HBO's Answer To Knives Out Is A 3-Part Black Comedy Rated Near-Perfect On Rotten Tomatoes

Published Apr 19, 2026, 5:01 PM EDT

Like the Knives Out franchise, HBO's satirical, Emmy-winning anthology series, The White Lotus, is so much more than a dark comedy. The White Lotus, which has a deserved 90% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, examines many of the same themes as Knives Out, as it moves from luxury resort to luxury resort, introducing an eclectic array of characters. Middle-class families enjoying a not-so-relaxing holiday, newlywed and nearly-dead couples, and friend groups who probably shouldn't be friends anymore populate each glamorous resort, as the series examines the power imbalance between the haves and the have-nots, the guests and the workers.

Similar to each new Knives Out movie, every season of The White Lotus makes the most of its starry ensemble cast. Performances by the highly underrated Jennifer Coolidge, Murray Bartlett, and young British talent like Aimee Lou Wood allow these characters to feel well-rounded, and perhaps most importantly, scarily relatable, despite their dark secrets and festering resentments. The White Lotus may not be strictly a whodunit in the same way as Benoit Blanc's films. Still, every season starts and ends with a shockingly violent crime, adding a level of mystery to the proceedings that only heightens the tension brewing within the resort.

Both Knives Out & The White Lotus Have The Potential To Last Forever (& Should)

Image via Max

Like most of the world's most famous detectives, Benoit Blanc can be called up all across the States (and the world) to solve the most confounding, unsolvable murders. As the previous three movies have proven, each new setting provides new opportunities for thematic storytelling: Knives Out dug into familial greed, Glass Onion explored the exploitative nature of immense, Bezos-level wealth, and Wake Up Dead Man examined the isolating influence of religion and the dangers of unquestioned devotion.

With Benoit Blanc as a leading character, the Knives Out franchise can, and arguably deserves to, run for as long as some of TV's most iconic mystery series. There's no reason Craig's Blanc couldn't be the next Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes. There's comfort in familiarity, but what sets Knives Out apart is that it's proven it can reinvent itself. Wherever he goes, Blanc's wardrobe will match the setting, and new ensemble casts and fresh, innocent sidekicks like those played by Ana de Armas, Janelle Monáe, and Josh O'Connor will prevent the franchise from becoming stale.

As an anthology series, The White Lotus has the same infinite potential. Each new White Lotus resort will introduce new hotel guests, and the upstairs-downstairs dynamic between the hotel's staff and the newcomers will always feel different depending on the resort's cultural influences. Creator Mike White has proven that he can introduce new issues and themes while maintaining the show's uniquely claustrophobic, darkly hilarious tone. Season 1 was all about the influence of money and white privilege, season 2 focused on sexual politics, and season 3 explored people's obsession with presenting themselves as something they're not.

There are currently three Knives Out movies and three seasons of The White Lotus, with a fourth, set in the French Riviera, on the way. As long as both series' creators and writers can keep the individual stories surprising and poignant, little can prevent the Knives Out franchise or The White Lotus from producing a dozen more installments.

Release Date July 11, 2021

Network HBO

Showrunner Mike White

Directors Mike White

Writers Mike White