Image: Apple TV
Making our list of the best TV shows for interior design enthusiasts, Palm Royale is the Emmy-nominated comedy series that explores the opulent country club lifestyle of Palm Beach in the late 1960s. With a star-studded cast including Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Amber Chardae Robinson, Kaia Gerber, and Carol Burnett; it perfectly captures how secrets, lies, and the occasional felony are buried beneath the dazzling beauty of the late-’60s Palm Beach aesthetic. “There’s a little bit of danger behind this beautiful facade,” says Abe Sylvia, the writer, executive producer, and showrunner.
With season 2 of Palm Royale premiering tonight, we dive into the interiors, set design and iconic characters that instantly transport us to the late 1960s.
Drawing heavy inspiration from the works of Slim Aarons, the photographer renowned for capturing never-before-seen lives of celebrities and socialites in their holiday homes and at Beverly Hills afterparties, the series is a pastiche that honours “the last American sanctuary,” as Allison Janney’s character, the queen bee Evelyn puts it.
Unfolding alongside, yet detached from, the cultural and societal shifts seen in the late 1960s, from the dawn of class consciousness, counterculture, women’s liberation and a growing emphasis on individuality, as well as the post-war prosperity and baby boom, the Palm Beach-bubble that our characters exist within was seen as a glamorous enclave, a covert, high society tooth-and-nail battle for status and power as the wider world shifted toward individuality, liberation, and social change.
“For years, I wanted to set a show in the world of Slim Aarons photography,” said Abe Sylvia to House Beautiful. “There’s no sense of the outside world in them.”
The clothing choices reflect this period of significant ideological change, too. “The ’60s brought about so much innovation,” costume designer Alix Friedberg told Who What Wear. “It was like all of the shackles of post-war fashion came off.”
“The ’60s really was an explosion [of fashion]; it was totally theatrical.”
A Palm Beach aesthetic in sunny LA
While the book was set in Palm Springs in California, the show was changed to be set in Florida’s Palm Beach, the more prosperous and pedigreed of the two iconic styles. But, it was filmed mostly in Los Angeles, which meant the majority of the sets were custom-built and decorated by set decorator Ellen Reede and her team. It was made to appear as though a Slim Aarons photography book came to life, the transportive sets and the fabulous costuming presenting sun-soaked postcards of Palm Beach.
An eye-catching and vibrant colour palette with sleek lines and luxurious furnishings, Palm Royale‘s interiors embody Mid-Century Modern meets quintessential American extravagance. Opulent features, like Norma Dellacorte’s glimmering crystal chandeliers, remind you of the grandeur of the time.
And there’s a reason the fashion and decor in Palm Royale feel so true-to-life. Plenty of the interiors were reportedly real antiques sourced from estate sales and thift stores, with some even sourced from a sale at the late actress Yvette Mimieux and her businessman husband Howard Ruby’s Bel Air compound. And the fashion too: at least 60% of the garments were actual vintage pieces, costume designer Alix Friedberg says.
When is Palm Royale season 2 released?
Palm Royale season two will be released on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 on Apple TV, and will welcome new guest stars: John Stamos, Patti LuPone, Vicki Lawrence and Matt Rogers. There will be 10 episodes, dropping weekly, with the finale set to air on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
Episodes are drop in the U.S. at 9pm ET / 6pm PT, so for us Aussies, we’re likely to see new episodes every Wednesday at 1pm AEST.
A First-look at Palm Royale season 2
Watch the official trailer: Palm Royale season 2
Palm Royale season 1
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