Two Writing Lessons from The White Lotus

Advice from a TV writer/showrunner

The White Lotus is back on HBO. It’s been a huge hit both among audiences and critics for a reason. The reason for it’s success is that it’s extremely well written, acted, and directed.

From where I sit as a professional TV writer/showrunner, there are two giant writing lessons that emerging writers learn from this show.

Ignore these lessons at your own peril:

1. Villains

A few months ago, I was sent a pilot presentation to watch. In it, there was a villain — an evil boss who stabbed her employees in the back at every turn. She was just a giant bitch.

I suppose the writers either thought this was supposed to be funny, or they thought it made her a formidable foe.

From my perspective, it just made for terrible writing. I didn’t believe for a minute this character existed in the real world. She was simply a two-dimensional character — a complete work of implausible fiction.

I’m certain that if the writer saw this character on someone else’s show they would’ve had the same reaction I did. But for some reason, when it’s in their own show, they can turn a blind eye.

Now let’s take a look at The White Lotus. (I’ll reference season 1, since that’s probably the most popular, but it applies to every season.)

Who are the villains in The White Lotus?

Actually, the show is so well written, it’s hard to say.

There’s Armond, the hotel manager who double booked the honeymoon suite which kicked off a war with guest, Shane. But who’s the villain in this storyline? Neither. It was Armond’s oversight which lead to the overbooking, but Shane was obnoxious about how he handled it. They both have a fair point.

Paula was invited to the resort as a guest of the Mossbaucher family. She repaid their generosity by orchestrating to have their jewelry stolen by her boyfriend. So she’s the villain, right? Not when you hear the case she makes against privilege.

What about the Tanya/Belinda storyline? Tanya is so self-involved, she takes advantage of Belinda’s kindness. But then we learn that Tonya has a history of controlling people with her money, and she needs to break that cycle, we understand her decision.

There are no villains in any of these storylines. They’re just wounded people in conflict with other wounded people. Everyone is right. Everyone is justified in their actions.

And this is good writing! It’s three-dimensional. It’s not a caricature.

2. Leaving Room for the Actors

One thing that Mike White does brilliantly as the writer/director of The White Lotus is this: