Based on Celeste Ng’s bestselling novel, the upcoming Hulu series Little Fires Everywhere focuses on the contrast between two mothers in the planned community of Shaker Heights, Ohio: Reese Witherspoon’s high-strung supermom of four Elena, and Kerry Washington’s Mia, an artistic and unconventional single mother who shakes up Elena’s staid homelife. The minute-and-a-half teaser released today focuses on the conflicts between the two, due to marked differences in personality (Mia is having none of Elena’s presumably well-meaning condescension) that help expose the chasm between image and reality. Elena’s life is picture-perfect on the surface, but her encounters with Mia cause her to take a closer look at the reality of her family—leading to the titular fires, both literal and actual.
Both Withersoon and Washington are executive-producing, and original author Ng is writing a number of episodes. The supporting cast includes Joshua Jackson as Bill, Elena’s husband, Rosemarie DeWitt as a new mom neighbor, and an impressive cast of young actors as the various offspring, including Lexi Underwood, Gavin Lewis, and Jade Pettyjohn. Little Fires Everywhere debuts on March 18.