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 sorry to see it end. It had a good cast and storyline.
I’m sorry to see the show end. I had to keep saying it over and over until it sunk in. There were no more episodes to follow. It had a good cast and a good script. I curious why did they cancel the show?
I have watched Big Love since the beginning, and have enjoyed seeing the trials and tribulations of the Hendrickson family. This fifth season has been the very best of the series. I will hate to see it canceled.
I really enjoy Big Love! I’ve been a fan from the very begining. This is the only show I watch on Sunday.
I love Big love and im so sad to see it go. I followed the show since season one. I feel torn because I cant wait to see what’s going to happen next week but dont want to be another week closer to the show ending. This show will truly be missed. I wish the producers would change their minds.
This is one of my favorite shows and just it’s starting to get really really good they decide to cancel it. They keep other series going that down right stink. I don’t know who decides this cause I know they have plenty of viewers. Please give this show another chance it’s not to late, next thing you know they will cancel True Blood and if they do I will cancel HBO.
Don’t cancel this show! It’s one of my favorites and seem like every time I like something they cancel it.
I love the show and I sorry to see it end and this season has been great television. I wish they would continue.
Big Love is so well-written, so well-acted; it’s poignant and humorous and makes the audience ponder, reflect, and think. Most of series television does not do that – it goes for the canned laughs, or the formula scenes. It has been so refreshing to watch such intelligent drama these last five years that Big Love has been a part of HBO’s Sunday night line-up. I appreciated that HBO did not go overboard with the language in this drama which wouldn’t have fit the Mormon philosophy or lifestyle they are portraying. The love scenes between Bill and his wives were always… Read more »
I am sorry to see Big Love go. I love the series and think their is no way they can wrap this up in three more shows. There are a lot of things I would have like to have seen happen with these characters and think there is a lot of life left in it. This show is the only Reason I have HBO, it certainly isn’t the 10 year old movies they run on demand 🙁
Every Sunday, My daughters and I looked forward to watching the program together in our 3 prespective homes. We have been there from the begining. It will be missed. I really hope some other networks finds the value in the exceptional cast and story line.
We Love, Big Love!!
I’ve watched Big Love since the series began, and it’s breaking my heart that the series is ending. I’ve come to feel as if the Henrickson’s were part of my own family. They’ll be terribly missed. Any chance the producers might reconsider? I know so many of us would be thrilled.
im sad to see it go totally i might cancel my hbo canada subscription since big love was the only reason i kept it i can alway wait till monday to stream true blood but big love i didnt want to wait a minute more then nessasary to see the next episode//
I’m sorry to see Big Love end. I have enjoyed the show very much over the past 5 years. It had a good run!
I have watched this show from the beginning as well as many other series HBO has put out.I feel like just when you start to really get into the series they cancel it.It has now put a bad taste in putting my trust into future series they put out. Why waste our time if in the end your just gonna cancel it anyway!!!