Big Little Lies Season 3 Unlikely Despite Cliffhanger, Says HBO Chief

Big Little Lies ended its unlikely second season with the five main leads (Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoe Kravitz) walking into a police station seemingly to confess their big little lie. But despite the obvious cliffhanger finale, it doesn't sound like a third season is very likely.

Speaking to reporters at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Wednesday, HBO programming president Casey Bloys said that while he'd "never say never," especially after bringing Deadwood back for a wrap-up movie more than a decade after the Western was canceled, he doesn't think there is more story to tell for Big Little Lies.

"Having approached a possible Season 2 skeptically, what became clear to us was there was a story to tell. ... To me, on the face of it, there's no obvious place to go [in a third season]. No obvious story," he said.

Big Little Lies Season 2 Finale Recap: The Truth Comes Out

Again, Bloys didn't completely rule out the prospect of continuing the series, noting that if the cast and creative voices behind the show came to him and told him they had a great take, he would certainly "be open to it" because he loves working with them. But at this time, he claimed, it just doesn't feel right.

Bloys' remarks clash with what Kidman has said about a possible Season 3. The actress, who won an Emmy for the first season and is also an executive producer, said recently, "I think we would love to do a Season 3 because there are certainly ideas. But we would not do it without all of the same people involved... even the kids."

Big Little Lies was a hot topic during Bloys' executive session at TCA. In addition to a possible Season 3, he also spoke about the backstage drama involving the Season 2 director, Andrea Arnold, and Season 1 director and executive producer Jean-Marc Vallée.

Big Little Lies is streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now. Need HBO? Add it through Hulu or through Amazon.