“The White Lotus” may be a chaotic crime-fueled satire, but the viral HBO anthology series does have some real-life inspiration. Believe it or not, Season 3 of the acclaimed Emmy-winning show was in part inspired by Bravo reality series “Southern Charm” — at least for some of its characters’ accents.

Series star Sam Nivola, who plays the youngest member of the fictional Ratliff clan in Season 3, told People that “The White Lotus” series creator Mike White made “Southern Charm” required viewing for his onscreen family. The Ratliffs, played by Nivola, Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Patrick Schwarzenegger, are an affluent family from the Southeast who are vacationing at the Thai resort.

According to Nivola, his onscreen father (and real-life Brit) Isaacs took the “Southern Charm” inspiration literally.

“Mike told us to go watch ‘Southern Charm,’” Nivola said. “In fact, Jason Isaacs, who played our dad, kind of modeled his...