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It is the end of the road for HBO’s polygamy drama Big Love. The series’ upcoming fifth season will be its last, with Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer writing the closer as the series’ finale. Despite gripes about the most recent fourth season, the series, from Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone Prods., has remained for the most part creatively solid. It earned a best drama Emmy nomination last year and boasts a solid ensemble cast of established pros Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Chloe Sevigny as well as ingenues Amanda Seyfried and Ginnifer Goodwin both of whom went on to star in movies. “It has been an honor and pleasure to work with series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer on this unique and provocative series, and I’m happy that they will be able to bring the story to its close the way they always envisioned,” HBO’s president of programming Michael Lombardo said. “We look forward with great anticipation to collaborating with Mark and Will on their next venture.” Olsen and Scheffer are working on a new project for the pay cable network, which will be announced shortly. ”When we created Big Love in 2002, we had a strong conception of the journey the Henrickson family would make over the course of the series, of the story we had to tell,” Olsen and Scheffer said. “While we were in the writers’ room this year shaping our fifth season, we discovered that we were approaching the culmination of that story.” Big Love is executive produced by Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, David Knoller, Bernadette Caulfield and Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer.
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I knew it was coming after the last season. Oh well, you will be missed. Good run!
Last year’s was a train wreck (at least partly) b/c of the fact that HBO shortened it down to 10 eps.
After last year’s train wreck, I’m not surprised. It had a nice run, but it’s time to drop the curtain on this mess. Next?
I only made it through 4 episodes last season and threw in the towel. The first 3 seasons were great but it went seriously off the rails. Guess I’ll have to give the finale season a try.
The first two seasons were excellent. Season three they seemed to abandon the commitment to character development and exploring the relationships between the characters in favor of putting the characters through one crazy and unlikely crisis after another (come one, she gets pregnant, then the pregnancy conveniently miscarries? Then Anna marries into the family after 12 episodes of build-up and she just disappears after two episodes of that? No payoff? Such lazy writing from a previously strong show). I haven’t seen season 4 but by all accounts it was awful. I don’t really understand what happened to the show or why the quality of the writing fell so precipitously. The acting was consistently great, though.
It was weird to see Aaron Paul on Breaking Bad because he had played his small role on Big Love so well. Great casting even with the minor characters.
It’s probably best that you dropped off before season 4 as the Anna saga got even more convoluted. I loved the first couple seasons, but the writing did get sloppy. Just the way they handled traveling to the Juniper Creek compound is evidence alone. The first season it was big deal going there, like a day of driving. By season 4 they were going back and forth from there as though is was right down the street. I’ll probably tune in to the last season to see how it all ends, but it’s good they’re wrapping it up.
Great people work on this show. I don’t. They have had a great run and a lot to be proud of! Mazel Tov!
Are BL and “In Treatment” the only shows left from the post-Sopranos/SexIntheCity & pre TrueBlood/BoardwalkEmpire era?
Entourage is still around, but that mess is finally ending next season (6 episodes left).
That was a pretty schizo era: Rome, Deadwood, (which they killed early for) John From Cincinnati, Entourage, Lucky Louie, Tell Me You Love Me, In Treatment, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Which is not to say there wasn’t some great programming in there: (Deadwood especially), but in retrospect it feels like a time of panicking for the next big thing without an identity.
Big Love began after the conception of true blood. and true blood is a much better show.
false and very false.
Finally! Once the show started spending all that time in Mexico with Bruce Dern and the parrots it was time to go. It would be nice if they could get back to the character development from the 1st two seasons, but it’s time to bury this corpse and bring on something new.
Oh c’mon, let’s not use this announcement to bash an otherwise excellent hour of entertainment. I didn’t love last season, but I didn’t hate it either. Once you’re invested with the characters how can you not care what happens? There was always one storyline worth watching. At least one. Rather let’s talk about how awful In Treatment is this season. I mean my gosh – any program daring to give Debra Winger such awful dialogue need not exist.
But I am sad about this though. Big Love, you will be missed!
Give credit for when it is due. Big love was an out of the ordinary television series that succeeded in telling its story, while reahcing out for the unknown possibilities. It worked with the viewers because they felt they had to keep coming back and seeing what would happen next. I am sure in TV’s vast history, there were not many truly satisfying dramas or comedies (except M.A.S.H.)that were great from beginning to end; and when the creators decided to put Bill in a position of high power, it was a grab to reach for the possibilities of how this crazy story of polygamists would end. All at the same time allowing the viewers to like the characters for what they felt was sincere. I for one am satisfied for the Big Love experience, since it did exactly what it set out to do: entertain.
Even a relatively weak episode of Big Love is saved by its stellar cast. Looking forward to the 5 season box set.
Some of the best acting and worst writing on TV. I’m glad it’s ending. Hopefully, that finish line will allow the writers to grow a pair of balls when it comes to the fate of their characters.
Never before have I seen a show that constantly takes their characters up to the point of doing something major and dramatic only to pull a “just kidding” moment to bail them out of it. Season after season they did that.
I’m waiting to find out the ending of last season was just a dream. Seriously. The finale was the first time on the show that the characters ever did anything in 4 seasons.
The show walks the characters up to the point of destruction only to safely pull them back in a cuddle.
If Barb left Bill when they had her ready to walk out the door, the show would have some teeth.
Instead, they inexplicably turn her back into a robot after spending the season making her realize this life wasn’t for her.
If they had the courage to let her walk out the door and show how the family and Bill dealt with that it would made this series infinitely more interesting.
That said, the acting on the show is top notch. Just wish the writing had the balls to rock the boat and break up the family. All the Juniper Creek Counsel nonsense became static after awhile.
I keep coming back to Barb as well. I think they probably felt they had to bring her back – at least for the moment. Seems like there was too much going on to focus on a huge break-up. At the same time I think they’re building up to someone leaving (if not all) in this final season. Poor Barb kinda looks done. And oh I’d love to see her and Adam Beach together at some point. I was so happy to see him join the show. Love watching that guy act.
This show is TERRIBLE. I enjoyed the first 2 seasons as well, but since then it’s been contrived nonsense, just cringe worthy. yuck. I get embarrassed for everyone involved just thinking about it.
I love this show, and this makes me sad. I hope they make a movie. Maybe not. I don’t know. I’ll miss them. Fabulous writing, great acting.
Curb and Entourage span between the two.
Good. I wholeheartedly agree with the good acting/bad writing. The show should end with all three wives leaving Bill. Barb goes back to the LDS church, Nikki goes back to Juniper Creek to help her brother, and Margene moves to New York to become an entrepreneur. Bill is impeached from state office and confronts his own delusional double-standards.
How many characters have murdered someone?
I had given up on the show after the ridiculous last season. Maybe now that it’s ending I’ll see it through the finale.
I’m kind of surprised there wasn’t a major shake up creatively, because the show really changed in the last two season. Didn’t seem like the same writers.
HBO actually canceling a show? Who knew?
HBO didn’t cancel it; it was a creative decision from the creators of the show.
I liked Sissy Spacek’s character but agree it was a very uneven season. I will be watching the final one though..Maybe it should end with a reality tv crew pitching them on doing a show for TLC
Big Love was a solid series. You can tell after the end of last season, that it has one more season left and that was it.
Now it’s time for HBO to end the run of the tired and same ol same ol Entourage.
Entourage jumped the shark 2 seasons ago! Ugh
I love Big Love. But I feel that too many changes happened at the end of season 3 that sent season 4 spiraling. Nikki’s storyline with her previous marriage and emotionally breaking away from the compound was it’s only saving grace.