HBO’s anthology series about life among the wealthy and dissatisfied at a chain of upscale resorts will premiere its second installment in October, Variety can exclusively reveal.
The Mike White-created series is shifting the action to Sicily, where new hotel staffers and new guests will face off; Jennifer Coolidge, this week’s Variety cover star, is the only series regular to be returning, as she reprises her role as spiritually seeking socialite Tanya McQuoid. Above, check out Coolidge in Euro-glam mode in the exclusive first image released of the new season.
In its initial, Hawaii-set season, which aired in the summer of 2021, “The White Lotus” was a sensation, immediately pulling in 1.9 million viewers across linear and digital platforms for its finale, a number that only grew from there. Its central mystery — which of the people at the hotel was going to end up leaving in a casket? — made “The White Lotus” a defining topic at the virtual water-cooler, and the show entranced critics. Reviewing the first season, Variety‘s chief TV critic Caroline Framke wrote that the show “examines the human costs of self-absorption, materialism and the double-edged sword of righteous crusading from those who don’t quite know how to help the world without making themselves the center of it.”
And the show’s relaunch may end up looking like a victory lap. Season 2 of “The White Lotus” will be debuting the month after the Sept. 12 Primetime Emmy Awards, at which the series’ first season is nominated for 20 prizes, including outstanding limited series, writing and directing gongs for White, and supporting mentions for eight cast members, Coolidge included.
Announced cast members for Season 2 of “The White Lotus” include Coolidge, F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander, Michael Imperioli, Aubrey Plaza, Haley Lu Richardson, Theo James, Meghann Fahy, Will Sharpe, and Leo Woodall; White returns as writer and director.
