If you like dark and bizarre comedy series, you can’t ignore ‘The White Lotus’ in recent years. The series by ‘Despicable Me 4’ and ‘School Of Rock’ author Mike White conquered the television screens of the American broadcaster HBO in 2022 and with its two seasons so far, won a total of 15 (!) prime-time Emmys and two Golden Globes received almost universally effusive press reviews. This is what the anthology series records currently 92 percent positive reviews, while also on has a strong score of 82 points.
In Germany, however, this wonderful piece of television history seems to unfairly remain under the radar. And that regardless of the fact that Both previous seasons of ‘The White Lotus’ are available in this country on Sky or WOW as a streaming subscription. So it’s high time to catch up on all 13 episodes of the successful series before a third season arrives soon:
That’s what ‘The White Lotus’ is about
Two factions face off at the Hawaiian luxury resort The White Lotus: On the one hand, there are the wealthy holidaymakers, made up of families, nouveau riche couples and older singles; On the other hand, there are the hotel employees, who always have a big smile and have to read every wish of their guests. The first season of the series highlights the holiday week of various guests, in which paradise on earth turns into a real hell.
In the middle of it all are hotel manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) and spa worker Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), who clash with some holidaymakers. These include the newly married and doubting couple Rachel (Alexandra Daddario) and Shane (Jake Lacy), the single and grieving Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) and the quirky Mossbacher family around Mark (Steve Zahn) and Nicole (Connie Britton). with their children Olivia. (Sydney Sweeney) and Quinn (Fred Hechinger).
The second season continues the principle of the first season in Sicily, where there is also a hotel called The White Lotus that houses new employees and holidaymakers. Only Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya appears in both seasons – and in the sequel, she makes a few iconic statements that silenced social media for several weeks when it debuted on HBO. The all-star cast includes Theo James (“The Gentlemen”), Aubrey Plaza (“Parks & Recreation”), Leo Woodall (“One Day”) and Tom Hollander (“Pride & Prejudice”).
Eat-the-rich series
Against the background of some common and less common conflicts, the gap between rich and poor, services and consumption is highlighted here fought out with bizarre scenarios, precise comic timing and eerily beautiful moments of shame, which may remind film fans of Ruben Östlund’s 2022 satire ‘Triangle Of Sadness’. Against similar dreamy backdrops in Hawaii and Sicily, ‘The White Lotus’ takes us to places of longing that slowly but surely turn out to be prisons and battlefields and as a backdrop serving for one tragedy or another.
In addition to red cheeks, a damaged diaphragm and perhaps a few nightmares, the series with its intro also delivers a really catchy tune that will (involuntarily) haunt you for many weeks to come. Because this one is just as tropical, dreamy, bizarre and memorable as the series itself.
Season 3 is coming in 2025
Anyone who has become enthusiastic about the series after the two seasons can already look forward to a third season of ‘The White Lotus’. It is expected to appear on HBO in 2025 and will feature a new story set in Thailand. This time, the international cast of Natasha Rothwell (from season 2), Jason Isaacs (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”) and Patrick Schwarzenegger (“Gen V”) is also joined by German actor Christian Friedel, who appeared in “Babylon Berlin” and “The Zone Of Interest” are known. We can assume that season 3 will be released again in this country on WOW as a streaming subscription.