We’re just a few weeks away now from the return of what’s arguably the most popular HBO show at the moment that’s not named House of the Dragon. The White Lotus — the satirical Emmy-winning dark comedy from Mike White set at a posh resort — returns to HBO for its highly anticipated sophomore season on October 30. And it will do so with a new cast that includes Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Imperioli, Aubrey Plaza, and F. Murray Abraham.
The show, which recently garnered 10 Emmy Awards, will have seven episodes in all over the course of the new season. And this time, the action moves from Hawaii to a Sicilian resort, where we’ll follow the exploits of guests and employees over the course of a week. HBO also gave us our first look at the new season on October 6, with the release of the new season’s first trailer (which you can check out below).
The White Lotus Season 2
White, the show’s creator, told Entertainment Weekly that this fan-favorite HBO mainstay was actually conceived as a bit of an experiment — and a temporary one, at that. Stretched over the long term, he explained, it’s difficult to maintain a consistent level of quality and creativity in a show. That’s why executing this as a limited series, and in an anthology format, seemed like the right way to go.
“Last season, it was one of those pandemic, ‘Can you put a show together in five weeks?’ kind of deals. I always thought of it as an experimental show, so there was never any idea that we would even do another season … The reason I haven’t done a lot of TV is because I don’t like sustaining a show for years and years, because it feels like it limits you creatively … at least, for me, it’s difficult. So I liked the idea of doing it in kind of an anthology way and going somewhere different.”
Fans and critics have certainly responded to the show favorably. The show currently has an 89% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 71% audience score. That makes The White Lotus one of the most popular shows on HBO at this point in October.
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New characters, and more
When HBO announced a season two pickup for the limited series which also streams on HBO Max back in August of 2021, HBO programming executive president Francesca Orsi raved that The White Lotus had already become a “quintessential” HBO show. “And it’s the talk of the town. We were thrilled to hear where (Mike) wanted to go next, after closing this epic chapter in Hawaii, and can’t wait to keep following him wherever he takes us.”
Meanwhile, new characters in the new season include, per HBO:
- F. Murray Abraham as Bert Di Grasso — Visiting Sicily with his son and grandson, Bert is “getting frail, yet still sees himself as virile and capable.”
- Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya McQuoid-Hunt — Tanya is a rich yet unstable woman traveling with her husband and assistant.
- Beatrice Grannò as Mia — Mia lives in Siciliy and dreams of getting her big break as a singer.
- Michael Imperioli as Dominic Di Grassi– Dominic is a Hollywood producer visiting Sicily with his father, Bert (F. Murray Abraham).
- Aubrey Plaza as Harper Spiller – Harper is a newly wealthy wife visiting Italy with her husband.
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