It comes as no surprise that HBO’s critically acclaimed “Big Little Lies” has scored on the awards circuit, grabbing four SAG nominations and six Golden Globe nods. It also won eight trophies at last summer’s Emmy Awards, including best limited series.

But what has raised eyebrows is that “Big Little Lies” is competing in the limited series race at the Golden Globes — given the recent announcement that the show will be returning for a second season.

HBO disputes any notion that the cabler is “gaming the system,” given that the first season was entirely conceived of as a limited series — and that the second season was only contemplated after the success of the first.

“‘Big Little Lies’ was conceived, produced, and aired as a limited series,” said HBO in a statement to Variety. “The implication of impropriety regarding HBO’s awards submission of ‘Big Little Lies’ in the Limited Series category is irresponsible and uninformed. The idea to continue the story came about only after the show aired. None of the cast or filmmakers had holdover contracts. Each deal had to be renegotiated, which is proof that no ongoing series was contemplated. Additionally, no source material beyond Liane Moriarty’s novel existed. The accusation that HBO was ‘gaming the system’ is baseless and undeserved.”

The creative team recently announced their plans to return for a second season, with Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon set to star and executive produce, with most of the rest of the cast expected to make a comeback as well. David E. Kelley will once again write all of the episodes, and Andrea Arnold will take over from Jean-Marc Vallee as director. Kelley’s scripts will be partially based on a story by Liane Moriarty, who penned the novel that inspired the series.