Variety has reported that the Television Academy has decided that HBO’s The White Lotus is no longer eligible for the limited/anthology series category. Variety has confirmed that the series will be moved to the drama category. The Television Academy defined a limited or anthology series in 2021 as a show that resolves its story in one season with no ongoing storylines.
The White Lotus is written by Mike White (School of Rock, Enlightened) takes place at a fictional resort and follows the lives and drama of its privileged guests. Season one stars Jennifer Coolidge (Legally Blonde, The Watcher), Murray Bartlett (Looking, Iron Fist), Connie Britton (American Horror Story, Nashville), and Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The Voyeurs) and won 10 Emmy Awards.
Coolidge returns for season two, which added Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Recreation, Emily the Criminal), Meghann Fahy (The Bold Type, The Lost Valentine), Theo James (Divergent, Dowton Abbey), and Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos, Goodfellas).
The return of Coolidge’s character, Tanya, was ruled to not prohibit eligibility by the organization because it was only one character of an ensemble cast. Both Coolidge and Bartlett won best solo performance Emmy Awards and the series won best limited/anthology series.
The TV Academy has since changed their decision, stating that The White Lotus will now move forward in the drama category. The series remained in the limited/anthology category for the Golden Globes and moved to drama for both the Critics Choice Awards (where Coolidge won best performance for both seasons) and the SAG Awards.
The drama category is expected to to contain a lot of tough competition, with series like previous winner Succession, Better Call Saul, Yellowjackets, Andor, The Mandalorian, The Crown, The Last of Us, and House of the Dragon.
Season three of The White Lotus has been confirmed and both previous season are currently streaming on HBO.