The White Lotus, a popular HBO series, has been given a third season renewal and will no longer be eligible for the Limited or Anthology Series Emmy category in 2023. Despite winning nine awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series for Jennifer Coolidge, the show will now be competing in the Drama category due to continuing story-lines as confirmed by Variety.
The show already competes in the Drama category at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics Choice Awards, thus this move only affects the Emmys. The TV Academy has redefined limited or anthology series in 2021, stating that the story must be completely resolved within its season, with no ongoing story-lines allowed. The only returning character for season 2 is Jennifer Coolidge’s, yet the program has been excluded from the Limited or Anthology Series category because a character from a prior season made an appearance.
IndieWire reported that a spokesperson for the Television Academy has confirmed that The White Lotus Season 2 can now be considered for the Outstanding Comedy or Drama Series category because it includes an ongoing story-line. Whether or not Season 3 will have any returning characters will determine if the show satisfies the requirements for the Limited Series category and can thus compete there.
At Emmy, the drama category will have strong competition this year, and will include Succession, Better Call Saul, Yellowjackets, Andor, The Mandalorian, The Crown, The Last of Us, and House of the Dragon.
The White Lotus is a comedy-drama TV series curated by Mike White for HBO. The star cast of season 2 included F. Murray Abraham, Jennifer Coolidge, Adam DiMarco, Meghann Fahy, Jon Gries among others. The series revolves around a fictional resort, White Lotus, and the dark secrets concerning the guests and the staff. It is a satire on the indulgences, narcissism and selfishness of the rich and wealthy and how they leave a path of destruction behind for less privileged.
