Big Little Lies characters

Appears from the start

An energetic, outspoken mother in the seaside community of Pirriwee, whose youngest child is starting kindergarten. Loyal, funny, and quick to take sides, she throws herself into her friends' lives and school politics. She is still needled by the presence of her remarried ex-husband, whose young daughter attends the same school, and by his serene new wife, and she brings a combative flair to the small dramas of the schoolyard.

Appears from the start

A strikingly beautiful woman married to a wealthy, handsome husband, and mother to boisterous twin boys entering kindergarten. Envied by the other parents for her looks and her seemingly charmed life, she is quieter and more anxious than her circumstances suggest, often distracted and privately uneasy beneath the surface of a marriage everyone assumes is perfect.

Appears from the start

A young single mother, new to Pirriwee, who enrolls her small son in the local kindergarten. Reserved and watchful, she seems younger and more fragile than the other mothers and is guarded about her past and about the boy's father. She quickly falls in with Madeline and Celeste, who take her under their wing as she tries to settle into the tight-knit community.

Appears from the start

Celeste's husband, a wealthy and exceptionally handsome businessman whose work takes him abroad often. Charming and generous in public, he appears to be an ideal partner and father to their twin sons, the envy of the other couples in their circle.

Appears from the start

Jane's young son, a gentle boy starting kindergarten. On the first day of school he is accused of hurting a female classmate, an allegation he denies, which ignites a bitter feud among the parents and casts a shadow over both him and his mother throughout the year.

Appears from the start

A high-powered, successful businesswoman and mother of a kindergarten girl. Proud and easily provoked, she becomes fiercely protective when her daughter is reportedly bullied, and her insistence on justice pits her against other parents, making her a formidable and divisive presence in the school community.

Appears from the start

Madeline's steady, good-humored second husband and the father of her younger children. Patient and devoted, he provides a calm counterweight to Madeline's fiery temperament and stands by her through the escalating conflicts at the school.

Appears from the start

The younger second wife of Madeline's ex-husband, a calm yoga teacher whose relentless serenity and free-spirited kindness quietly exasperate Madeline. Her stepdaughter and Madeline's daughter attend the same class, keeping the two households uncomfortably entwined.

Appears from the start

Madeline's ex-husband, who left her years earlier and has since remarried. Now trying to be a present father to his young daughter with his new wife, he attempts, often clumsily, to reconnect with the family and life he once abandoned.