Binge-Worthy Sillage: The Top 5 TV Atmospheres Bottled

Transparency Note: We may earn a commission if you buy through our links. This helps keep Olfacto ad-free.

Great television creates a world you can feel. The best television creates a world you can smell.

Sometimes the atmosphere is so thick it leaks through the screen. You know exactly what the air conditioning feels like in Waystar Royco, and you know exactly how humid the air is in a Sicilian resort.

We pulled the top five atmospheric heavyweights of the last twenty years and assigned them their olfactory casting.

1. Succession (The Smell of Leverage)

The Roys do not wear "perfume." Perfume is trying too hard. The Roys wear scents that smell like cold air, sterile glass offices, and unbranded cashmere. It is the scent of "Quiet Luxury", unassuming to the poor, but signaling vast wealth to the initiated. It smells like a hostile takeover.

• The Notes: Vetiver, Dry Cedar, Suede, Mineral Water.
• The Vibe: Cold, expensive, repressed.
• The Casting:
  • Tom Ford Grey Vetiver (Clean, corporate, and devoid of joy).
  • Creed Aventus (The smell of a man who thinks he’s the killer, even if he’s just the cousin).
  • Le Labo Santal 33 (The uniform of the media elite; worn by the assistants trying to keep up).

2. Euphoria (The Smell of Bad Decisions)

If Succession is beige, Euphoria is purple neon. This aesthetic is sensory overload. It smells like vape smoke, cheap fruity body spray mixed with expensive designer drugs, and sweat. It’s chaotic, synthetic, and aggressively youthful. It smells like 3 AM on a school night.

• The Notes: Synthetic Raspberry, Spun Sugar, Plastic, Patchouli.
• The Vibe: Manic, glittering, anxious.
• The Casting:
  • YSL Black Opium (The official scent of a night that ends in tears).
  • Gucci Rush (Vinyl, peach, and hairspray; smells like a videocassette case).
  • Ariana Grande Cloud (Sweet, airy, and dissociative).

3. Mad Men (The Smell of the Old Guard)

This show single-handedly revived the mid-century aesthetic. It smells like an era before wellness. The air is heavy with cigarette smoke, Canadian Club whiskey, and heavy grooming products. It is masculine in the traditional, slightly toxic sense. It smells like a three-martini lunch.

• The Notes: Tobacco Leaf, Rum, Barber Soap, Oakmoss.
• The Vibe: Boozy, groomed, mid-century.
• The Casting:
  • Maison Margiela Replica Jazz Club (Rum, pink pepper, and tobacco smoke).
  • Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille (A gentleman’s club where women aren't allowed).
  • Penhaligon's Sartorial (Steam, beeswax, and a freshly pressed suit).

4. The White Lotus (The Smell of High-End Dysfunction)

Whether it's Hawaii or Sicily, the vibe is the same: paradise with a side of murder. This aesthetic is "Vacation Core." It smells like SPF 50, salty ocean air, Aperol Spritz, and expensive hotel linens. It’s a beautiful scent that masks the rot underneath.

• The Notes: Coconut Milk, Sea Salt, Lemon, Neroli.
• The Vibe: Solar, expensive, tense.
• The Casting:
  • Tom Ford Soleil Blanc (Sunscreen for billionaires).
  • Acqua di Parma Fico di Amalfi (Italian lemons, figs, and the Amalfi coast).
  • Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis (Smells like fresh laundry done by hotel staff you don't tip enough).

5. Bridgerton (The Smell of the Season)

Subtlety is not in the budget. This is romance dialed up to eleven. The aesthetic is pastel, powdery, and floral. It smells like a garden exploding. There are no dark woods or spices here; just endless fields of wisteria, rose, and sugared almonds. It is the olfactory equivalent of a corset.

• The Notes: Turkish Rose, Peony, Violet, Powdery Musk.
• The Vibe: Romantic, powdery, pastel.
• The Casting:
  • Parfums de Marly Delina (A rose bomb that projects across the ballroom).
  • Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet (Polite, pretty, and desperate to be married).
  • Diptyque Eau Rose (The literal interpretation of a garden walk).

Stream the Scent

• Search for "Vetiver" – If you want the corporate power of a Roy.
• Search for "Tobacco" – If you miss the Don Draper era.
• Search for "Solar" – If you need a White Lotus vacation (without the murder).

Find your signature scent now →