Exclusive: Melanie Marnich is a huge fan of Big Little Lies scribe Liane Moriarty’s work, but when showrunning an adaptation of Moriarty’s Apples Never Fall, Marnich blocked the HBO hit from her consciousness almost entirely.

Peacock’s Apples Never Fall, which stars 2024 Oscar-nominee Annette Bening, launches tomorrow and is in international competition at next week’s Series Mania, was made with a Big Little Lies-free lens, Marnich explained to Deadline.

“I admire Big Little Lies and think it’s brilliant but I had to literally put it out my mind,” she said in the days leading up to the Lille market. “I knew I had to quite quickly ignore all [Moriarty’s past work] and ask what this book wants to be and what the best way is to honor it. How do I ignore all that came before to find the best voice and vision for this translation?”

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