Unlike most fans of the hit TV series “Big Little Lies,” Pittsburgh writer (and our former managing editor) Ali Trachta doesn’t just watch the show. She writes recaps of each episode for The New York Times that are read by viewers around the world, and tweets at a growing audience about the show’s sometimes-lethal twists and turns.
How did she land this plum assignment? “It was a combination of experience and having a really great contact to point me in the right direction,” Ali tells us. “I wrote a lot about TV when I lived in L.A. so I’ve put in some time in this arena and have a good number of writing samples I can use when I pitch TV stuff. And luckily enough, my very first editor ever, who I worked for more than 10 years ago, is now a TV editor at the NYT. So I was able to reach out to her to get the right name.”
As most writers will tell you, Ali points out that “sometimes just getting your pitch in the right hands is half the battle.”
The star-studded show has begun its second season on HBO, airing Sunday nights on HBO. Three of this season’s seven episodes have aired so far. The next one drops June 30.
Ali has been a fan of the show since its blockbuster first season began. “I wanted to write about it mostly because the storylines are just so delicious and fun,” she says. “But it’s also a show that’s driven by women both on-screen and off, which made me particularly excited to bolster it, even in a small way.”
Here’s our main question for Pittsburgh’s resident “Big Little Lies” expert: What would the show be like if it took place here?
“I’d like to believe ‘Big Little Lies’ couldn’t really take place in Pittsburgh because people here are far too down-to-earth,” Ali says. “Highfalutin, upper crust drama is at the center of this show, and I feel like Pittsburghers don’t really buy into that kind of nonsense, which is part of why I love living here. Plus, our river views are just as nice as Monterey’s ocean views, right??”
