Big Love
Everything you need to know about Big Love
Big Love follows the trials and tribulations of the Henricksons – a polygamous family with three wives.
Living with their seven children in Salt Lake City, Utah, the family are members of a fundamentalist subsect of the Mormon faith, the fictional United Effort Brotherhood (UEB).
As such, they hide their relationship from the public eye due to it being illegal and knowing they will face scrutiny.
This is made even more essential as Bill is an esteemed member of the community thanks to his chain of hardware stores.
Upon launch in March 2006, Big Love was widely praised for its portrayal of the family dynamics of a polygamous marriage, and became a staple drama for US network HBO.
The series ended in March 2011.
Who starred in Big Love?
The central story revolves around Bill Henrickson and his three wives. These are:
- Bill Paxton (Twister, Titanic) as Bill Henrickson
- Jeanne Tripplehorn (The Terminal List, The Gilded Age) as Barbara “Barb”
- Chloë Sevigny (Russian Doll, Feud: Betty and Joan) as Nicolette “Nicki”
- Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time, Walk The Line) as Margene “Margie”
Their extended family/friendship group are:
- Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls, Mamma Mia) as Sarah Henrickson
- Douglas Smith (Big Little Lies, The Alienist) as Ben Henrickson
- Grace Zabriskie (Twin Peaks, Outcast) as Lois Henrickson
- Shawn Doyle (The Expanse, Star Trek: Discovery) as Joey Henrickson
- Melora Walters (PEN15, Dead Poets Society) as Wanda Henrickson
- Joel McKinnon Miller (Brooklyn 99, The Staircase) as Don Embry
- Daveigh Chase (Donnie Darko, The Ring) as Rhonda Volmer
- Jolean Wejbe (Gilmore Girls, JAG) as Tancy "Teenie" Henrickson
- Bruce Dern (Nebraska, The Hateful Eight) as Frank Harlow
- Harry Dean Stanton (Lucky, The Green Mile) as Roman Grant
- Matt Ross (Silicon Valley, American Horror Story) as Albert “Alby” Grant
- Mary Kay Place (Lady Dynamite, Imposters) as Adaleen Grant
- Cassi Thomson (Switched at Birth, Minority Report: The Series) as Cara Lynn Walker
How many episodes of Big Love are there and will it ever return?
Big Love ran for five seasons for a total of 53 episodes.
Seasons one and two ran for 12 episodes each, season three ran for 10, season four for nine and season five for ten.
The series aired its finale on March 20th, 2011, and to date, there have been no discussions on a possible reboot.
How successful was Big Love and what awards did it win?
Big Love became a consistent ratings winner for US network HBO, allowing it to continue through to a planned conclusion.
Across the show’s run, Big Love earned 45 award nominations, winning seven.
This includes:
- Nine Primetime Emmy nominations
- Nine Satellite award nominations
- Two Writers Guild of America award nominations (winning one)
- Seven Golden Globe nominations (winning one)
What is the age rating of Big Love?
Big Love’s official rating in the UK, as certified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), varies between 12 and 15 over the show's run.
This means the show contains episodes that may not be suitable for children. Reasons for the rating include:
- Inferred sex scenes or sexual activity
- Limited profane language
- Some intense scenes that may not be suitable for a young audience
- Moderate violence and gore, including some gun violence
How to watch Big Love in the UK
Big Love is available to watch in full on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
Will I still be able to watch Big Love on Sky with HBO Max launching?
If you have Sky Ultimate TV or Sky Q with an eligible package, you will still be able to watch Big Love from 26 March 2026 with access to HBO Max Basic with Ads included as part of your Sky subscription. So not only will you still have a full back catalogue of your favourite series – including Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and Friends – but you’ll also get brand new HBO Max Original titles like the Emmy Award-winning The Pitt. Sky+ customers will also be able to watch HBO Max Basic with Ads content through their home page.
Sky Atlantic will continue to air upcoming seasons of much-loved HBO shows that have previously aired on Sky, including House of the Dragon, The Last of Us and The White Lotus, alongside homegrown Sky Originals and exclusive Peacock Originals straight from the US.
But we’re not stopping there. From March 2026, Sky is bringing together HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and (from July 2026) Hayu all under a single subscription. That means millions of existing customers will get unrivalled access to unmissable entertainment as part of their Sky TV subscription!
For more information on how Sky TV is getting even better – click here!
And what about NOW subscribers?
This March, existing NOW Entertainment customers will get HBO Max Basic with Ads included in their membership at no extra cost and fully integrated into the NOW platform, bringing even more must-see series from HBO Max alongside Sky Originals and exclusive US shows. HBO Max Basic with Ads will drop into your membership automatically, so you don’t need to do a thing.