Millionaires. Beachfront estates. A mysterious death. Sound familiar? Island dramas are everywhere and they’re saying more about our culture than we think....
I don’t know if it’s just me (it’s definitely not), but lately it feels like every time I turn on a TV show or open a streaming app, I’m greeted by yet another story about rich people doing shady things on an island.
Shows like We Were Liars (2025), Sirens (2025), The Perfect Couple (2024), and The White Lotus (2021–2025) are all recent examples of the same formula.
Honestly, I’m eating it up.
But I’ve seen this same luxury+secrets formula so many times now that I found myself thinking:
Is there something in the (salt)water? Why are we watching so many rich people spiral on islands right now? What’s the cultural deal here?
What These Shows Have in Common (Besides Overpriced Outfits)
To understand why we’re seeing a wave of these shows, we need to look at what they’re actually about, so we can look for overarching cultural trends.
The mentioned stories share a pretty consistent set of ingredients:
- Power plays, often within families or romantic dynamics
- Themes of class-difference, privilege, morality and the consequences of unchecked wealth
- A charming older man with a vaguely coastal name (like "Conrad" or "Russell") who seems like a harmless boat dad but turns out to be a silent puppetmaster of a crumbling empire
- An overworked wife who keeps the entire family emotionally afloat while suppressing a decade's worth of resentment.
- And, of course, an outsider: a staff member or partner without the last name or the money, who rattles the gates of the elite compound just by existing and asking questions they shouldn't have.
Why These Shows, and Why Now?
There’s no single answer, but a few threads are worth pulling.
Seasonal Escapism
Part of it comes down to timing. It’s summer.
For people who can’t afford a vacation (so honestly most of us), Islands and mystery sound perfect to get into the seasonal mood.
You’re not in a 5-star villa surrounded by palm trees, but you are watching someone cry in one. Close enough.
Post-2020 Tension
Since 2020 we’ve seen a spike in economic anxiety and frustration among the population. Topics of discussion are often frustration with wealth hoarding, housing costs, climate doom... the list goes on.
Naturally, that makes audiences more receptive to shows that critique power structures. When the world feels like it’s on the edge of something big, themes like privilege and social expectations hit harder, as they offer a take that's worth observing in the debates.
The Luxury Fixation
Not only is there a frustration with wealth, but there's also a rising obsession with it.
TikTok’s flooded with designer hauls and funnily “quiet luxury”, which means we’re flooded with content that glamorizes the elite lifestyle. And while the shows tap into the fantasy of wanting to own everything, they also show its downsides.
As the political climate skews darker, these shows play into the fantasy and serve as previews of what happens when power goes unchecked.
Or maybe I’m just reading too much into it and people just really like pretty backdrops. Both can be true.
Final Thought From Me, Your Local TV Overthinker
There’s something weirdly comforting about this genre, even though there's brutality and drama behind it.
What I enjoy about the mentioned shows is the nuanced takes they offer. They give the characters proper motives and characterization, making them feel human and complex.
Playing oracle here for a second: My prognosis tells me, these shows about elite breakdowns aren’t going anywhere soon, but will show up in altered variations over the course of the year.
If you're as fascinated by these characters as I am, I wrote more about one from Sirens here.