Warning: this article contains minor spoilers for the second season of The White Lotus.

When the first season of a TV show is so good, it can almost feel fearful to tune into any future series. Will it live up to the hype of the first instalment? Will the clever writing grow tired and less well-paced? Will it be a good season but not a great one? All questions that many devoted The White Lotus fans have likely been pondering in the run-up to the release of season two.

Well, I’m happy to tell you that you can push those questions aside and rest easy in the fact that this second series may very well be better than the first. I know, I know – a big claim. But a series as bold as this deserves a statement that rings true.

Where the first series was concerned with social hierarchy, wealth and privilege, the second season has elements of all three of those things, along with a heavy dose of sexual politics. It’s an unexpected – but very welcome – turn away from the original premise and feeds off the idea that we never really know the intricate life details of those around us.

It’s the same luxury setting but this time around, we’re in The White Lotus Sicily. With sprawling mountain views, sea, sun and plenty of flowing wine, it’s the perfect hotbed for all things scandalous. So when the series opens up with a unidentified body floating in the sea, we know that when we flash back to a week prior, we’re in for a rollercoaster ride.

HBO’s The White Lotus season 2 review: standout female characters make this series better than the first