Are you experiencing The White Lotus withdrawal symptoms yet? Those weekly doses of barbed comedy from creator Mike White became addictive over two months of must-see Mondays. One way to treat the absence of the just-concluded season three is to go back and watch the cast in roles that got them their holiday-from-hell gig.
White puts together terrific ensembles, and they come with resumés well worth digging into. Here are some of their finest moments.
This story contains spoilers for season three of The White Lotus.
Leslie Bibb shines as society girl Dinah Donohue in Palm Royale.
Leslie Bibb (Kate) in Palm Royale
Kristen Wiig and Allison Janney have the top-tier roles in the idiosyncratic 1960s country club comedy, but as is often the case – including on The White Lotus – Bibb distinguishes herself in the supporting ensemble with a mix of guilelessness and belated strength. Bibb’s society gal Dinah Donohue doesn’t have the courage to do what’s right, which makes her especially good as a moral barometer amidst rich folk high jinks. Apple TV+
Carrie Coon (right) with Christopher Eccleston in The Leftovers.Credit: IMDB
Carrie Coon (Laurie) in The Leftovers
Audiences are still catching up on Carrie Coon, but seriously she is one of the actors of her generation. She was magnificent in The Leftovers, plumbing the emotional depths as a woman whose entire family has disappeared in a cataclysmic and inexplicable global catastrophe. This existential drama goes to extremes, but Coon is never less than painfully, plausibly immersed in her character. Episode 1.6 is hall of fame-worthy. Binge
Christian Friedel as Rudolf Hoss, the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp in The Zone Of Interest.Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
Christian Friedel (Fabian) in The Zone of Interest
There’s no better example of an actor’s singular breadth on this list than watching Friedel’s turn as the hapless resort manager eager to sing for his guests, before tuning into Jonathan Glazer’s chilling Academy Award-winning film, The Zone of Interest. The German actor plays Rudolf Hoss, the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, who treats mass murder as a bureaucratic task that paves the way for his family’s privilege. Monstrous banality laid bare. Stan
Walton Goggins (right) with Timothy Olyphant in Justified.Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
Walton Goggins (Rick) in Justified
Goggins is a wildcard in comedies such as The Righteous Gemstones, where he periodically surfaces as an ageing huckster preacher. But if you want more of Rick’s laconic magnetism, look no further than this modern-day western about Timothy Olyphant’s US Marshal. Goggins’ Boyd Crowder is a recurring criminal adversary, and the actor’s rattlesnake cadence and ornery charm are a highlight across all six seasons. Disney+ and Stan
Jason Isaacs at rear behind Brit Marling in The OA.Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
Jason Isaacs (Tim) in The OA
If you thought Tim was controlling, check out the Harry Potter actor as a scientist pursuing unique human test subjects in this brain-busting metaphysical mystery. Part science-fiction, part spiritual allegory, the journey of Brit Marling’s saintly Prairie uses solemn hopefulness to stifle audience disbelief. The unswerving malevolence of Isaacs’ Hap focuses the show – he makes you yearn for the characters to escape his life-and-death-and-life grip. Netflix
Michelle Monaghan in Bad Monkey.
Michelle Monaghan (Jaclyn) in Bad Monkey
Monaghan made the most of “the wife” roles earlier in her career – see the first season of True Detective – but recently she’s begun to get parts that unleash her to play the sly troublemaker. Jaclyn on The White Lotus was preceded by Bonnie on Bad Monkey, a truth-averse hook-up casually threatening to upend the life of Vince Vaughan’s suspended Florida police detective. She’s an infrequent presence, but a welcome one. Apple TV+
Parker Posey as Dr Smith in the Netflix reboot of Lost In Space. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
Parker Posey (Victoria) in Lost in Space
Long the MVP of Christopher Guest’s feature film mockumentaries, Posey’s most intriguing television role is updating the iconic role of nefarious scientist Dr Smith on this big-budget reboot of the classic 1960s science-fiction adventure about a family of colonists marooned on an alien planet. Posey is a delight as the scheming, self-obsessed villain, appalled by the heroic family she’s trapped with and quick to insult a robot. Netflix
Natasha Rothwell in workplace comedy How to Die Alone.Credit: Disney+
Natasha Rothwell (Belinda) in How to Die Alone
Rothwell created a funny, bracing showcase for herself with this perceptive comedy, where she stars as a New York airport worker who decides to face up to her failings in life after a setback reveals how empty she’s let it become. Both a workplace comedy and a bittersweet study of regret, the one-season-and-done show isn’t afraid of genuine difficulties, from the burden of financial debt to the temptation of self-sabotage. Disney+
Patrick Schwarzenegger (centre) as Golden Boy in Gen V, with Maddie Phillips.Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
Patrick Schwarzenegger (Saxon) in Gen V
With his toothy, awkward smile and unhinged charisma, Arnold’s son has become quite good at playing alpha males who come unstuck a little too quickly. He previously did it – without the partying with your sibling complication – in this university campus spin-off of the gory superhero action-comedy, The Boys. Schwarzenegger’s Golden Boy character is super-powered but untethered – he literally goes nuclear. Amazon Prime
David Morrissey with Aimee Lou Wood in the comedy Daddy Issues.
Aimee Lou Wood (Chelsea) in Daddy Issues
Chelsea and Rick were the great tragedy of White Lotus season three, but you can get a very different dynamic between an Aimee Lou Wood character and an older man in this spiky, heartfelt British comedy. Wood plays Gemma, a hairdresser whose penchant for a good time ends when she falls pregnant and has to move in with her newly separated and long befuddled father (David Morrissey). Getting ready to raise a baby requires Gemma to sort her dad out first. SBS On Demand
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