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Big Love is an HBO television drama about a polygamous family, starring Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin. It premiered in the United States on March 12, 2006 following the sixth season premiere of the popular HBO series, The Sopranos. Canadian viewers can see the series on The Movie Network with approximately the same schedule as the United States while viewers in the United Kingdom can watch it on terrestrial channel Five on Mondays at 10pm.

HBO confirmed on April 20, 2006 that they have picked up the series for a second season, set to begin production in June 2006 with episodes beginning to air in Spring 2007.http://www.hbo.com/biglove/news/index.html

The theme song for the series is "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys. Score for the series is composed by Mark Mothersbaugh.

The show was co-created by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer who also serve as executive producers. Olsen and Scheffer, a gay couple, spent almost three years researching the show, and their intent was to create a fair portrayal of polygamy in America, without passing judgment. Some commentators have suggested that the series is a medium for exploring the meaning of "family" and its implications for such issues as gay marriage.

Plot

The series revolves around polygamist protagonist Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), his three wives: Barb (the legal wife/first wife), Nicki (the second wife) and Margene (the third wife), and their extended family of seven children. The series is set in present-day Sandy, Utah (a suburb of Salt Lake City), but it is filmed mostly in California at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute in Simi Valley.

HBO has taken pains to state that the family portrayed in the series is not part of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the "Mormons" and the largest group of the Latter Day Saint movement, which banned the practice of polygamy in 1890.http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3649390 The writers portray the family's religion as a fundamentalist splinter group that actually keeps their lifestyle secret from their LDS or Mormon neighbors. The fictional group in which Bill was raised bears more than a few similarities to the real-life Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, including assigned polygamous marriages, church ownership of all residential property, and routine expulsion of teenage boys for seemingly minor and arbitrary offenses. However, the LDS church has expressed its worry that this distinction will be lost on the series' viewers in spite of the disclaimers.http://lds.org/newsroom/showrelease/0,15503,3881-1-23019,00.html

Cast

Crew

The head writers for the series are the co-creators: Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer. The writing staff includes staff writers: Dustin Lance Black and Eileen Myers. Other writers include David Manson, Alexa Junge, Karen Sprecher & Jill Sprecher and Jeanette Collins & Mimi Friedman.

Directors of the series include many veteran directors from other programs on HBO including Rodrigo Garcia, Charles McDougall, Michael Spiller, Alan Taylor, Mary Harron, Steve Shill, Julian Farino, Michael Lehmann and Alan Poul (former executive producer of Six Feet Under).

Producers on the show are Ann Holm, Ron Binkowski, Bernadette Caulfield, Angela Courtin, Jeanette Collins & Mimi Friedman, and Shane Keller. David Knoller, Alexa Junge, and David Manson serve as co-executive producers. Executive producers are Gary Goetzman and actor, Tom Hanks.

Episodes

Season 1 (2006)

