Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Fan Makes A Hilariously Valid Case For 'Big Little Lies' And 'Mamma Mia!' Being In The Same Cinematic Universe

Fan Makes A Hilariously Valid Case For 'Big Little Lies' And 'Mamma Mia!' Being In The Same Cinematic Universe
HBO; Universal Pictures; @gingerkelli/Twitter

*Minor spoilers for Big Little Lies ahead.

The return of Big Little Lies brought with it the star power of Meryl Streep.

Her character, Mary Louise, made an immediate impression on the other characters, as well as the audience.

However, Streep's character in the HBO show makes for an interesting thought.


Mary Louise is the mother of Alexander Skarsgård's Perry in Big Little Lies. Alexander Skarsgård's real life father is Stellan Skarsgård.

And Stellan Skarsgård starred in Mamma Mia! with Meryl Streep, which had a plot revolving around who Meryl's baby daddy is.

So, does this mean we've really solved the central dilemma of Mamma Mia!?

In Mamma Mia!, Meryl Streep plays Donna, the owner of a hotel on a Greek island whose daughter, Sophie, is about to get married. Sophie wants to be given away by her father, but doesn't know who he is.

Sophie finds her mother's diary and narrows down her father to one of three men, Sam, played by Pierce Brosnan, Harry, played by Colin Firth, and Bill, played by the aforementioned Stellan Skarsgård.

At the end of the film, it is never revealed which man is Sophie's dad, but this theory posits the answer.



Meanwhile, in HBO's Big Little Lies, we follow the lives of several women as their abusive lives bring them to the point of murder. Alexander Skarsgård's Perry's mother is portrayed in the show by Meryl Streep in the second season.

Seeing as Meryl Streep plays the mother of the younger Skarsgård in Big Little Lies, and Meryl had a former relationship with the older Skarsgård that possibly results in a pregnancy in Mamma Mia!, can we really draw the conclusion that the two stories are in the same universe?

This is the internet.

We can do what we want.




There are obvious holes in this theory.

To start, Mary Louise and Donna have completely different personalities. Now, Streep has the range to play both so incredibly well, and it's entirely possible she's changed in the intervening years.

Let's also add in the fact that as far as we're aware, Sophie is the only child of Donna in Mamma Mia!.

But it's so easy to make the connection.

Other people came to the exact same conclusion.



Big Little Lies' season 2 recently returned to HBO with the astonishing Meryl Streep in tow. It stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Kim Kardashian; Kimi Antonelli
Pascal Le Segretain/WireImage/Getty Images; Luca Barsali/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Kim Kardashian Just Sent A Peace Offering After She Sparked Backlash By Stealing Teen F1 Driver's Towel

At just 19 years old, Andrea Kimi Antonelli seems barely old enough to have a driver's license. But instead of cruising around town with friends, he's driving over 200 miles per hour through the streets of major cities as a Formula One (F1) racer.

The Italian driver, who prefers to be called Kimi, isn't just an also ran either—he's already won won five Grand Prix races since his 2025 debut with Team Mercedes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jesse Watters; Hillary Clinton
Fox News; Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

Jesse Watters Ripped Live On Air After His Overtly Sexist Rant About Hillary Clinton's Place In History

Even Fox News personality Jesse Watters' own colleagues pushed back after he dismissed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as just a "female" who will be a "footnote" in history following her remarks that former President Joe Biden's reelection bid was a "terrible mistake" for the Democrats.

Clinton argued that Biden's first significant error was deciding to seek a second term after initially presenting himself as a bridge to a new generation of Democratic leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jon Ossoff; Donald Trump
MS NOW; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Jon Ossoff Masterfully Hits Back After 'Unstable' Trump Tries To Insult Him With Cringey New Nickname

Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff hit back at President Donald Trump after Trump branded him "Jon Os(jerk!)off" in an unhinged post following the Republican runoff results.

In this year's midterm election, Ossoff will face Representative Mike Collins, Trump's preferred candidate, after Collins defeated fellow Republican Derek Dooley in Tuesday's GOP runoff.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peter Doocy; Donald Trump
Fox News; Magali Cohen/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Fox News Just Told The Truth About Why Iran Is So 'Eager' To Sign Onto Trump's New 'Deal'

In an unexpected twist for Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, nepo-baby White House correspondent Peter Doocy called out MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's deal to end the war he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel provoked with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz that was closed because of their actions.

The son of Fox News veteran Steve Doocy spoke to Fox News host Will Cain on Tuesday from Geneva, Switzerland, where Trump was attending the G7 Summit. Cain asked Doocy if he could hear what Trump said, to which he replied that he could and that he agreed with Trump's assertion that he's "very rich."

Keep ReadingShow less
Three children blowing out birthday candles; Tweet by @Liza137823
Dennis Hallinan/Getty Images; @Liza137823/X

X User Dragged After Complaining About Neighbor Hosting Birthday Party With Six Kids In Backyard

Not everyone likes children or hearing kid noises or activities, but when you are in close proximity to a child-friendly space, you're going to hear some of it, whether that's at a park or even living next door.

X user @Liza137823 got onto the platform expecting to receive validation and comfort from her fellow X users, but all she received were critiques when she complained about a kid's birthday party happening without getting her permission first.

Keep ReadingShow less