Finished ‘Palm Royale’? These resort comedies should be next in line
Finished ‘Palm Royale’? These resort comedies should be next in line
Big personalities, beautiful locations, and people quietly losing their minds.
If you loved “Palm Royale,” you probably loved it for the same reasons I did. The clothes. The setting. Watching Kristen Wiig make a fool of herself regularly. It’s glossy, campy, and totally obsessed with status, and that’s half the fun. Now that the Season 2 finale is done, there’s that familiar feeling of, okay… now what? The good news is “Palm Royale” fits really nicely into a very specific lane: resort comedies. Shows set in beautiful places where everyone’s supposed to be having the best time of their lives, but underneath it all, things are messy, competitive, and slightly unhinged. If that vibe is what hooked you, here are the next four shows I’d absolutely queue up.
Palm Royale
In 1969, an ambitious woman aspires to cross the line between the haves and have-nots to secure her seat at America’s most exclusive, fashionable, and treacherous table: Palm Beach high society.
Loved ‘Palm Royale’? Watch: ‘The White Lotus’
This one’s the obvious pick, and yeah, it earns that spot. “The White Lotus” is basically a masterclass in putting rich, insecure people in a luxury resort and letting them quietly unravel. Every season drops a new group of guests into paradise with a mysterious death at the center, and then slowly reveals how awful, fragile, and ridiculous they all are (while also revealing WHO died and how).
What makes this such a great follow-up to “Palm Royale” is how much both shows care about social power. Who belongs? Who doesn’t? Who’s pretending? Who’s embarrassing themselves without realizing it? The big difference here is tone because “The White Lotus” is darker and sharper, and it’s always circling something uncomfortable. But if your favorite “Palm Royale” moments were the ones where everyone’s smiling while carrying out psychological warfare, this is the next stop.
The White Lotus
Follow the exploits of various guests and employees at an exclusive tropical resort over the span of a week as with each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees and the idyllic locale itself.
Watch next: ‘Schitt’s Creek’
This one’s less about the resort and more about the identity crisis. “Schitt’s Creek” starts with a family whose entire sense of self is tied to money, status, and being seen. Then all of that disappears, and they’re forced to figure out who they are without the fancy stuff.
That’s where it connects to “Palm Royale.” Both shows are obsessed with image and belonging. The difference is what they do with it. “Palm Royale” leans into camp and social warfare. “Schitt’s Creek” slowly turns into one of the warmest, most generous comedies on TV. It’s about realizing you don’t actually need to be inside the fanciest room to feel like you matter. If you loved the big personalities and the style of “Palm Royale” but want something that eventually feels like a hug, this is an easy follow-up.
Schitt’s Creek
Formerly filthy rich video store magnate Johnny Rose, his soap star wife Moira, and their two kids, über-hipster son David and socialite daughter Alexis, suddenly find themselves broke and forced to live in Schitt’s Creek, a small depressing town they once bought as a joke.
Watch next: ‘Acapulco’
If you want to stay firmly in resort territory, “Acapulco” is the bullseye. It’s set at a glamorous Mexican resort in the 1980s and follows a young guy who lands his dream job, only to realize that paradise comes with politics, hierarchies, and a lot of emotional labor.
What makes this such a nice companion to “Palm Royale” is that same contrast between fantasy and reality. The resort is stunning. The vibes are immaculate. But behind the scenes, everyone’s hustling, scheming, and trying to survive. It’s lighter and more earnest than “Palm Royale,” but if you loved seeing what’s underneath the glamour, this one fits perfectly.
Acapulco
In 1984, Maximo Gallardo’s dream comes true when he gets the job of a lifetime at Acapulco’s hottest resort, Las Colinas. But he soon realizes that working there will be far more complicated than he ever imagined.
Wild card: ‘The Resort’
Okay, this one’s not a straight comedy, but it still belongs here. “The Resort” takes place at a vacation destination and uses that setting as a pressure cooker for something stranger and darker. It follows a married couple on an anniversary trip who get pulled into an old disappearance tied to the resort, and the mystery slowly takes over their lives.
What it shares with “Palm Royale” is the same idea of a beautiful escape hiding something underneath. Everyone’s supposed to be relaxing. No one actually is. The difference is that this show leans more into mystery and emotional weight instead of camp. It’s slower and weirder, but if you like your glossy settings with a side of existential dread, it’s a great curveball pick.
The Resort
An anniversary trip puts a marriage to the test when a couple finds themselves embroiled in one of Yucatan’s most bizarre unsolved mysteries.
More to watch after finishing ‘Palm Royale’:
‘Loot’ | Apple TV
Loot
After divorcing her husband of 20 years, Molly Novak must figure out what to do with her $87 billion settlement. She decides to reengage with her charitable foundation and reconnect with the real world—finding herself along the way.
‘Pan Am’ | AMC+
Pan Am
In this modern world, air travel represents the height of luxury and Pan Am is the biggest name in the business. The planes are glamorous, the pilots are rock stars and the stewardesses are the most desirable women in the world. They’re trained to handle everything from in-air emergencies to unwanted advances—all without rumpling their pristine uniforms or mussing their hair.
‘Hacks’ | HBO Max
Hacks
Explore a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old (Hannah Einbinder).
‘The Gilded Age’ | HBO Max
The Gilded Age
It’s 1882 and the Gilded Age is in full swing when Marian Brook moves in with her rigidly conventional aunts in New York City. With the help of Peggy Scott, an African-American woman masquerading as her maid, Marian gets caught up in the dazzling lives of her rich neighbors as she struggles to decide between adhering to the rules or forging her own path.