The White Lotus Season 3 Modeled Ratliff Family After Southern Charm

Bravo fans who thought the Ratliff family from The White Lotus feel familiar are onto something.

Sam Nivola, who plays the youngest member of the Ratliffs, confirmed to People on Sunday, February 23, that creator Mike White instructed that they watch Southern Charm, which has aired on Bravo since 2014 and it chronicles the personal and professional lives of several socialites who reside in Charleston, South Carolin.

“Mike told us to go watch Southern Charm. In fact, Jason Isaacs, who played our dad, kind of modeled his whole accent and character off of [that cast],” Nivola revealed.

Sarah Catherine Hook — who plays Piper — was surprised to find out about the Bravo assignment.

“I’m from Alabama,” she shared. “I found out through you guys. I was like, ‘He didn’t tell me to watch Southern Charm!’ I’m feeling left out.’”

Southern Charm currently stars Craig Conover, Taylor Ann Green, Austen Kroll, Madison LeCroy, Venita Aspen, Leva Bonaparte,Whitney Whitney Sudler-Smith and his mother, Patricia. While Nivola didn’t say whether there was a specific character the cast was channeling, Us thinks OG (and very controversial) star Thomas Ravenel could be the one Isaacs is channeling.

Season 3 of White Lotus, meanwhile, premiered on HBO earlier this month and introduced Us to the fictional wealthy family. Isaacs and Parker Posey are the parents to Nivola, Hook and Patrick Schwarzenegger‘s characters. So far fans know that Timothy (Isaacs) has potentially lost his fortune, which he is keeping a secret from his family. Meanwhile, Victoria (Posey) is too busy taking lorazepam to notice her husband’s issues as he dodges calls from the press. Their two oldest kids (Schwarzenegger) and Piper (Hook) are fighting over time with youngest brother Lochlan (Nivola) as those weird sexual vibes between Saxon and Lochlan continue.

Outside of the Ratliff family, the latest installment of The White Lotus will follow suit and seemingly feature a murder.

In the premiere, a man (who appears to be Belinda’s (Natasha Rothwell) son) was meditating in the Thailand resort when gunshots broke out and a body emerged in the body of water surrounding the retreat. It is unclear who killed the person in the water — and who the victim is.

This season’s cast is made up of Aimee Lou Wood, Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Hook, Isaacs, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, Nivola, Lek Patravadi, Posey, Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong and Jon Gries.

“The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex,” White shared in a December 2022 HBO Max feature. “I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus.”

New episodes of The White Lotus air on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.