Cover Missing ‘The White Lotus’? Watch ‘The Perfect Couple,’ a series about a family so rich, they “could kill someone and get away with it.” (Photo: Netflix)
Missing ‘The White Lotus’? Watch ‘The Perfect Couple,’ a series about a family so rich, they “could kill someone and get away with it.” (Photo: Netflix)
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Luxury spots, power struggles, and sharp satire—these movies and shows will keep you company until ‘The White Lotus’ returns.
If you’re still reeling from The White Lotus season three finale—the tsunami of revelations, the karmic consequences, the body bags—you’re not alone. Season four cannot come soon enough for fans who are already dissecting Easter eggs from the HBO series and creator Mike White’s interviews for clues about what lies ahead. While details remain under wraps, the next twisted getaway promises even more chaos among the privileged and entitled.
While you wait, these TV shows and movies offer the same potent mix of opulence, dark humour and razor-sharp satire. Each one peels back the glossy surface to reveal the rot beneath paradise, whether set in five-star resorts, remote islands or palatial homes.
Also read: These new luxury villas in Thailand, where ‘The White Lotus’ was filmed, can be yours now
1. ‘The Menu’ (2022)
A dinner party for the wealthy turns rancid in this dark comedy starring Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult. For a princely sum, guests are ferried to a farm-to-table restaurant on a remote island for an exclusive dining experience. But as they pick at breadless bread plates and tortillas imprinted with their sins, the horror of what they are truly paying for sets in. With his dutiful “family” of staff, the chef reaps the consequences of the guests' past actions. Like The White Lotus, The Menu skewers pretension and hypocrisy, serving its biting critique on a meticulously curated plate made for Instagram.
Also read: Exclusive: Anya Taylor-Joy on wanting to trek the Himalayas, her favourite role and the moon’s power
2. ‘The Perfect Couple’ (2024)
Meet the Winburys of high-society Nantucket—a family so rich that, as their staff puts it, “they could kill someone and get away with it.” This theory is tested when a body is discovered on their beachfront estate on the morning of their son’s wedding. As secrets unravel and tensions boil over, the Winburys’ carefully curated image begins to crumble.
Based on Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling novel, this Netflix series stars Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber, alongside familiar faces from The White Lotus: Meghann Fahy (Daphne in season two) steals the scene as the maid of honour, while Sam Nivola (Lochlan in season three) plays the groom’s younger brother. The Perfect Couple has reportedly been renewed for a second season, based on another Hilderbrand novel, and with a new family at its centre.
3. ‘Triangle of Sadness’ (2022)
What happens when the social hierarchy is suddenly flipped upside down? In this Palme d'Or winner, a luxury cruise ship sinks, leaving VIP guests and crew members stranded on a remote island.
On the ship, the staff are trained to cater to every whim—smiling through ridiculous demands, including serving fine dining mid-storm and cleaning up after violently ill guests. But on the island, the power dynamics turn upside down. A toilet manager, played by Filipino actress Dolly de Leon, discovers the power in having the survival skills to keep everyone else fed and alive. The rich are left to grapple with their harsh new reality, and the rest of the crew bend to the will of their new self-declared captain.
Also read: Tatler Review: Ruben Östlund's ‘Triangle of Sadness'
4. ‘Parasite’ (2019)
The brilliance of this Oscar-winning dark comedy begins with its title. Who—or what—is the real parasite? Is it the working-class family scheming their way into a wealthy home, the elite exploiting invisible labour or the system that sustains inequality?
Like The White Lotus, Parasite offers a sharp critique of the status quo, though set in a distinctly Korean context where social hierarchies are built into the literal architecture. As the tension between classes grows unbearable, it erupts into a devastating climax.
Also read: From Seoul to Cannes: How Korean movies conquered the world’s most prestigious film festivals
5. ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ (2021)
At a luxury wellness resort tucked deep in a bamboo forest, nine guests check in for what promises to be a life-changing retreat. But under the watchful eye of the mysterious host played by Nicole Kidman, the healing rituals turn from unconventional to downright disturbing. Based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel, this Hulu series shares The White Lotus’ fascination with exposing the secrets and delusions of the privileged, but swaps satire for a trippier, more psychological ride.
Season two premieres on May 21, bringing back Kidman’s character and taking the healing journey from sunny California to the snowy Austrian Alps. It features a new cast including Henry Golding, Annie Murphy, and Dolly de Leon, as well as Murray Bartlett, who plays resort manager Armond on The White Lotus season one.
6. ‘Knives Out’ (2019)
With a star-studded cast led by Daniel Craig, this sleek whodunit begins with the suspicious death of a patriarch in his opulent mansion. As investigators dig deeper, layers of deceit, greed, and resentment emerge, with every family member—and even the household staff—becoming suspects.
Knives Out and its sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, explores themes like wealth inequality, influence and privilege, without pushing its agenda too hard. It may be class satire, but at its core it is still just a good old-fashioned murder mystery.
7. ‘Saint X’ (2023)
When a young woman is found dead at a luxury Caribbean resort, her death is ruled an accident. Years later, her sister remains unconvinced.
Based on Alexis Schaitkin’s bestselling novel, Saint X shifts between timelines to explore how privilege and prejudice obscure the truth. Though less satirical than The White Lotus, the psychological drama similarly examines what money and paradise cannot protect against.
8. ‘Succession’ (2018-2023)
There may be fewer island resorts on Succession than The White Lotus, but this Emmy-sweeping HBO series is peak rich-people-gone-mad TV.
Also read: Tatler Takes: What Did Our Friends Think of 'Succession'?
Behind the scenes of the Roy family’s media empire, the next generation wages a brutal battle for the throne as their patriarch weighs the company's future. Think emotional warfare and billion-dollar betrayals playing out in summer mansions and skyscraper boardrooms, on private jets and yachts. For the Roys, enjoying their the good life isn’t enough—the only thing that matters is clawing their way to the very top.
