For more TV and movie recommendations, visit our Should I Watch It? hub page and sign up to our Should I Watch It? newsletter.
In the opening scene of Foxtel and Binge's new dark comedy The White Lotus, Shane Patton (Jake Lacy) sits alone in an airport departures lounge.
As he waits to head home, a nearby couple strike up a conversation, asking Shane where he stayed during his time in Hawaii.
"The White Lotus," he replies, reluctantly.
Watch the trailer for The White Lotus below. Post continues after video.
"Our guide says someone was killed there," the woman in the couple responds.
A back and forth ensues until, finally, Shane explodes.
"No offence, but leave me the f**k alone," he shouts.
As Shane walks over to a nearby window, he watches as a coffin is carefully loaded onto the plane that he is waiting to board.
But before we can find out who is inside it, the series moves backwards in time, transporting us "one week earlier" to a luxury resort in Hawaii.
It's a small taste of what's to come in this hilarious yet unsettling genre-bending series.
Below, we unpack what The White Lotus is about and deliver our verdict on whether you should watch it.
What's it about?
Created, written and directed by Mike White, The White Lotus follows the lives of the staff and guests at a luxury Hawaiian resort over the course of a week.
From the very first episode, The White Lotus introduces viewers to the type of characters that you would never want to spend time with. Especially at an exclusive tropical resort.
There are newlyweds Shane (Jake Lacy) and Rachel (Alexandra Daddario), whose honeymoon quickly becomes overrun by Shane's penchant for being an unbearable, entitled man baby.
There's Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge), a slightly desperate solo traveller on a mission to spread her mother's ashes by the seaside.
And then there's the Mossbachers, including Goop-esque website CEO Nicole (Connie Britton), her husband Mark (Steve Zahn), her gaming-obsessed son Quinn (Fred Hechinger), her bratty daughter Olivia (Sydney Sweeney) and Olivia's best friend Paula (Brittany O'Grady).
As the series progresses, The White Lotus flips between the lives of the guests sipping cocktails by the pool with the workers waiting tables and mopping floors at the luxury resort, focusing in particular on resort manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) and spa manager Belinda (Natasha Rothwell).
Come for the...
The top-notch ensemble cast and Jennifer Coolidge being Jennifer Coolidge.
Stay for the...
The hilarious yet deeply cringeworthy moments and the growing sense of chaos.
What shows will it remind you of?
Made For Love for the uncomfortable yet hilarious dark comedy elements, Big Little Lies for the impressive HBO-backed ensemble cast, and Succession for the rich people behaving badly.
How many episodes are there and how long are they?
There are six hour-long episodes, which are available to watch on Binge and Foxtel in Australia.
Will there be a second season?
As The White Lotus is a limited series, it's highly unlikely that the show will be renewed for a second season.
So, should you watch it?
Absolutely.
Although the cringeworthy nature of the humour in The White Lotus won't be for everybody, it's certainly worth watching.
The six-part series joins the growing list of HBO's high-quality shows about rich people behaving badly, including Succession, Big Little Lies and Gossip Girl.
And while each entitled, rich character in the new series will have you rolling your eyes, their lives, dramas and interactions are undoubtedly interesting.
After all, The White Lotus shines the most in its top-notch ensemble cast, including notable mentions Connie Britton and Jennifer Coolidge.
Featuring Jeff White's smart writing, the series is a hilarious yet slightly uncomfortable watch that will make you rethink your next resort holiday.
The White Lotus is available to watch now on Binge and Foxtel.
For more on this topic:
- Should I Watch It? Stan's gripping new thriller about a judge whose son becomes a killer.
- Should I Watch It? The addictive new teen survival drama with a twist, The Wilds.
- Should I Watch It? Marvel's nostalgic and deeply twisted new series, WandaVision.
- Should I Watch It? The twist-filled gripping psychological thriller, Tell Me Your Secrets.
- Should I Watch It? Behind Her Eyes, the new Netflix series with the bizarre ending everyone is talking about.
- Should I Watch It? The bonkers new Netflix dramedy everyone's talking about, Ginny & Georgia.
- Should I Watch It? The stomach-churning series about a teacher and student’s affair, A Teacher.
- Should I Watch It? Made For Love, Stan's new dark comedy with a sinister twist.
- Should I Watch It? ABC iview's slow burning psychological thriller, Wakefield.
- Should I Watch It? Kate Winslet's new slow-burning murder mystery, Mare of Easttown.
- Should I Watch It? Netflix's twisty new thriller, The Woman in the Window.
- Should I Watch It? SBS on Demand's addictive new series Creamerie, where all the men are dead.
- Should I Watch It? A Quiet Place Part II, in which everyone is making very bad decisions.
- Should I Watch It? SBS On Demand's gripping new heist drama, The Unusual Suspects.
- Should I Watch It? Sweet Tooth, the whimsical Netflix series that everyone is talking about.
- Should I Watch It? Feel Good, the Netflix show that sometimes doesn't.
- Should I Watch It? Starstruck, the new series that's like Notting Hill meets Broad City.
- Should I Watch It? Gossip Girl, the new reboot that was causing waves before it even aired.
- Should I Watch It? Luxe Listings, the new "Selling Sunset" that's set in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.
Feature Image: HBO.