Streaming Sneaks: Wellness turns toxic in February with The White Lotus 3, Apple Cider Vinegar
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(From left) Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan and Leslie Bibb in The White Lotus 3.
PHOTO: MAX
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The White Lotus 3
Debuts on Max and HBO on Feb 17
Set in a different country and hotel each season, The White Lotus (2021 to present) follows privileged travellers and the employees who cater to them.
But what starts out as a perfect holiday always goes south and ends with someone going home in a body bag.
The third instalment of this black comedy and murder-mystery anthology series is set in a luxury Thai resort with a wellness programme.
The large ensemble cast includes American actors such as Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb, Walton Goggins and Patrick Schwarzenegger, with Natasha Rothwell reprising her role as Belinda, the spa manager from Season 1.
Making her acting debut is Thai singer Lalisa Manobal, also known as Lisa from K-pop girl group Blackpink.
And creator Mike White told The Hollywood Reporter that Season 3 will be a “satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality”.
Why watch it: Expect the show – which has won 15 Emmys, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series for its first season, and has been renewed for a fourth – to continue mocking the rich and plumbing the depths of the human psyche.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Debuts on Netflix on Feb 6
Kaitlyn Dever plays an Australian wellness influencer in Apple Cider Vinegar.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
This six-episode drama examines the dark side of wellness culture in the Instagram age.
It is loosely based on the true story of Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever), a young Australian woman who falsely claimed to having been diagnosed with brain cancer and other life-threatening diseases – then pretended to heal herself through diet, exercise and alternative therapies.
Together with her frenemy Milla (Alycia Debnam-Carey), she acquires millions of followers online and builds a wellness empire, complete with an app and a cookbook.
But the house of cards eventually comes crashing down.
Why watch it: This is a tidy little morality tale if you get a kick out of stories about fraudsters and con artists – or if you just really hate wellness influencers.
No Taste Like Home With Antoni Porowski
Debuts on Disney+ on Feb 24
Henry Golding (left) and Antoni Porowski (right) with a member of the Iban tribe in Borneo in No Taste Like Home With Antoni Porowski.
PHOTO: DISNEY+
In this six-part docuseries, Porowski – the Canadian food and wine expert from hit reality series Queer Eye (2018 to present) – accompanies Hollywood stars on trips to retrace their gastronomic roots.
It is like survival expert Bear Grylls taking celebrity guests into the wilderness, but with far less suffering and way better food.
Porowski travels with Henry Golding – the Malaysia-born star of romantic comedy film Crazy Rich Asians (2018) – to Borneo, where they cook with long-lost relatives and the actor opens up about turning away from part of his heritage.
Awkwafina, who appeared in the superhero film Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021), has a homecoming in South Korea that helps her reconnect with the culture of her Korean-American mother.
Porowski also guides American actors James Marsden and Justin Theroux through Italy and Germany, respectively, in search of the origins of two beloved family dishes. Other episodes feature English actress Florence Pugh and American actress Issa Rae.
Why watch it: A collaboration between television network National Geographic and British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s production company, this looks to be a fun foodie travelogue with a good mix of celebrities.
Running Point
Debuts on Netflix on Feb 27
Kate Hudson plays the president of a professional basketball team in Running Point.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
American actress Kate Hudson plays Isla Gordon, who becomes the unlikely president of the Los Angeles Waves, a major professional basketball team, after a scandal forces her brother to resign.
But the former party girl must now prove to her sceptical brothers – and the team’s fans – that she is up to the job.
The character is loosely inspired by the life of American sports executive Jeanie Buss, who took over controlling ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers when her father died in 2013.
She eventually became the first female controlling owner to guide her team to an NBA championship.
Why watch it: This feels like a less preachy version of the Emmy-winning fish-out-of-water sports comedy Ted Lasso (2020 to 2023). And even if you have zero interest in basketball, Running Point’s co-creator Mindy Kaling – the American actress who wrote and starred in the comedy series The Mindy Project (2012 to 2017) – has a track record of creating hilarious sitcoms about flawed girl bosses.
