"The White Lotus" premieres Sunday, July 11, 2021. With the start of filming for the new "NCIS: Hawaiʻi" series in recent weeks, television and film productions in Hawaiʻi continue to thrive as COVID-19 restrictions loosen. It’s a trend that started as far back as October 2020, when HBO ordered "The White Lotus," a new series filmed on Maui from writer-director Mike White. The industry veteran is best known for comedies "School of Rock" and "Nacho Libre," but has several dramatic series and films to his credit. "(HBO) came to me in the beginning of August and we were shooting by October. So I had to write all the scripts and prep the show, cast the show, all of that in the span of two and a half months," White said.