“Big Little Lies” weaves a twisting, complex tale of female empowerment.

David E. Kelley did a masterful job in adapting Liane Moriarty’s bestseller “Big Little Lies” as an HBO miniseries. The veteran Hollywood scribe brought her characters to vivid life and cast them perfectly with the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley and Laura Dern in key roles. Additionally, Kelley and director Jean-Marc Vallee translated Moriarty’s labyrinth tale of power, love and death in the affluent Monterey community with all its detail, nuance, and narrative complexity intact. The show incorporates flashbacks, foreshadowing, red herrings, and all kinds of symbolism, but none of it feels gimmicky. Instead, such devices only add more layers to this fascinating tale about female empowerment.