'Big Little Lies’ Season 2 Is Officially Coming, & Fans Are Psyched

Great news for the Big Little Lies fans out there: on Friday, HBO announced that Big Little Lies was renewed for Season 2, a seven-episode arc that will see Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman continue to rule the screen. The first season of the show was massively popular, so it's no surprise that fans have reacted to the second season announcement with off-the-charts levels of excitement. People. Are. Stoked.

The second season will be directed by Andrea Arnold — of American Honey and Wuthering Heights fame — and both Witherspoon and Kidman will continue to work as executive producers on the show. David E. Kelley, who scripted the first season based on Liane Moriarty's book of the same name, will also be writing all seven episodes in the second season, according to Deadline. And while Kidman and Witherspoon have already issued statements about the show's return, they're not the only stars who will be coming back to Big Little Lies: according to Variety, the majority of the cast is expected back on set for Season 2.

As soon as the news hit headlines, fans officially began to freak out on Twitter. Not only were they down for more Monterey drama, but they were 100 percent down to see Andrea Arnold added to the team:

The show's two main stars have already shared how excited they are to return to the Emmy-winning TV drama. "I’m thrilled to be bringing back this talented team of artists," Witherspoon said in a statement released by HBO. "It gives us the opportunity to delve deeper into the lives of these intriguing and intricate Monterey families and bring more of their stories back to the audience who embraced and championed them."

Kidman also had nothing but praise for the show's writer, its audience, and incoming Arnold. "What a journey this has been," she said in a statement.

According to Vulture, the show's creators have plans to make Season 2 even bigger and better by adding four new characters into the mix, and casting director David Rubin is reportedly already on the hunt for new actors to fill the roles. (Unfortunately, HBO couldn't confirm the new characters for Vulture — but personally, I'm taking that as a sign that hey, that means the new additions are still a possibility, right?)

The new characters will reportedly include Michael Perkins, a second-grade teacher new to Otter Bay Elementary School; a new school admin employee; and Elizabeth and Martin Howard, Bonnie's parents. And of course, some Big Little Lies fans on Twitter are already working hard at picking out the best potential actors for the roles:

Fans clearly already have big expectations for Season 2, so it will be interesting to see just how Big Little Lies tackles the next seven-episode arc. The show took home no less than eight Emmy Awards this year, according to Variety, so the world will definitely be expecting a high-caliber return from the HBO drama. And from the line-up of returning and new talent, it sounds like HBO plans to deliver.

"I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to keep exploring these female characters and make this series with my friends," Kidman said in an HBO press release. "This is inspired by the overwhelming response by audiences around the world."

According to Vulture, contract negotiations are happening now, and show production will begin around March 2018. No word yet on when HBO is planning to bring the new season to fans' screens, but something tells me that hardcore Big Little Lies fans will have no problem waiting a while to see their favorite women take over TV again.