Bartlett, an Aussie actor who got his start on-yes- Neighbours and later played Carrie’s shoe distributor friend on Sex and the City, is probably The White Lotus’ biggest breakout sensation, earning well deserved props for his portrayal of hotel manager Armond. And now these accomplished actors get a chance to flex their muscles-in some cases literally, as with Zahn’s awkward ape man sex dance (A 10/10 on the cringe scale). Pete from The Office (Jake Lacy), Kelli from Insecure (Natasha Rothwell), Dom from Looking (Murray Bartlett), Phoebe’s gay husband from Friends (Steve Zahn), Stifler’s mom (Jennifer Coolidge)! Apart from Connie Britton (arguably the show’s only A-lister), almost all of the faces have that “where do I know you from?” familiarity. Newlyweds Rachel and Shane, played by Alexandra Daddario and Jake Lacy (Photo: HBO) Because it’s all your old friends-finally getting the attention they deserve (And-don’t worry-a satisfying conclusion to the whose the body? hook)
And then by the end we get flecks of full-on slasher flick. From there we get a mix of dark comedy and thoughtful drama and sometimes both: the scene where the monumentally unhinged Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) scatters her mother’s ashes in the ocean is equally hilarious and heartbreaking. So this time he decided to start by giving the people what they want: more corpses…and a mystery. Could it be his wife? is what we are supposed to wonder… or maybe not… In this excellent interview with Vulture, creator Mike White admits that he put an unidentified cadaver in the pilot because in the past, his critically acclaimed shows (watch Enlightened!!!) have struggled to find a wide audience. The White Lotus kicks off as both a “who done it?” and a “who is it?” when millionaire man-boy Shane lets us know that there’s a dead body accompanying him on his flight home from Hawaii. Here, all the reasons to tune in… Because why choose one genre when you can have them all? The show is gorgeous, gripping and gloriously cringe-worthy-and it just concluded its six-episode run, making it ripe for binging.
It’s messy rich people drama (think Succession, Big Little Lies), and as with Downton, the real stars are the unsung staffers working behind the scenes to keep up the fun in the sun façade.
That’s pretty much the set-up for The White Lotus, a new HBO series about a group of over-privileged white vacationers who arrive in paradise possessed with outsize sun hats and intense personal turmoil. Imagine Downton Abbey set in the modern day and swap out the dreary English countryside for a dreamy Hawaiian island.
The White Lotus staff greet arriving guests (Photo: HBO)