‘The White Lotus’ could achieve an Emmys feat no series has accomplished since ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’
The White Lotus started its run as a limited series about the staff and guests of a luxury hotel in Hawaii. But it was so successful — including at the Emmys, where it won 10 times in 2022 including Best Limited Series — that HBO reserved another stay at the resort, moving the action to Sicily for Season 2 and Thailand for Season 3. However, since a few characters have recurred from season to season, the series was forced to switch to drama categories instead of limited series races like legitimate anthologies Fargo and True Detective. Now Lotus will attempt to win as a drama after its success as a limited series. If it does, it will be in rare company.
To date, the only series to win in both Best Limited Series and Best Drama Series was Upstairs, Downstairs, which won them in the reverse order. First, Upstairs, Downstairs won Best Drama Series twice (1974, 1975). Then it claimed Best Limited Series (1976) before returning to win Best Drama again in 1977. How did that happen? The TV Academy, which has faced scrutiny and criticism for some dubious category designations through the years, moved Upstairs, Downstairs from drama series to limited series following complaints from American networks whose hit shows like The Waltons and Kojak repeatedly lost to the British import. Then Upstairs, Downstairs beat the hugely popular miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man and was shunted back to the drama series category to avoid facing Roots.
So switching categories and shifting criteria aren't new. Since the Upstairs, Downstairs back-and-forth, other programs have similarly crossed over. Treme and The Big C for instance, started as continuing series and then closed out with final seasons whose shorter episode orders qualified them as limited programs under the rules at the time. Others have gone the White Lotus route, starting with limited runs before expanding into full series: The Starter Wife, The 4400, Downton Abbey, Big Little Lies. Of those, Downton and Lies won Best Limited Series, but never claimed Best Drama after crossing over, so White Lotus would be the first in almost 50 years to pull it off.
The best news for The White Lotus is one show that isn't in the race this season: Succession. The corporate drama won its third and final Emmy for Best Drama in 2023, overshadowing Lotus. Lotus very well could have been the runner-up in that race given its 23 noms was right behind Succession's 27. If that was the case, then White Lotus may be the frontrunner for 2025.
However, one show that is back in the race is The Last of Us. Two years ago HBO's video game adaptation actually outdid The White Lotus in total nominations (24) and wins (eight), so perhaps The Last of Us is the new frontrunner. Sci-fi survival horror is not a genre that has been very welcome at the Emmys, judging from the TV Academy's tepid response to The Walking Dead over the years. The AMC zombie apocalypse drama only won two Emmys from 16 nominations during its decade-plus on the air. Much has changed since that show's heyday, though. Sci-fi and fantasy shows are more common in top categories than they used to be. And The Last of Us already, in a single year, outperformed The Walking Dead's entire Emmy record.
There's also a series in contention that neither White Lotus nor Last of Us has faced yet: Severance. That's the odds-on favorite to win Best Drama Series according to the current Gold Derby predictions. But Severance hasn't competed since 2022, when it too lost to Succession. So there are three shows with a possible path towards the grand prize now that Succession is out of the way. No doubt White Lotus hopes it can channel some of that Upstairs, Downstairs energy.