Part two of The White Lotus finally has a release window: the smash hit series will be returning to our screens in October.
But fans, a small warning - prepare yourself for a real shake-up. Although Mike White is returning to create the second instalment, Jennifer Coolidge is reprising her leading role as Tanya McQuoid, and the show still tracks the lives of wealthy hotel attendees, most other components of the forthcoming series are completely new.
This time The White Lotus (the fictional hotel chain that’s also the show’s title) will be in Sicily, and there will be a brand new cast - which is a little sad. Fans of the show had become quite attached to manager Armond, demanding real estate agent Shane, spa manager Belinda, staffer Dillon and the rest of the unhinged crew.
Instead, Aubrey Plaza (Black Bear), Haley Lu Richardson (Five Feet Apart), Theo James (The Time Traveler’s Wife), Tom Hollander (The King’s Man) and F. Murray Abraham (The Grand Budapest Hotel) will make up the next group of guests at the luxury resort. Admittedly, it’s an electrifying ensemble of actors who should be able to whip up the same tension and hilarity as the first clique.
The White Lotus was supposed to be a six-part limited series but was so well-received that HBO soon commissioned a part two. Upon its July 2021 release, it was a global sensation, pulling in 1.9 million viewers across the different streaming sites for its final.
At the time, The Standard gave the series 5 stars, calling it “the best pitch-black comedy of the year”, The Guardian called it a “deeply funny and bracingly topical piece of art that prods and provokes without preaching”, and The New York Times labelling it “a sharp, soulful series”.
Series one began with a coffin being loaded onto a plane, as traumatised holiday-goers sat at an airport’s gate watching the ordeal. The scene was set for the ensuing chaos. Who had died? And why? What could possibly go wrong at a luxury resort in beautiful Hawaii? With such an thrilling opening to the first series, it does pose the question as to what could possibly be in store for audiences in part two.
Speaking to Vulture in August last year, White spoke about writing the roles of both the staff and guests. He said: “I sometimes feel like I’m in the service industry, even though I’m not. Dancing for the man — I find myself doing that a lot.
“I wanted to explore with the show, how everyone’s on the defensive right now. Everyone feels on their heels a little bit. The funny, interesting, complicated ways we try to justify how we vacation, how we spend our money.”
The series also gave Coolidge, who is best known for her appearances in A Cinderella Story, the American Pie film series and Legally Blonde franchise, a career boost. She won a Critics’ Choice Award, and was nominated for a Golden Globe, for her role as unbalanced heiress Tanya McQuoid.
Speaking to Variety Coolidge said: “If I’m not getting great roles, I come to the conclusion that people think I’m incapable of that. And then I make the decision that I am incapable of that. You actually have to have a Mike White that comes in and says, I think you can do this.”
