--- title: "The White Lotus: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-white-lotus/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/the-white-lotus" critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The White Lotus (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 88 from 9 reviews: 9 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are strongly positive about The White Lotus, with praise centring on Mike White’s dark comedy of wealth, privilege and the strained relationship between resort guests and staff. Most critics find the satire sharply observed and funny, while several also stress its sadness and sympathy for damaged people. The ensemble earns consistent praise, particularly Jennifer Coolidge’s vulnerability and Murray Bartlett’s increasingly fraught hotel manager. Several reviews also admire White’s control of tone and pacing. The differences concern how fully the series develops its social criticism and sustains its momentum. Paste offers the clearest reservation, finding the class commentary underdeveloped and the later episodes weaker as attention settles too heavily on the guests. The i Paper is more cautious about the premiere’s promise, despite praising Coolidge. The Telegraph’s enthusiastic assessment also covers only the opening episode, limiting what it establishes about the series as a whole. ## The Times — Carol Midgley Rating ★★★★★. 17 August 2021. The critic hails the satirical takedown of the obscenely wealthy at a Hawaiian luxury hotel, noting it gets stonkingly good and praising the standout performance of Murray Bartlett as the bitchy hotel manager. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/the-white-lotus-review-holidays-with-the-one-per-cent-tzg2hmdl8) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2021. The critic calls it 2021’s best and most uncomfortable TV show, praising Mike White’s scathing social satire on class, race and privilege that is deeply funny and topical without preaching. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jul/09/the-white-lotus-review-hbo) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2021. The series is a sharply etched satire of classism, white privilege, and entitlement among wealthy guests and staff at a luxury resort, delivered as a darkly comic, absorbing, and indictment-filled watch that is never relaxing. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-white-lotus-hbo-series-review.html) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 August 2021. HBO's rasping satire is set in a fictional Hawaiian spa where trouble brews beneath the gilded lives of wealthy guests. The script is genuinely funny with a mischievous edge, beautiful precision in pacing and uniformly terrific performances, though it is an episode-one review. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2021/08/16/white-lotus-episode-1-review-mischievous-skewering-facade-luxury/) ## Empire — Boyd Hilton 13 August 2021. The series is called a subversive triumph and mercilessly sharp satire of toxic wealth, entitlement and class exploitation with a radical tone. It praises the messy, transgressive handling of chaos and standout performances, especially Jennifer Coolidge's vulnerable turn. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/the-white-lotus/) ## IndieWire — Ben Travers 8 July 2021. The critic praises Mike White's exhilarating comedy about privilege at a Hawaiian resort as an achievement with a dazzling cast and strong momentum following his earlier work. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/the-white-lotus-review-hbo-cast-jennifer-coolidge-1234648421/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg 30 June 2021. The series is delightfully mean-spirited yet big-hearted, a vibrantly messy and deceptively emotional satire of rich guests at a resort. It singles out Jennifer Coolidge's standout performance as the crushed soul at the center and notes strong work from the ensemble. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/white-lotus-1234974159/) ## The i Paper — Emily Baker 16 August 2021. The critic highlights Jennifer Coolidge stealing the show as a wealthy guest in this satire of privilege and entitlement at a Hawaiian resort. The setup with death foreshadowing and strong performances keeps the premiere intriguing, though it is not yet deemed a must-watch. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/the-white-lotus-sky-atlantic-review-jennifer-coolidge-steals-show-satire-super-rich-1153418) ## Variety — Caroline Framke 1 July 2021. The review describes the series as an intoxicating rabbit hole defying categorization, with mesmerizing performances especially Jennifer Coolidge's for the ages and Murray Bartlett's spiraling manager. It examines self-absorption and materialism through fluid, hypnotic storytelling. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/tv/reviews/the-white-lotus-review-hbo-1235009924/) ## NME — Ralph Jones Rating 5/5. 12 August 2021. The critic praises the show's ability to blend genres seamlessly into a darkly comic social satire that is both hilarious and sad, singling out the excellent writing that makes every character feel real and the standout performances of Murray Bartlett as Armond and Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/the-white-lotus-review-3017677) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating A-. 11 July 2021. The review hails it as a hysterically bizarre and prescient miniseries with a phenomenal cast and tremendous ensemble, singling out the haunting score and the dynamic between rich guests and staff, particularly Murray Bartlett's star-making performance as Armond. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-white-lotus-review-hbo-mike-white/) ## The Ringer — Alison Herman Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 2021. The critic views the series as a sharp scripted take on class tensions at a luxury Hawaiian resort, blending humor and sadness in its portrayal of guests and staff. It singles out creator Mike White's tonal mastery and the strong ensemble cast, especially Jennifer Coolidge, for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2021/07/12/the-white-lotus/the-white-lotus-hbo-review-mike-white) ## Den of Geek — Erin Qualey Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 August 2021. The show perfectly captures the hell of the service industry during COVID through its portrayal of entitled guests abusing staff at the resort, serving as a scathing indictment of pandemic behavior, privilege, and class divides while highlighting the workers' plight. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-white-lotus-our-pandemic-behavior/) ## Paste — Kristen Reid Rating 7.3/10. 8 July 2021. The critic commends the star-studded cast and deep character portrayals in this biting social satire but criticizes the underdeveloped class commentary and the series' tendency to wane in its later episodes, focusing too much on the guests. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/the-white-lotus/the-white-lotus-hbo-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/the-white-lotus.md