HBO has renewed the critically acclaimed drama series Big Love for a fourth season, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, Programming Group and West Coast Operations, HBO. Production on the fourth season will begin later this year, with debut slated for 2010.

"The stellar reviews and solid viewership this season confirm that this is a signature series for HBO," noted Lombardo. "Under the inspired creative supervision of Mark and Will, the series keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to see what they have planned for season four."

Big Love tells the story of Salt Lake City native Bill Henrickson, who balances the needs of his three wives – Barb, Nicki and Margene – their eight kids, three houses and his home improvement stores. Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin and Harry Dean Stanton currently star in the series, which is executive produced by Playtone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, series creators Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer, and David Knoller.

The ten-episode third season of Big Love, which launched Sunday, Jan. 18, has inspired critical raves. The Los Angeles Times observed, "If there's a better written, better acted, more originally conceived show on television, I defy you to name it." The Wall Street Journal called Big Love "a work of art: luminous, and often moving beyond all understanding," while Time hailed it as "TV's best acted ensemble drama."

To date, Big Love is averaging nearly five million viewers per episode.

Subscribers will have a chance to catch up with Big Love when HBO presents the first three episodes of season three back-to-back on Friday, Feb. 6, beginning at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

Season three credits: Big Love is produced by HBO Entertainment in association with Playtone and Anima Sola Productions; created by Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer; executive producers, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer, and David Knoller; co-executive producer, Bernadette Caulfield; consulting producer, Dan Attias; producer, Steve Turner; co-producers, Dustin Lance Black, Patricia Breen, Peter Friedlander and Eileen Myers; staff writers, Melanie Marnich and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; casting, Junie Lowry Johnson, C.S.A. and Libby Goldstein.