A sharp, unusually serious family drama that uses polygamy as a lens for power, faith, intimacy, and domestic chaos. It’s at its best when it balances suburban realism with moral unease and escalating family politics.
Big Love
Where to watch: Buy
TV Show · Drama
Sun
Created by: Will Scheffer, Mark V. Olsen
Starring: Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny
Overview
The story of Bill Henrickson and his life in suburban Salt Lake City, balancing the needs of his three wives -- Barb, Nicki and Margene-- their seven kids, three new houses and the opening of his newest hardware store. When disturbing news arrives about Bill's father, he is forced to reconnect with his polygamist parents who live on a fundamentalist compound in rural Utah.
Created by
Will Scheffer, Mark V. Olsen
Cast
Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin, Grace Zabriskie, Douglas Smith, Cassi Thomson, Matt Ross
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, unusually serious family drama that uses polygamy as a lens for power, faith, intimacy, and domestic chaos. It’s at its best when it balances suburban realism with moral unease and escalating family politics.
Best for
Viewers who like prestige family dramas with messy relationships
Fans of HBO character studies and morally complicated antiheroes
People interested in religion, secrecy, and domestic power dynamics
Skip if
You want a light or fast-moving premise
You prefer tidy moral answers or easy emotional payoff
You’re not interested in slow-burn domestic drama or religious conflict
Overview
Big Love is one of HBO’s more distinctive dramas: ambitious, uneasy, and often very funny in a deadpan way. What could have been a sensational premise becomes a study of marriage, identity, and the compromises people make to keep a family and a belief system intact. Bill Paxton gives the show a grounded center, while the three wives are written with enough specificity that the series rarely feels like a gimmick.
Worth noting
The early seasons are the strongest, especially as the show establishes the domestic logistics and the constant threat of exposure. It has a strong sense of place and a steady accumulation of tension, with the compound material adding a darker, more ominous counterweight to the suburban story. The writing can be uneven in later stretches, but the ensemble and the premise keep it compelling.
Bottom line
If you like prestige TV that is more observant than explosive, Big Love is worth the time. It’s not a comfort watch, but it is a smart, often absorbing one, and it remains notable for how seriously it treats a highly unusual family structure without reducing anyone to a caricature.