Death and Other Details is one of streaming platform Hulu’s most recent offerings, and as many fans have noticed, it’s quite similar to another popular series whose plot begins with murder, The White Lotus. Though not exactly the same, Death and Other Details does seem to be Hulu’s answer to The White Lotus. It’s understandable why streaming platforms would want to replicate the success of The White Lotus with a similar option, but Death and Other Details is further proof that this practice only ends in mediocre television.
Other Streaming Platforms Have Tried and Failed This Approach
Finding inspiration from others is nothing new – it’s been done since the world began. But streaming platforms seem to be guilty of this practice more often than other creative industries, answering each other with options either similar in style or subject matter. In recent history, Netflix did this with Painkiller, answering directly to Hulu’s superior Dopesick. Apple TV+ is currently using The Buccaneers to respond to Netflix’s megahit Bridgerton. It’s only a matter of time before viewers are given lesser-than versions of The Bear and Succession on platforms other than Hulu and Max, respectively.
The most recent offender of this practice, as noted, is Death and Other Details, which follows a woman named Imogene Scott as she works with the world’s best detective to prove herself innocent of a murder. Both set in luxury vacation locales with wealthy characters at the forefront, Death and Other Details takes the quintessential elements of HBO’s wildly successful The White Lotus and cheapens them. The dialogue is weak, the aesthetic is too campy, and the characters lack nuance and depth.
Again, not every element of the two series is the same – Death and Other Details is far more focused on the mystery aspect whereas The White Lotus stays more tightly to character relations and social commentary. But the glaring similarities make Death and Other Details a knock-off The White Lotus, and it isn’t worth buying.
Unique Takes Create Better Platforms
It’s tough to create new content, but streaming platforms would be wise to invest in new, inventive ideas for TV series rather than trying to upcycle an idea that worked for a competitor. If platforms do want to replicate success, it needs to be success of their own making.
Apple TV+ answered itself by producing Shrinking as Ted Lasso ended, and it’s carved a space for itself in the sci-fi/horror/mystery intersection with series like Servant and Severance. Paramount+ has done the same with Western dramas by following Yellowstone with Joe Pickett and Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Disney+ continues to shell out Marvel after Marvel series. Hulu now needs to find its own niche for original programming. Copying other platforms doesn’t work, but creating a unique platform identity – and sticking to it – does.
Death and Other Details is streaming now on Hulu.