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When Tiny Beautiful Things premiered on Hulu last month, I had a feeling of déjà vu: Didn’t I already see this show on Netflix? Wasn’t it about ballerinas? Alas, the show I was thinking of was Tiny Pretty Things, a teen soap opera about an elite dance school in Chicago. Both shows are based on books that bear the same names, but they couldn’t be more different. But they’re part of, well, if not a trend then a pattern of TV shows, often based on books, that have these titles that all mention petite, but sometimes big, usually pretty, but often deceptive, uh, things. So many things.
I know these titles weren’t conceived to confuse us but the fact is that, after a certain point, the market became saturated with so many shows about things that it does get hard to keep them straight. Please note that I’m not even going to get into Better Things and Stranger Things, or shows and movies with synonyms for “things,” like pieces and objects and such – Sharp Objects, Pieces of Her, and A Million Little Pieces all come to mind (I’m unofficially calling those “The Broken Mirror Trilogy”) – so in order to help you keep track of which show is which, here’s a guide to all the tiny, pretty, big — and sometimes little! — beautiful things on streaming.
'Tiny Pretty Things'
Things? Lies? What Are We Dealing With Here?: Both, actually. The title here refers to the blue-jean babies, these tiny dancers, who attend a fancy dancing school, but a lot of them have secrets.
Is It Based On A Book? Yes, and it’s also called Tiny Pretty Things.
How Handsome Are They?: Pret-tay….pret-tay…pretty.
What’s It About? Based on the novel by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, Tiny Pretty Things starred Kylie Jefferson, Casimere Jollette and Lauren Holly. The series, which came out in 2020 and lasted one season, was about the competitive world of ballet, set in an elite Chicago dance school. A little like Riverdale but with pirouettes, there was sex, there was high school drama, and there was an attempted murder. Unlike Riverdale, all of the actors did their own dancing.
'Tiny Beautiful Things'
Things? Lies? What Are We Dealing With Here? Things.
Is It Based On A Book? Yes, Cheryl Strayed’s Tiny Beautiful Things.
How Handsome Are They?: You are so beautiful to me.
What’s It About? Kathryn Hahn plays Clare, a novelist-turned advice columnist whose own messy life informs her work. The show is co-produced by Reese Witherspoon and, come to think of it, she’s the MVP of this entire list. Keep reading…
'Big Little Lies'
Things? Lies? What Are We Dealing With Here? Lies! Lies! Lies! Yeah!
Is It Based On A Book? Yes, Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies.
How Handsome Are They?: Neither, actually, but they are both big and little.
What’s It About? Reese Witherspoon co-produced this two-season series, which premiered on HBO in 2017, with co-star Nicole Kidman. The two women starred, along with Zoe Kravitz, Shailene Woodley, and Laura Dern, as mothers of children at an elite school where a murder occurs after a fundraiser and we have to find out not only who the killer is, but who the victim is, too. The first season won eight Emmys.
'Little Fires Everywhere'
Things? Lies? What Are We Dealing With Here? Fire, actually, but it’s everywhere.
Is It Based On A Book? Yes, Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere.
How Handsome Are They?: Not pretty, but very small.
What’s It About? Reese Witherspoon, this is where I beg you, please, no matter how much you like a book with “tiny” or “little” in the title, do not buy the rights. It’s getting out of hand. Witherspoon co-produced this Hulu series with her co-star Kerry Washington, which is about a seemingly happy family whose lives are upended by the arrival of a single mother (Washington) and her daughter (Lexi Underwood) whose lies, secrets, and actual fires threaten their perfect lives.
'Pretty Little Liars'
Things? Lies? What Are We Dealing With Here? Lies and the lying liars who tell them.
Is It Based On A Book? Yes, a whole series of them by Sara Shepard.
How Handsome Are They?: So pretty. Also little.
What’s It About? Pretty Little Liars is the original pretty little thing on our list. Premiering on Freeform in 2010 (and then getting a reboot on HBO in 2022, where you can watch the original, too), the series starred Lucy Hale, Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, and Shay Mitchell as four friends who are all threatened by an anonymous person who goes solely by the letter “A” after their close friend Alison disappears. Throughout the show, the friends have to find out who “A” is, and the audience slowly comes to understand what happened to Alison.
'A Million Little Things'
Things? Lies? What Are We Dealing With Here? Things! Seven figures of things!
Is It Based On A Book? Here’s the thing: There is a book called A Million Little Things by Susan Mallery, but this show is not based on it. And don’t you dare confuse it with the James Frey fabricated memoir A Million Little Pieces.
How Handsome Are They?: Neutral. But multitudinous.
What’s It About? Created by D.J. Nash, ABC’s A Million Little Things is like an updated version of The Big Chill, about a group of friends reunited after one of their own dies. The show, which is in its fifth and final season, stars Romany Malco, David Giuntoli, Grace Park, and many references to the Boston Bruins.
'The Little Things'
This final entry on the list is kind of like a trick, because there are quite a few books called The Little Things, including a self-help book and numerous children’s stories, and there is a movie, starring Denzel Washington and Rami Malek, a TV series starring comedian Tom Segura, and a web series created by Dhruv Sehgal that was later acquired by Netflix, all with the same name.
Rather than tell you what they’re all about, I’m going to confirm what they’re not about: None ofThe Little Things mentioned above have anything to do with the 1994 hit song “The Little Things” by Bush, off their album Sixteen Stone. And while we’re at it, how is there not a Blink-182 documentary called All The Small Things? Reese, where are you, girl? The world needs a prestige limited series about Travis Barker’s ascension from simple pop-punk drummer to reality TV royalty, and I think you might be the only big little lady who can make that happen.
