Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 Pulls Its Formula From HBO’s Resort Drama – Will It Work?

Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers has been renewed for season 2, and it’s taking a risk and pulling its formula from an HBO resort drama for the upcoming outing. Nine Perfect Strangers, which premiered in 2021, was the second Liane Moriarty adaptation from creator David E. Kelley after Big Little Lies. The story took place at a wellness resort, where Nicole Kidman took the role of Masha, the director of the resort, starring alongside an ensemble cast of talented actors that included Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Michael Shannon, and Regina Hall.

Nine Perfect Strangers was initially supposed to be a limited series, and it wrapped the story for the characters at the end of season 1, which also coincided with the end of the novel. When it premiered, the show made history as one of Hulu’s most-watched original series ever, prompting the streaming service to give it another season two years after its debut. However, Nine Perfect Strangers season 2 will become an anthology, changing its setting and the majority of its cast members.

Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 Is Following The Formula Of The White Lotus

The HBO Anthology Became Incredibly Popular

Nine Perfect Strangers‘ upcoming season seems to be taking its formula straight out of The White Lotus’ playbook. Turning the limited series into an anthology heavily resembles the HBO show’s approach, as Nine Perfect Strangers will have a new story and a new setting, with season 2 moving from a fictional town in California to the Swiss Alps. The second outing will also feature a new cast filled with famous names. Season 1 of The White Lotus took place in Hawaii, with the second one in Italy, and the upcoming third season will take place in Thailand. It also changed most of its famous cast between its two seasons.

It’s difficult not to see the resemblance with HBO’s award-winning drama, as the new season of Nine Perfect Strangers will also bring one major star back: Nicole Kidman. The White Lotus season 2 did the same with Jennifer Coolidge. On top of that, Nine Perfect Strangers‘ new cast also includes an alum from the popular HBO show: Murray Bartlett, who played Armond in The White Lotus season 1. The newcomers will also include Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek), Christine Baranski (The Good Fight, The Gilded Age), Maisie Richardson-Sellers (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Dolly De Leon (Triangle of Sadness), Liv Ullmann (The Emigrants) and Aras Aydin (Cherry Season).

Can The HBO Show’s Approach Work For Nicole Kidman’s Hulu Hit?

Nine Perfect Strangers No Longer Has A Book To Follow

Nine Perfect Strangers season 1 adapted Moriarty’s novel, and without the source material, it would be easy to create a new story following HBO’s The White Lotus approach. The HBO anthology won 10 Emmy Awards, proving this type of storytelling works in some cases, and the Hulu show using the same formula of a new setting and cast could prove to be a great idea if the story is good. There’s no reason to dwell on season 1 except to explain Kidman’s Masha’s return to a new resort, which means the HBO hit gives Nine Perfect Strangers the perfect recipe to start with an almost clean slate.