The White Lotus uses straightforward storytelling to explore straightforward themes. People go so nuts for it mainly because the casting is immaculate. The show’s secret sauce is a mixture of big names, recognizable-but-low-profile character actors, and total newbies—then having them turn in career-best (or career-making) performances.
Besides being endlessly compelling, a perfect ensemble is also a great way to discover new shows and movies: Just pick your favorite character, fire up their IMDb page, and see what else tickles your fancy. Here are 13 ways to get more of your favorite White Lotus psychos, in alphabetical order. (Minus Greg, because he was only in a few episodes this season—and honestly, who was watching this show for Greg?)
F. Murray Abraham (“Bert DiGrasso”): Amadeus (1984)
Something tells me that the overlap between White Lotus hive and Amadeus hive isn’t as big as it could be. If you enjoyed F. Murray playing a rich, pervy old guy who’s equally bemused by, horny for, and envious of the youths and their antics, watch Amadeus immediately. F. Murray as Antonio Salieri is a messy-bitch performance for the ages, the costumes and set design are immaculate, and it was entirely shot with natural light, which is completely wild.
Where to watch: Digital rental
Jennifer Coolidge (“Tanya McQuoid-Hunt”): Best in Show (2000)
This isn’t exactly a deep cut, but if you specifically miss Tanya on your screen, it’s time for a Best in Show rewatch. Sherri Ann Cabot walked so that Tanya McQuoid could try to climb over a yacht railing. She is an icon and legend, and the best part of a perfect movie. If you’ve somehow never seen it, you’re in for a real treat.
Where to watch: Fubo, Showtime, digital rental
Adam DiMarco (“Albie DiGrasso”): The Magicians (2015-2020)
If you like fantasy TV and Albie DiGrasso, you might like The Magicians, a SyFy original about a school for magicians that aired for five seasons between 2015 and 2020. Adam DiMarco plays a human magician named Todd starting in season 2.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
Meghann Fahy (“Daphne Sullivan”): The Bold Type (2017-2021)
Meghann Fahy turned in my favorite performance in The White Lotus, so I was glad to learn that before this, she starred in a Freeform show called The Bold Type that ran for five seasons. It’s about three female best friends who work at a women’s magazine in New York. So far, I’d say it’s a silly but fun, and the MFPM (Meghann Fahy per minute) score is off the charts.
Where to watch: Hulu
Beatrice Grannò (“Mia”) and Simona Tabasco (“Lucia Greco”): DOC - Nelle tue mani (2020-2022)
Before The White Lotus, Beatrice Grannò and Simona Tabasco both had recurring roles in an Italian medical drama called DOC - Nelle tue mani. The show is based on the true story of Pierdante Piccioni, an Italian doctor who lost 12 years of memories after a car crash.
Where to watch: It’s not available anywhere we can find, but if you see it, let everyone know.
Tom Hollander (“Quentin”): The Night Manager (2016)
The Night Manager is much sillier than you’d expect from a John le Carré adaptation miniseries—there are so many scenes of Tom Hiddleston taking sexy showers in assorted sexy and non-sexy locations, all of them played 100% straight—which makes it a perfect follow-up to The White Lotus. Tom Hollander plays a shifty henchman to Hugh Laurie’s arms dealer and steals every scene.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Sabrina Impacciatore (“Valentina”): Amiche da Morire (2013)
Like Valentina the hot mess hotel manager, Sabrina Impacciatore’s character in Amiche da Morire (“Friends to Die For”) is a sexually frustrated Sicilian woman—this time a virgin named Crocetta who gets stuck covering up a murder when an acquaintance’s husband turns out to be less of a “fisherman” and more of a “drug trafficker.”
Where to watch: You can currently find it on YouTube.
Michael Imperioli (“Dominic DiGrasso”): Mad Dogs (2015)
American remakes of UK dramas are hit and miss, but this one at least seems like a good time. In Mad Dogs, Imperioli plays an American musician named Lex on vacation in Belize with three longtime friends; when one of them is murdered early in the trip, they get tangled up with local cops and underworld figures. It’s all very White Lotus-adjacent, especially considering that season 1 star Steve Zahn plays one of Lex’s friends.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Theo James (“Cameron Sullivan”): Castlevania (2017-2021)
Theo James is probably best known for his role in the Divergent film trilogy, but he also voiced Hector in Castlevania, a Netflix animated series based on the Japanese video game series of the same name. An animated action-adventure-fantasy-horror series about Dracula and his demon army waging war on humanity sounds a lot more fun than Divergent or The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Where to watch: Netflix
Aubrey Plaza (“Harper Spiller”): Emily the Criminal (2022)
Sure, you could watch Parks and Recreation clips for your Aubrey Plaza fix, but Emily the Criminal exists. Starring and produced by Aubrey Plaza, my favorite thriller of 2022 tells the story of a working-class art school graduate who turns to petty crime to pay off her debts. It’s dark, funny, tense, sexy, and 93 minutes long. Gina Gershon also shows up.
Where to watch: Netflix
Haley Lu Richardson (“Portia”): Unpregnant (2020)
In Unpregnant, Haley Lu Richardson plays a 17-year-old who finds out she’s pregnant—but, as a Missouri resident, she can’t get an abortion in her home state without parental consent. She raises money to pay for the procedure and convinces her friend, played by Barbie Ferreira, to drive her to Albuquerque. Road trip hijinks and friendship drama ensue.
Where to watch: HBO Max
Will Sharpe (“Ethan Spiller”): Flowers (2016-2018)
Did the deeply uncomfortable marital and family dynamics in The White Lotus just do it for you? Check out Flowers, Will Sharpe’s unbelievably dark family drama-slash-black-comedy series. He wrote, directed, and starred in every single episode. Without giving too much away, it’s not hard to see how he got into Ethan’s fucked-up little headspace.
Where to watch: Digital rental
Leo Woodall (“Jack”): Love Island (2015-) or West Ham United at Palermo (2006)
Leo hasn’t been in as many projects as his costars, which leaves us two options: If you want more cocky boys with English accents and fancy underwear, Love Island will certainly scratch that itch. But if you were pleasantly surprised by this minor side character’s complexity—and can bear to watch four and a half minutes of European soccer highlights—have I got an Easter egg for you.
I stumbled upon the real-life inspiration for Jack’s incredibly embarrassing solo hooligan moment in Palermo. The song he sings in the street about “forever blowing bubbles” is a Vaudeville-era tune called (shocker) “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” which today is best known as the anthem for West Ham United. So Jack’s not just a drunk English idiot hollering in the streets of a warm, southern European vacation spot—he’s a drunk West Ham supporter hollering in the streets of Palermo. There’s history there.
On September 28, 2006, West Ham supporters traveled to Palermo for a UEFA Cup match wearing T-shirts that said “Mafia” on them. Needless to say, the Palermo supporters did not appreciate this. West Ham lost the match, riots broke out afterwards, and the police claim they “came under missile attack” while trying to break it up. In the end, 17 people went to the hospital and 20 West Ham supporters were arrested. It was a whole thing. According to a morning-after report in the Guardian:
One eyewitness told Guardian Unlimited: “West Ham fans behaved like animals, roaming the streets, bottles in hand searching for anyone to fight.”
Sound like someone we know? Man, this show is good. I can’t wait for season 3.