Mike White’s two-season, decade-old “Enlightened” remains one of the underrated HBO series; and as in that one, “The White Lotus” (HBO, 9 p.m.) is full of wry observations of imperfect people, striving or scheming or just being jerks. Those with jobs at the Hawaiian resort that gives this six-episode series its name have to please such people no matter what, which can be trying.
It seems as though White succumbed to the idea of writing and directing in a tropical paradise to take in the glorious atmosphere, pencilling in his characters later. But it’s an interesting enough group — a family led by Connie Britton and Steve Zahn trailing a trio of off-putting teens; honeymooning jerk Jake Lacy and his bride and especially Jennifer Coolidge who’s funny every time she’s on the screen and most likely is improvising completely her character of a middle aged woman reluctant to throw her mother’s ashes to the ocean as intended.
Because this is another glossy rich people’s saga on HBO, there’s a dead body as well, and they flaunt it at the very beginning of the series. There is talk about class and race and sexuality, but it seems more like hinting at current affairs. Despite the indigenous people performing and serving at the resort it doesn’t quite become the statement it hopes to be.
And if it’s still hailed as the best series of the summer, that’s only a reflection of the low quality of everything else. I’ll be happy to watch this one straight through.