HBO has announced that the story of Big Love is coming to a close. The fifth and final season will begin airing on Sunday, January 16, 2011.
The TV show has never been a big ratings winner for the pay-for-view channel but has earned several Emmy nominations and positive critical reviews. Many, including series star Chloe Sevigny, expressed disappointment with season four but the producers believe that season five will be the best yet.
Here’s the official press release from HBO…
ACCLAIMED HBO DRAMA SERIES BIG LOVE TO RETURN FOR FIFTH AND FINAL SEASON JAN. 16
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28, 2010 – The acclaimed HBO drama series BIG LOVE will return for its fifth and final season SUNDAY, JAN. 16, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming.“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,” noted Lombardo. “We look forward with great anticipation to collaborating with Mark and Will on their next venture.”
“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,” said Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer. “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 has been our all-consuming labor of love for the past eight years. We are very grateful for HBO’s continuing support and for the collaborative effort of our partners at Playtone, our producers, our fine cast and our fellow craftsmen and crew for making this show the exceptional and joyful experience that it’s been. This coming January, we look forward to presenting our audience with the most vibrant and satisfying final season of a television series that we can produce.”
“BIG LOVE has been a truly rewarding experience in every way for Tom Hanks and me,” observes executive producer Gary Goetzman. “We’ve been so fortunate to have had such a tremendous cast over the five seasons, and we’ve never been less than amazed with their brilliance and willingness to take risks. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our partnership with Will and Mark and have always been blown away by their storytelling abilities. We believe this final season of BIG LOVE will be the best ever.”
BIG LOVE tells the story of Salt Lake City businessman Bill Henrickson, who balances the needs of his three wives – Barb, Nicki and Margene – their nine kids and three houses, and his own entrepreneurial ambitions. Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chlo? Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin star in the series, which is executive produced by Playtone’s Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, David Knoller, Bernadette Caulfield and series creators and show runners Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer.
Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer have a continuing relationship with HBO, and their next project for the network will be announced when it is confirmed.
Emmy?- and Golden Globe- nominated in the category of best drama series, BIG LOVE continued to inspire critical acclaim for its fourth season, which concluded in March 2010. The Wall Street Journal hailed the series’ “spectacular performances,” while the Salt Lake Tribune called the show “one of the finest hours of drama on any network,” and Entertainment Weekly termed it “bracing,” praising “the mighty performance of Bill Paxton.”
BIG LOVE is produced by HBO Entertainment in association with Playtone and Anima Sola Productions; created by Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer; executive producers, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, David Knoller, Bernadette Caulfield and Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer; supervising producer, Patricia Breen; producer, Seth Greenland; producer, Peter Friedlander; co-producers, Dauri Chase and Don Bensko; co-producers, Melanie Marnich and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; executive story editor, Julia Cho; story editor, Jami O’Brien; staff writer, Aaron Allen; casting, Junie Lowry Johnson, C.S.A., Libby Goldstein and Lisa Soltau.
What do you think? Are you sorry that Big Love is ending or is it time for it to go?
Image courtesy HBO.
I’m sad to find out Big Love is ending! No one ever gave a really clear answer as to why… Oh well guess as a viewer whatever I say doesn’t matter!
I hate to saee big Love GO….. I LOVE THE SHOW…..
So sad to see this show leave. it is a favorite in our family we look forward to the beginning of every season and anticipate a new show every week. 🙁
So, so, so disappointed about Big Love being cancelled. It’s hard to find good TV.
This is ridiculous. Why do the best shows get canceled?
I love this show and look forward to watching the new season. I’m sad to see it end 🙁
I think the show was awesome I think that the writers could have done this show and actors much better justice in season 4..but just because season 4 was the weakest season since the show has aired..Does NOT mean that it should go off of the air the Charactors have so much more potential and room to grow…HBO is famous for evening good shows ..ex…. THE WIRE ….I just hope they final is something to look forwatd to…not a mess ….ex…The Soprano’s..a.k.a the worst ending of all time..
I’m devastated. I have come to absolutely love the show and I watch it over and over. There is always some nuance I missed the first time. Too bad really. .it was a show that could have run 10 years with a million possible story lines!!
Big Love is one of the best series HBO has ever had. I am not happy that it is ending. Big Mistake.
I think that Big Love is more timely than ever! Polygamy is coming more to the forefront with the Warren Jeffs trial and his Texas Compound and the new reality show “Sister Wives”. Living in Utah all my life I can say that the story is NOT far fetched, certainly more entertaining, but quite realistic in its portrayal of FLDS communities.
It had a good run, even the best shows can’t last forever. I love it but after last season (I liked it!) I couldn’t it lasting for much longer, I hope it has a great ending!
When the theme song/introduction was changed, I knew something was wrong and then after watching the entire last season, I lost interest in the show. I just hope that if this is the FINAL season, then go out with a bang with a good series finale, please. Don’t disappoint the fans like myself, HBO!
This was theclast reason I was to keep HBO. What happened to them they used to
Be the king of cable dramas with soppranoa deadwood now showtime is killing them after big love leaves I am leaving HBO.
Wow, I love this show. It’s 4th season was a stinker, but they hopefully learned from that and made 5 a winner. Maybe great ratings for season 5 will save it?
I’m sorry for my mom, she loves the show. Now their canceling it? That sux. I might have watched in the future if it got a decent run. But if it’s only 5 seasons, then it’ll definetly go down the list of shows I’ll watch in their entirely. Too bad honestly. I know the show will be missed.