Enlightened: Why The White Lotus Creator's First HBO Series Was Canceled

"The White Lotus" is not the first time that Mike White has worked with HBO, although his short-lived series "Enlightened," which ran from 2011 to 2013, did not take popular culture by storm. Laura Dern delivers a fearless performance as Amy Jellicoe, a corporate executive whose nervous-breakdown–turned–philosophical awakening inspires her to become an agent of change. Although critics loved the series, there was a running joke in the press that it was the show no one was watching. "Enlightened" never drew more than 300,000 viewers per episode, and at one point dropped as low as 95,000. "Enlightened" was canceled due to these low ratings after just two seasons. 

But it wasn't only low ratings that led to the cancellation. Despite showcasing a powerhouse like Laura Dern, Mike White told Vulture that the fact that he had a female lead is what kept him from drawing in wider audiences:

"That sounds kind of cynical, but it's the story of my career. If I have a male protagonist, it's a studio movie, and if it's a female protagonist, it's an indie movie. That's just how it is. It's not about the studios. It's about America and who goes to see movies. Women are interested in men and women, and men aren't interested in the woman's story. They just aren't. There are exceptions, but by and large... The devaluation of the traditional female roles or the traditional female approach — it starts to feel like this is what's wrong with our country."

HBO prides itself on out-of-the-box programming, but getting audiences to invest in a series that is more spiritual and internally felt was always going to be difficult. But with all of Mike White's success with "The White Lotus," is now a better time than ever to continue the story?

"I'm afraid this will be the best thing I ever do. I think it will be. That it might be over is sad," Mike White told Vulture while campaigning for a third season of "Enlightened." This would turn out to be wildly untrue with his über-successful "The White Lotus," which never had trouble finding viewers — drawing as many as 6.2 million for season three's subversive finale. "Enlightened" does not have as much eroticism, mystery, or dramatic twists as "The White Lotus." It's a true water cooler hit that audiences can eagerly discuss, dissect, and theorize about each week. 

Looking back, "Enlightened" laid the seeds for much of "White Lotus." Amy's life-changing, Hawaiian encounter with a sea turtle is reminiscent of how "The White Lotus" uses tropical locales as the key to unlocking someone's truest self. Now that White has a series big enough to earn brand deals with Coffee Mate, "The White Lotus" could open the door to an "Enlightened" revival. White originally intended for the series to be a trilogy, so HBO could give him the opportunity to conclude the story the way he always wanted. It would most likely find more viewers, since "The White Lotus" has attracted new fans of Mike White and his work.

Back in 2021, White told The New Yorker a revival "would feel like it was pandering to the zeitgeist." "Enlightened" was very ahead of its time. The themes it tackles — mindfulness, workplace burnout, whistleblowers fighting corporations, and the emptiness of late capitalism — are especially relevant today, even painfully so. Here in 2025, these systemic pressures have gotten so much worse that a renewed "Enlightened" wouldn't feel like pandering, it would be the antidote to cynicism we so desperately need.