They’re not having a relaxing vacation.
“The White Lotus” Season 3 kicked off on Feb. 16 — and on Tuesday, Max announced that 2.4 million viewers tuned in on premiere night, in a 57% increase from the Season 2 premiere. Its sophomore season attracted 1.5 million and 155% higher than Season 1, which drew 944K viewers on premiere night.
But one part of the Season 3 premiere wasn’t a success: Viewers were not impressed by the show updating its theme song.
“The new white lotus theme song is mike white’s first miss,” one fan proclaimed on X, formerly Twitter, referring to the show’s creator.
Another fan said, “The only thing America can agree on right now is that the white lotus season 3 theme song is NOT it.”
“Coming out as not a hater of white lotus s3 theme song,” another stated, while another distraught fan said, “NEW SEASON OF THE WHITE LOTUS CHANGED THE THEME SONG WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT.”
Creator Mike White swiftly revealed why he changed the music.
“I think that for the show to feel fresh, it needs to either expand or shift or change,” he told HBO in an interview obtained by The Post.
“The first season was a lot about privilege and a kind of upstairs/downstairs thing with the employees and the guests and the comedy of that. And then, when we were in Italy [for Season 2], the theme was more about sex and the dynamic between men and women and sexual relationships,” he went on. “This season is dealing with more religion and spirituality and God, so the show itself and the kind of stories that these characters are facing are a little bit more existential and tragic.”
White continued: “It has a little bit more of an operatic, dramatic dimension because of the nature of exploring existential, spiritual themes.”
“Aloha!” which was Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s Season 1 music, had tribal drums and vocals. Season 2 did a mix of it that and added more opera and nightclub tones for a more European bent.
Season 3’s theme is more mellow and boppy, perhaps to fit the Thailand tone. It’s still composed by Tapia de Veer.
Unfortunately for White’s plan, audiences weren’t so on board.
“Not to be dramatic, but the new theme song has quite literally ruined my whole weekend,” one Redditor wrote.
“Genuinely hate that Mike White had the audacity to change the White Lotus intro song for season 3. I was choreographing a dance for episode one. I’m shook,” another viewer complained.
Each season of the Emmy-winning dark dramedy follows a different cast of characters on vacation at a different branch of the fictional “White Lotus” resort. Season 1 was in Hawaii, Season 2 was in Sicily and Season 3 is set in Thailand.
Similar to past seasons, Season 3 begins with an implied death. The story then jumps back to a week earlier, as various unhappy rich people begin their extravagant vacations — and it’s gradually revealed what led to the catastrophe.
Season 3 follows age-gap couple Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) and his much younger girlfriend, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood, “Sex Education”).
There’s also a dysfunctional WASP Southern family, Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs), his wife Victoria (Parker Posey) and their three college-age kids: Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), Lochlan (Sam Nivola) and Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger).
There’s also a trio of 40-something childhood friends who are reuniting for a girls trip: Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (Carrie Coon).
And, there’s Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), an employee from the Hawaii branch who was in Season 1.
Fans also reacted to the weird undertones between Saxon and his siblings.
“What the f–k is up with the incest in the new white lotus season i’m scared,” said one fan.
“The White Lotus” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO and Max.
