On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds an 86% "certified fresh" rating with an average rating of 7.7 out of 10 based on 265 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Gorgeous and gripping, Big Little Lies second season doubles down on the dark humor and gives its impressive cast even more juicy drama to chew on – especially an excellent Meryl Streep." On Metacritic, the season has a score of 82 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Ben Travers of IndieWire wrote a positive review giving it a "B+" grade, concluding that Season 2 is a "wholly different beast" and "doesn't feel like a necessary addition so much as an enjoyable epilogue", yet it is "still very, very good".
