Official poster for Big Love

Scripted series · HBO

Big Love

Polygamy Loves Company

6.9IMDb152 votesWorth your time
Community0/20 ratingsYour ratingRateSign in to rate
2006 – 20115 seasons · 53 episodes~60 min per episodeTV-MAEnded
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The Nutevio profile

TV DNA

How Big Love actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.

Signature profile

Big Love reads strongest on Character Depth, Emotional Weight and Serialized.

Character DepthDefining8.5

How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.

Emotional WeightStrong6.4

How much the series is designed to affect you.

SerializedStrong5.5

How much each hour depends on the one before it.

BingeabilityPresent5.1

How hard it is to stop after one episode.

Cliffhanger IntensityPresent4.0

How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.

TensionPresent4.0

The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.

SpectacleLight3.5

Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.

World BuildingLight3.5

The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.

HumourLight2.5

How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.

The story

What it's about

The story of Bill Henrickson and his life in suburban Salt Lake City, balancing the needs of his three wives -- Barb, Nicki and Margene-- their seven kids, three new houses and the opening of his newest hardware store. When disturbing news arrives about Bill's father, he is forced to reconnect with his polygamist parents who live on a fundamentalist compound in rural Utah.

The run

Seasons

5 seasons · 53 episodes.

  • Official poster for Specials

    Season 0 · Unannounced

    Specials

    16 episodes

  • Official poster for Season 1

    Season 1 · Complete

    Season 1

    200612 episodes

    8.1IMDb

    Big family. Big dreams. Big problems. Big Love. Season one begins exploring the evolving institution of marriage through one atypical family. Bill Henrickson is a practicing polygamist who faces a myriad of challenges in meeting the emotional, romantic and financial needs of his three wives and seven children as they live together in suburban Salt Lake City.

    Best episode · S01E09 A Barbecue for Betty

  • Official poster for Season 2

    Season 2 · Complete

    Season 2

    200712 episodes

    8.6IMDb

    In Season Two, Bill—who owns two hardware superstores—is facing a myriad of personal and professional crises brought on by the exposure of First Wife Barb as a polygamist during a high-profile ceremony in Season One. Bill’s other wives, Nicki and Margene, pick up the slack as Barb languishes in a melancholy funk, leaving Bill to assess the damage the scandal has caused—and to track down the villain responsible for them being outed.

    Best episode · S02E10 The Happiest Girl...

  • Official poster for Season 3

    Season 3 · Complete

    Season 3

    200910 episodes

    8.4IMDb

    In Season three, Bill Henrickson, who last season bought a gaming-machine business to supplement his Home Plus superstores, is looking to diversify even further in the face of a flat do-it-yourself market and a crackdown on polygamists around the country. It's not a polygamist-friendly world out there and that's why Bill wants to protect his growing family by diversifying his businesses, building goodwill in his neighborhood, and adding a new wife who can deliver him more children.

    Best episode · S03E06 Come, Ye Saints

  • Official poster for Season 4

    Season 4 · Complete

    Season 4

    20109 episodes

    8.0IMDb

    In Season Four, as a new maelstrom of personal issues swirl around him, Bill launches yet another business venture: a Mormon-friendly casino he planned in Season Three with Native American partners. At the same time, Bill eschews a chance to seize the prophet mantle at Juniper Creek in favor of an even more high-profile calling: running for State Senate in Utah!

    Best episode · S04E08 Next Ticket Out

  • Official poster for Season 5

    Season 5 · Complete

    Season 5

    201110 episodes

    8.3IMDb

    As season five begins, the Henrickson family encounters a wave of hostility from neighbors, Home Plus employees, casino partners, students at their kids' schools, even fellow polygamists hoping to keep their personal lives private. Meanwhile, at Juniper Creek, Alby Grant returns from a self-imposed exile with a new mindset...and revenge on his mind. Can the Henricksons stand up to this flood of ill-will?

    Best episode · S05E03 Certain Poor Shepherds

Where the series peaks

Best Episodes

The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.

Still from The Special Relationship

S05E05

The Special Relationship

9.2IMDb5 votes

Bill finds success in the Senate but finds new roadblocks set up by the Mormon church. Barb comes to a new conclusion about her life. Cara Lynn's adoption faces a new obstacle. Lois recalls her past with Frank.

13 Feb 201158 min
Still from Certain Poor Shepherds

S05E03

Certain Poor Shepherds

9.2IMDb5 votes

The Henricksons' holiday cheer is tested by family revelations. Alby's purification of Juniper Creek leads to a defection.

30 Jan 201159 min
Still from Winter

S05E01

Winter

9.0IMDb5 votes

After being elected state senator, Bill Henrikson announces that he is a polygamist, and he and his families are attacked from every side; Alby Grant returns from living in the desert with the idea of purifying the compound and getting revenge.

16 Jan 201160 min
Still from Sacrament

S03E10

Sacrament

8.8IMDb5 votes

Bill convinces Ray Henry to go along with his idea to rescue a kidnapping victim; Nicki has a surprise visitor; Alby hatches a deadly plot to consolidate his power; Sarah makes a surprise announcement that shocks the family.

22 Mar 200955 min
Still from Rock and a Hard Place

S02E04

Rock and a Hard Place

8.8IMDb5 votes

Bill and Roman butt heads when Rhonda disappears from the compound. The prosecutor offers Joey a plea bargain in exchange for a confession. Meanwhile, Sarah takes an interest in a boy from her support group.

2 Jul 200756 min
Still from Come, Ye Saints

S03E06

Come, Ye Saints

8.8IMDb5 votes

The Henricksons embark on a 2,500-mile road-trip pilgrimage to a Joseph Smith shrine in Cumorah, NY, where Bill intends to bury a family time capsule in the sacred earth. Along the way, a series of jarring revelations test the limits of their family bonds--and Bill's faith.

22 Feb 200955 min

Recently aired

Latest Episodes

Still from Where Men and Mountains Meet

S05E10

Where Men and Mountains Meet

8.5IMDb4 votes
20 Mar 201163 min
Still from Exorcism

S05E09

Exorcism

8.2IMDb4 votes
13 Mar 201157 min
Still from The Noose Tightens

S05E08

The Noose Tightens

7.8IMDb4 votes
6 Mar 201157 min
Still from Til Death Do Us Part

S05E07

Til Death Do Us Part

6.0IMDb7 votes
27 Feb 201160 min
Still from D.I.V.O.R.C.E.

S05E06

D.I.V.O.R.C.E.

7.6IMDb5 votes
20 Feb 201159 min
Still from The Special Relationship

S05E05

The Special Relationship

9.2IMDb5 votes
13 Feb 201158 min

The craft

Key Crew

Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.

Executive production

Direction

Where to watch

Streaming

Availability verified against regional listings.

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