What is it about The White Lotus that makes us want to travel into our TV screens and escape to creator Mike White’s messy world of miserable elites? Is it the pristine settings of Hawaii, Sicily, and Thailand that contrast with the ominous backdrop of murder and mystery? Is it the big-name star actors that encapsulate unique characters? I mean we’re talking about Emmy winners like Jennifer Coolidge, Murray Bartlett, and Michael Imperioli and Academy Award winners such as F. Murray Abraham. The combination of a dazzling cast, rich themes, and on-location cinematography rivaled by few other series in 2025 makes this HBO miniseries-turned-drama program one of the most prestigious on air right now.
With The White Lotus season 3 just heating up on Max this month, the weekly release schedule probably has you waiting with bated breath for the next episode to air. Don’t know what to watch during the week? We have your back. These shows like The White Lotus are the closest you’ll get to the cursed resort we’ve come to know and love.
Only Murders in the Building (2021)
Only Murders in the Building is the exact opposite of The White Lotus when it comes to setting. You can’t get much different from tropical resorts than stuffy apartment buildings in the middle of New York City. But it’s not the location that finds these two shows on a parallel track. Both series understand the camp and the flair that goes into crafting a great murder mystery. Viewers can dissect the clues each week in both programs before the big homicidal reveal during the season finale. Only Murders in the Building’s eclectic trio of actors who solve crimes make it a lovable White Lotus alternative, and it’s already been renewed for season 5 at Hulu for some time in 2025.
Succession (2018)
Succession is The White Lotus’s Fortune 500 identical twin. The Roy family would fit right in at a White Lotus resort with their bickering, backstabbing, and deceitful hate for life itself. Growing up with a silver spoon in their mouths isn’t enough for Kendall, Roman, and Shiv to be satisfied as they fight for the fortune their elderly dad will leave behind after his impending death. Both shows also daringly employ more cringe humor than your drunk uncle on Thanksgiving Thursday. Boar on the floor versus conversations about senior citizen horniness. You pick which show is the master of awkward humor.
Death and Other Details (2024)
Death and Other Details takes place on an ocean cruiser in which a woman named Imogene is at the center of a murder investigation. Instead of getting to enjoy her vacation, she has to find a way to prove her innocence before it’s too late. This Hulu series has all the makings of an exotic mystery story. It, unfortunately, got canceled after one season, but its solo outing was a winner in our book.
BEEF (2023)
BEEF is much like The White Lotus in that it was originally conceived as a miniseries that would complete its story and satisfy audiences in perpetuity. Instead, this Steven Yeun and Ali Wong comedy-drama left fans craving more and Netflix renewed it for a second season with new cast members, just like HBO did with The White Lotus. BEEF critiques the little things in life that make people so unhappy and dives deep into the hypocrisies and horrible decisions of miserable humans. Watching other people engage in road rage has never been as entertaining as it is in this series.
Big Little Lies (2017)
Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Meryl Streep give Big Little Lies the type of showmanship and credence that even the creators of The White Lotus would be envious of. This story follows a group of filthy rich moms with too much time and a few too many secrets in their closets. The backdrop of beaches in California gives the series a White Lotus-adjacent aesthetic, and the murder plot at the heart of the show is just as thrilling as can be expected.
Little Fires Everywhere (2020)
Little Fires Everywhere is a fiery literary criticism that will make you think of wealth disparity, friendship, and motherhood in a new way. Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington star as two women on opposite ends of society’s spectrum. They mix in a way that ends in disaster for everyone and their families. This show has a lot of the same analysis of elitism in America as The White Lotus.
Sharp Objects (2018)
Sharp Objects stars Amy Adams as a news journalist who finds out more about her family’s history than she might have desired after returning to her childhood town as an adult. The series will satiate White Lotus fans’ need for strong female casting, murder mystery drama, and succinct storytelling that moves with pace and concludes with satisfying closure.
Nine Perfect Strangers (2021)
Nine Perfect Strangers stars movie icons Melissa McCarthy and Nicole Kidman as guests at a wellness retreat. As the curtain gets pulled back on the resort, the story starts to move in wacky directions that will entertain you and make you want to keep binging until every episode is complete. The wellness center setting is perfectly in line with what The White Lotus deals with in season 3 in Thailand (alternative medicine, religion, healing, mental health, etc.)
