:Joey kills Roman in revenge for Kathy's death]]