|| "Pilot" || Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer || Rodrigo Garcia || March 12, 2006 || 1 (1-01) || "Viagra Blue" || Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer || Charles McDougall || March 19, 2006 || 2 (1-02) || "Home Invasion" || Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer || Charles McDougall || March 26, 2006 || 3 (1-03) || "Eclipse" || David Manson and Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer (teleplay)
David Manson (story) || Michael Spiller || April 2, 2006 || 4 (1-04) || "Affair" || Alexa Junge and Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer (teleplay)
Alexa Junge (story) || Alan Taylor || April 9, 2006 || 5 (1-05) || "Roberta's Funeral" || Eileen Myers || Mary Harron || April 16, 2006 || 6 (1-06) || "Eviction" || Mimi Friedman & Jeanette Collins || Michael Spiller || April 23, 2006 || 7 (1-07) || "Easter" || Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer || Steve Shill || April 30, 2006 || 8 (1-08) || "A Barbecue for Betty" || Jill Sprecher & Karen Sprecher and Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer (teleplay)
Jill Sprecher & Karen Sprecher (story) || Julian Farino || May 7, 2006 || 9 (1-09) || "The Baptism" || Dustin Lance Black || Michael Lehmann || May 14, 2006 || 10 (1-10) || "Where There's a Will" || Mimi Friedman & Jeanette Collins (teleplay)
Eileen Myers (story) || Alan Poul || May 21, 2006 || 11 (1-11) || "The Ceremony" || Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer || Julian Farino || June 4, 2006 || 12 (1-12)
Image Title Writer (s) Director Original Airdate #
Polygamist Bill Henrickson tries to satisfy the emotional, romantic and financial needs of his three wives – Barb, Nicki and Margene — and seven children in suburban Salt Lake City. Bill, a successful businessman launching his second "Home Plus" hardware superstore, hits a roadblock in the person of Roman, the powerful patriarch of the Juniper Creek polygamist commune and father of Nicki, Bill's shopaholic second wife. Also his estranged brother Joey a retired football star, calls Bill with a shocking revelation about their father Franklin who lives on the same compound as their mother Lois, Franklin's second wife.hbo.com
Nicki gets sidetracked after scolding Bill for disrespecting Barb on her "day," though Barb eventually gets her payback. Worried about Roman's threats, Bill looks into installing a security system at his home(s); Franklin's hospital convalescence ends with a visit from Roman and a revealing quarrel with his son; Bill's business associate, Don Embry, also a polygamist, drops by for dinner with his three wives, and confides to Bill his expansion plans; Marge presses Bill to give her a car of her own; Sarah forges a new friendship; and Bill compensates for rising demands at home, with prescription drugs. Nicki fends off her collectors from her largely maxed out and overdue credit cards.
Despite being admonished by Bill for her spendthrift ways, and her rising collection calls, Nicki tries to throw an extravagant birthday party at a hotel resort for her 5-year-old son Wayne, but is forced to host the party at home, bringing unwanted attention with her large guest list, including her father, Roman, and many relatives from the compound. Meanwhile, Bill installs a "perimeter of defense" around his home; Barb tries to keep the family's secret hidden from their neighbors; Margene stands up for herself; and Bill is alarmed when Home Plus gets an unwanted visitor.
Bill seeks "clarity" after experiencing some unsettling dreams. Later, on a hunting trip with Ben, he gets the answer for which he's been searching. Barb gets a long-term teaching job, putting added pressure back home on Nicki and Margene. Nicki fends off her creditors, barely; Joey pays Bill a visit with some revealing news about Roman; Sarah is bailed out of a bad party by Heather, and Teenie bangs away the dragons during a lunar eclipse.
Bill and Barb's behavior arouses Nicki's suspicions. Meanwhile, Bill and Don get dirt on Roman after placing an anonymous call to Attorney General's "Polygamy Czar"; a Home Plus employee comes forward with an unsettling accusation; Roman searches for Bill's audited numbers, exposing Alby's limitations and inciting his ire; Margene embraces the friendship of her neighbor Pam, raising concerns from the other wives; Nicki makes a happy announcement to the family.
Bill heads to Juniper Creek to attend the funeral of his father Frank's first wife Roberta, and to make Roman a settlement proposal he may or may not be able to refuse. Lois sees Roberta's demise as an opportunity to rise to First Wife. Meanwhile, Barb bails Nicki out of a jam at Home Plus, and Ben ponders whether he has what it takes to follow in his father's footsteps.
Despite his ongoing feud with Roman, Bill considers launching an expensive new marketing campaign for Home Plus. Nicki wards off the advances of a pair of persistent missionaries; Margene is invited to a recital at Pam's church; Ben gets a strange vibe on a road trip with some fellow Seminary students; Alby finds novel ways to occupy his time after being excused from the Henrickson case; Sarah brings home an unexpected guest; Barb discovers Nicki's not-so-little secret; Roman gives the Henrickson clan his answer to Bill's settlement proposal.
Having been evicted from their temporary lodgings, Frank, his wives and dog descend on Bill's just in time for Easter-as does Joey, who's looking for a fresh start. Meanwhile, Bill finds himself drowning in lawsuits; Nicki learns she's not alone in debt; Sarah unexpectedly bonds with Lois; and Bill surprises Roman with a final settlement offer.
Bill celebrates being "free and clear" from Roman, but the Prophet's meddling might not be over. Nicki drops a bombshell on Bill, hoping for forgiveness but fearing the worst. Don falls hard for a woman named Betty. Bill vents to Sarah after a run-in with the law. A vote-obsessed Margene leaves a "Chad" hanging, and toys with her old lifestyle, as well as her friendship with Pam.
Barb gets an unwanted visit from her sister Cindy, who strongly disapproves of the family's polygamist lifestyle. Meanwhile, as his feud with Roman intensifies, Bill attempts to infiltrate the UEB Priesthood Council. Ben gives his girlfriend Brynn a token of his affection, and is offered a much more significant one in return. A depressed Margene botches her chores, sees a friendship end, and is transformed at Teenie's baptism.
The Henricksons' public stock is rising, as Barb finds herself a finalist for Mother of the Year, and Bill is asked to become the newest member of the Salt Lake City Leadership League. Meanwhile, the wives mull over custody scenarios in their separate wills, but are chastened for their subterfuge when Hatcher spills the beans to Bill. Rhonda arrives from Juniper Creek for a histrionic spring-break stay, prompting sympathy from Sarah and Heather, as well as Barb, and, Holloway finds that keeping secrets from Roman carries both risks and rewards.
Bill and Joey blindside Roman at a UEB Priesthood Council meeting, turning the tables on the Prophet-but will their triumph be short-lived? Wanda's bad habits resurface during a visit from Alby; Adaleen puts an abrupt end to Rhonda's thespian sabbatical; Nicki's family allegiances are put to the test; and Barb seizes the spotlight during the Mother of the Year award ceremony at the governor's mansion, despite Nicki's initial dismay.

Trivia

  • The show's fictional fundamentalist Mormon group, the United Effort Brotherhood, is in some ways similar to and was largely inspired by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, one of the most prolific and well-known remaining groups of polygamists claiming to be the successors of the original LDS church. (The name may be inspired by the church's financial and legal wing, the United Effort Plan.) Creators Olsen and Scheffer even included a harried drive through the twin cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, the largest standing FLDS stronghold, as part of their research for the show. *
  • Jeanne Tripplehorn and Tina Majorino have worked together before, in the Kevin Costner movie Waterworld, playing Helen and Enola respectively

See also

References

External links

HBO network shows | 2000s TV shows in the United States | TMN network shows

Big Love

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Big Love".

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