The first season of The White Lotus won 10 Emmy Awards, but this anthology series will have to fight an uphill battle to repeat its success in the future. The Television Academy is no longer allowing the HBO smash-hit to compete as a limited series and it’s moving it to drama categories.
The White Lotus has been conceived as an anthology series, taking us to a different luxury resort each season. The first season explored the tension between guests and resort staff in Hawaii, while the second took place over the course of a one-week vacation in Sicily.
Both seasons featured a brand-new cast, with one notable exception: Jennifer Coolidge’s fan-favorite character Tanya McQuoid. Despite her return, the TV Academy previously ruled that “the reappearance in a subsequent ‘season’ of one character from a large ensemble does not prohibit eligibility based on Academy’s main criteria for limited series.” About a year later, it seems they have changed their tune.
Just like SAG Awards and the Critics Choice Awards before them, the Emmys are now moving The White Lotus to the drama field. This slightly lowers the show’s chances of winning Emmys in the future, because it will have to face many heavy hitters, including fellow HBO shows Succession, The Last of Us, and House of the Dragon.
