Murder, secrets, hatred. These three iconic themes have burrowed themselves deep into the heart of American dramas. When a piece of cinema incorporates one of these themes, it is sure to be a hit, but when these three ideas overlap in a show or movie, a perfect storm of juicy, unfortunate events arises that inevitably draws the attention of viewers.

HBO’s new miniseries “Big Little Lies” is no exception to this formula as its twisted plot is laced with these dramatic themes. From an unsolved murder case to haunted pasts, “Big Little Lies” covers all the dramatic bases.

The miniseries, directed by David E. Kelley and adapted from the book written by Liane Moriarity, is set in the liberal and relaxed city of Monterey, Calif. From an outsider’s perspective, the city appears to be flawless with excessively friendly people and consistently perfect weather.

“This is Monterey. We pound people with nice,” Madeline Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon) said to the newest addition to the town, Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley).

“To death,” Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman) added.

When the city is further inspected, however, it is evident that the dark and twisted residents have turned their town into a hostile place.

The show kicks off with flashing red and blue lights and the insinuation that someone was killed at a masquerade fundraiser. The show then jumps to several months earlier with Madeline, Celeste and Jane taking their 6-year-old children to their first-grade orientation.

Jane, a young mother, quickly befriends Madeline after saving her from a twisted ankle.

The pair, along with Celeste, begins to isolate themselves from the rest of the first-grade moms. The hatred and jealousy that this separation causes are apparent in clips from police interrogations that are tastefully sprinkled in throughout each episode.

This artistic and incongruent timeline could cause much confusion for viewers, but Kelley effectively executes it. It keeps the readers interested in the mysterious murder while continuing to give a complete backstory of events that took place in Monterey prior to the murder.

While “Big Little Lies” includes iconic drama themes, the acting separates it from other shows. Witherspoon, Woodley and Kidman give consistently powerful performances in each episode, forcing you to fully feel their passion, fear and anger. The child actors are also exceptional as they give hilarious and heart-wrenching performances with their “moms.”

As a dramatic miniseries, “Big Little Lies” is twisted and intriguing, while the mother-child aspect of it is touching and nostalgic. The artistically directed show is a truly entertaining and refreshing piece of television with plot-twists emerging from every episode.