Viewers seem to be romanced by the second offering of HBO’s White Lotus. According to Deadline, the series earned an increase in viewership for its second-week airing. Episode two entitled “Italian Dream” garnered 1.6M views which include live and same-day viewing across all HBO platforms. That’s two percent increase from the season premiere episode on October 30.
The first season, which aired in July 2021, experienced an uptick in views leading up to the second season, averaging around 9.3M total views per episode, via Deadline. Compared to its initial ratings, the six-episode first season’s premiere took almost three weeks to reach the total viewership of the second season’s premiere numbers, which is now pulling in 5.3M viewers.
The second episode found our eclectic group of travelers becoming more comfortable – for better or worse – in their new environment. A man attempting to escape a vice eventually submits doubly to temptation. One woman’s earnest longing for her husband is met with cold apathy. A young man fighting to not replicate generational behavior meets a young woman looking to let go of her inhibitions. And two married couples spar to keep up appearances.
Created by actor and writer Mike White (Enlightened, Brad’s Status), The White Lotus is a dramedy exploring ugly behavior in the most pristine locales. As season one followed rich, white guests at a luxurious resort in Hawaii, season two follows a similar group of entitled tourists in the Italian hills of Sicily. The second season trades the examination of race and class for sexual politics and gender roles.
The cast for season two includes F. Murray Abraham (Mythic Quest, Cabinet of Curiosities), Micahel Imperioli (Detroit 1-8-7, The Sopranos), Adam DiMarco (The Magicians, The Order), Meghann Fahy (The Bold Type, Those People), Theo James (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Sanditon), Aubrey Plaza (Emily the Criminal, Agatha: Coven of Chaos), Will Sharpe (giri/haji, The Electric Life of Louis Wain), Haley Lu Richardson (Split, Columbus), Jon Gries (Napolean Dynamite, The Pretender), and season one alumna, Jennifer Coolidge (The Watcher, Legally Blonde).
New episodes of The White Lotus air every Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.