It's no secret that HBO's dark comedy anthology series The White Lotus is one of the hottest shows currently on television. Everyone's talking about their theories surrounding the season 3 murder mystery and dissecting all of the cringiest moments from each episode. If we're not over analyzing the characters and plot twists, then we're meme-ing the funniest scenes, whether it's Leslie Bibb's condescending smile or Parker Posey's hilarious accent and one-liners.
The White Lotus has earned an age rating of TV-MA since its first season, which means that the series is intended to be watched by mature audiences only. It's unlikely that anyone was mixing this up with a children's show or allowing younger viewers to watch, but it's worth knowing what to expect from the series if young adults tune in or even just for yourself. Let's take a closer look at the age rating of season 3 with an explanation of the explicit content featured through episode 6.
Sex and nudity in The White Lotus season 3
In the first six episodes of The White Lotus season 3, there are a few sex scenes that take place with varying degrees of nudity. Rick (Walton Goggins) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) have a sex scene early in the season that features female upper nudity.
The most recent sex scene took place in season 3 episode 6 between Lochlan (Sam Nivola) and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon). If you haven't watched the season, you still have probably heard that scene also included incest between Lochlan and his brother Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), as Lochlan reached under the covers to grab Saxon's penis (which isn't shown).
Season 3 has also featured a decent amount of nudity. There have been minimal instances of upper female nudity, but there have been multiple instances of male rear nudity from Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola, and Arnas Fedaravicius (who plays Valentin).
The season has also included much-discussed instances of male full-frontal nudity, with Timothy (Jason Isaacs) accidentally exposing his penis (which was a prosthetic) and Vlad (Yuri Kolokolnikov) undressing to skinny dip. The same skinny-dipping pool scene also includes Laurie (Carrie Coon) taking off her top while swimming.
Other instances of sexuality don't incorporate nudity and are merely suggestive situations, like Saxon getting an erection under the sheet while getting a massage or talking about masturbation, porn, and sex. An extended sequence involves Frank (Sam Rockwell) explaining sexual encounters in graphic detail. Overall, this is what you can expect from the show's expressions of sex and nudity.
Drugs, language, violence, and content warnings
Beyond sex and nudity, The White Lotus season 3 also features a fair amount of drugs, alcohol, and violence. An entire episode involves a group taking a mystery pill and drinking alcohol in excessive amounts, while another group also gets drunk. Throughout the season, Timothy has been abusing his wife Victoria's Lorazepam, a prescription medication for anxiety, and mixing it with alcohol.
Violence isn't as prevalent, but it's still has a presence in the story. (After all, the season opened with gun violence resulting in a death at the resort.) Season 3 finds a character getting ahold of a gun with the intention of taking his own life by suicide. The scenes that graphically depict his suicidal ideations with bloody imagery could be triggering for some viewers.
Needless to say, the series uses heightened language and has frequent uses of expletives. On top of profanity, as previously mentioned, the show's dialogue includes references to sexual situations and other themes that aren't appropriate for children and younger teens. Additionally, an early episode involves a character being bitten by a snake, so tread lightly if you have a fear of snakes.
Obviously, The White Lotus isn't a show that should be watched with little ones in the room, and it's not an appropriate show for teens younger than 18 to watch. There are intense, thought-provoking, and intentionally satirical themes that require a certain maturity to understand. And, well, you will see sex, penises, and violence in season 3. If that's not your jam, don't book your stay at the White Lotus.
Watch The White Lotus only on HBO and Max.