Mike White‘s masterwork dramedy “The White Lotus” is back and rolling in 2025 with its first two episodes of season three.

Unfortunately, Jennifer Coolidge is absent this time. However, luckily (depending on your sentiments), Natasha Rothwell from season one is back, and Jon Gries returns as the only cast member in all three seasons.

Similar Themes Return

The typical “White Lotus” tropes are back. The wealthy Americans arrive on a boat together, symbolically separated from the other “poor guests.” They step foot on land and are promptly showered in courtesy and complimentary champagne by the resort staff.

The central theme’s characterization remains consistent, except for minor details. White adeptly unfolds the first two episodes. A wealthy Southern family grappling with unresolved tension; a twisted brother and a perpetual pill-popping mother create an uncomfortable and perilous dynamic. A trio of childhood girlfriends: one rich and famous, one merely wealthy and the other, presumably also wealthy, feeling inferior about her “lack of plastic surgery.” Then, an unexpected couple enters the resort: Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), who seem to have ulterior motives involving the affluent resort owner.

As in the first two seasons, the addictive soundtrack returns. Most accurately defined as “tropical anxiety” by White himself, the iconic opening theme paired with ominous, jungle-bound camera angles indicates there’s more than a relaxing vacation in store for the resort guests.

Why “White Lotus” Works

Our streaming services are filled with bad television and movies using outdated terms like “it’s lit” or “skibidi” as a means of representing Gen Z. Frankly, it’s insufferable. It’s an older person’s out-of-touch and exaggerated idea of what a 20-year-old acts like. The final product on the screen plays more like a bad carnival caricature than anything close to an accurate depiction.

This is what separates “The White Lotus” from its contemporaries. The writing, namely the dialogue, is on a level above any show of recent memory. It’s hilarious and (at times devastatingly) relatable. White has tapped into the mind of a college kid so well that I’m convinced there might be one trapped in him writing these scripts. To top it all off, the show is truly thrilling. It builds suspense and leaves you hanging as well as any show since “Lost.”

How Long Can This Last

It’s greatness aside, the show is certainly formulaic, almost predictable. How long can White keep us captivated? How many more seasons can he expertly execute the 5-star resort murder mystery-comedy-thriller? How many times can he open episode one the same way before the audience begins to find it monotonous and all too familiar? How much longer can he continue the satirical commentary on out-of-touch wealthy Americans pining for some sense of culture in a foreign country, before the audience decides the conversation is over? Before we all know whodunit by episode three?

While the show is undoubtedly fantastic, season three is a massive indicator of its direction. Season two certainly took a dip in quality from season one, and season three is ramping up towards something huge. I’m just not sure if that’s disaster or success quite yet.

b.leibforth@dailyutahchronicle.com