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People Are Just Noticing This Connection Between The White Lotus Season 3 And Another Hit Show

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Just one episode into the new season, and fan theories about what’s next for The White Lotus are already starting to flood in thick and fast.

Meanwhile, some fans have already pointed out a connection between the award-winning series and another hit US show.

Episode one of The White Lotus’ third season introduced us to the Ratliffs, a wealthy Southern family headed up by Parker Posey and Jason Isaacs, with Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook playing their on-screen children.

It didn’t take long for some viewers of the satirical comedy-drama to pick up that the surname “Ratliff” appeared in another show that originated on the US broadcaster HBO.

Colin Firth as Michael Peterson in The Staircase
Colin Firth as Michael Peterson in The Staircase

Back in 2022, The Staircase was adapted into a true crime drama series headed up by Colin Firth and Toni Collette.

The original documentary told the story of Michael Peterson, a writer who was initially convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen, only for the charge to be reduced to manslaughter seven years later after he submitted an Alford plea, after which he was freed.

In the drama – and, indeed, in real life – Peterson’s adopted daughters, played by Sophie Turner and Odessa Young, had the somewhat unusual surname Ratliff, which did not go unnoticed by White Lotus fans when the show’s new family members were introduced.

The similarities don’t end there, though, as the Ratliff family are revealed to be from Durham, North Carolina, the same Southern city in which the events depicted in The Staircase played out.

Patrick Schwarzenegger, Odessa Young, Sophie Turner and Dane DeHaan in The Staircase
Patrick Schwarzenegger, Odessa Young, Sophie Turner and Dane DeHaan in The Staircase

Oh, and then there’s the fact that two of the actors in the new season of The White Lotus – Parker Posey and Patrick Schwarzenegger – also appeared in the dramatised version of the original documentary The Staircase.

Exactly what this means remains to be seen, although some fans have their suspicions…

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I have this theory that the “RATLIFF” family in #TheWhiteLotus is a nod to The Staircase’s Ratliff/Peterson blended family saga. Mike White def. watched P. Schwarz in it and got inspired. Maybe the siblings aren’t blood-related, and there’s a secret about how family came together pic.twitter.com/EMbZOmVO6I

— Maria von Trapped (@LaDimplette) February 18, 2025

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Maybe the siblings aren’t blood-related, and there’s a secret about how family came together pic.twitter.com/EMbZOmVO6I— Maria von Trapped (@LaDimplette) February 18, 2025\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":1333,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GkEBOauW0AEiOoE.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1839,"title":"Maria von Trapped on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/LaDimplette/status/1891794681530343585","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"67b71067e4b04144c7485e27","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-white-lotus-fan-theory-connection-another-show_uk_67b71067e4b04144c7485e27","entryTagsList":"we-love-tv,the-white-lotus,the-staircase","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":11},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"67b71067e4b04144c7485e27","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"we love tv","slug":"we-love-tv","links":{"relativeLink":"news/we-love-tv","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv"},"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"We Love TV","slug":"we-love-tv","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/we-love-tv/"},{"name":"the white lotus","slug":"the-white-lotus","links":{"relativeLink":"news/the-white-lotus","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-white-lotus","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-white-lotus"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-white-lotus/"},{"name":"the staircase","slug":"the-staircase","links":{"relativeLink":"news/the-staircase","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-staircase","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-staircase"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-staircase/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

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I have this theory that the “RATLIFF” family in #TheWhiteLotus is a nod to The Staircase’s Ratliff/Peterson blended family saga. Mike White def. watched P. Schwarz in it and got inspired. Maybe the siblings aren’t blood-related, and there’s a secret about how family came together pic.twitter.com/EMbZOmVO6I

— Maria von Trapped (@LaDimplette) February 18, 2025

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i noticed this too!! and patrick schwarzenegger and parker posey both being in the dramatisation of the staircase AND the events taking place in north carolina, where the family in the white lotus seem to be from, or they at least have ties to… there are layers to this https://t.co/g7fZA1yZQh

— daniel (@gonegurlz) February 18, 2025

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i noticed this too!! and patrick schwarzenegger and parker posey both being in the dramatisation of the staircase AND the events taking place in north carolina, where the family in the white lotus seem to be from, or they at least have ties to… there are layers to this https://t.co/g7fZA1yZQh

— daniel (@gonegurlz) February 18, 2025