diff --git a/great_tables/_tbl_data.py b/great_tables/_tbl_data.py
index 0d3418209..d04be5852 100644
--- a/great_tables/_tbl_data.py
+++ b/great_tables/_tbl_data.py
@@ -220,6 +220,12 @@ def _get_cell(data: DataFrameLike, row: int, column: str) -> Any:
 
 @_get_cell.register(PlDataFrame)
 def _(data: Any, row: int, column: str) -> Any:
+    import polars as pl
+
+    # if container dtype, convert pl.Series to list
+    if isinstance(data[column].dtype, (pl.List, pl.Array)):
+        return data[column][row].to_list()
+
     return data[column][row]
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_tbl_data.py b/tests/test_tbl_data.py
index d58307240..5d0314aa4 100644
--- a/tests/test_tbl_data.py
+++ b/tests/test_tbl_data.py
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 import math
+
 import pandas as pd
 import polars as pl
-import pyarrow as pa
 import polars.testing
+import pyarrow as pa
 import pytest
+
 from great_tables import GT
-from great_tables._utils_render_html import create_body_component_h
 from great_tables._tbl_data import (
     DataFrameLike,
     SeriesLike,
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@
     _set_cell,
     _validate_selector_list,
     cast_frame_to_string,
+    copy_frame,
     create_empty_frame,
     eval_aggregate,
     eval_select,
@@ -24,8 +26,8 @@
     to_frame,
     to_list,
     validate_frame,
-    copy_frame,
 )
+from great_tables._utils_render_html import create_body_component_h
 
 params_frames = [
     pytest.param(pd.DataFrame, id="pandas"),
@@ -38,6 +40,10 @@
     pytest.param(pa.array, id="arrow"),
     pytest.param(lambda a: pa.chunked_array([a]), id="arrow-chunked"),
 ]
+params_pl_container_dtypes = [
+    pytest.param(pl.List, id="list"),
+    pytest.param(pl.Array, id="array"),
+]
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(params=params_frames, scope="function")
@@ -45,6 +51,26 @@ def df(request) -> pd.DataFrame:
     return request.param({"col1": [1, 2, 3], "col2": ["a", "b", "c"], "col3": [4.0, 5.0, 6.0]})
 
 
+@pytest.fixture(params=params_pl_container_dtypes, scope="function")
+def df_container_dtypes(request):
+    dtype_constructor = request.param
+
+    if dtype_constructor == pl.List:
+        return pl.DataFrame(
+            {"col1": [1, 2, 3], "col2": [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5], [6, 7, 8]], "col3": ["a", "b", "c"]}
+        )
+    # return a pl df with pl.Array columns
+    else:
+        col2_as_array = pl.col("col2").cast(pl.Array(pl.Int32, shape=(3,)))
+        return pl.DataFrame(
+            {
+                "col1": [1, 2, 3],
+                "col2": [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]],
+                "col3": ["a", "b", "c"],
+            }
+        ).with_columns(col2_as_array)
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(params=params_series, scope="function")
 def ser(request) -> SeriesLike:
     return request.param([1.0, 2.0, None])
@@ -75,6 +101,11 @@ def test_get_cell(df: DataFrameLike):
     assert _get_cell(df, 1, "col2") == "b"
 
 
+def test_get_cell_container_dtypes(df_container_dtypes: pl.DataFrame):
+    "Checks that container dtype entries in polars dfs are returned as lists"
+    assert isinstance(_get_cell(df_container_dtypes, 1, "col2"), list)
+
+
 def test_set_cell(df: DataFrameLike):
     expected_data = {"col1": [1, 2, 3], "col2": ["a", "x", "c"], "col3": [4.0, 5.0, 6.0]}
     if isinstance(df, pa.Table):