HBO's The White Lotus showed viewers a vacation to remember, receiving critical acclaim and 10 Emmy Awards for its sleeper-hit first season. The limited series turned anthology is returning for its second season in a new luxurious location, and the sensational premiere had fans wondering whether the dramedy and social satire will return for another year.
Rather than waiting for the whole season to air, HBO decided to plan another return to a luxurious White Lotus location, per Deadline. The news came only three episodes into season 2, after the premiere's 7.6 million viewers made the series the most-watched title on HBO Max that week.
"[Creator Mike White's] courage to explore the uncharted waters of the human psyche, paired with his signature irreverent humor and buoyant directing style, have us all dreaming of more vacation days at the resort we’ve come to adore. We couldn’t be more thrilled to get the chance to collaborate on a third season together," Francesca Orsi, EVP of HBO Programming, said in a statement. (Warning, spoilers ahead from Season 2 of The White Lotus).
A first look at season three provides a closer look at the new cast.
HBO has officially shared it's first look at The White Lotus season 3 and while we only have the quickest sneak peek at what's to come, we're already excited. Along with seeing a glimpse at new cast-members, familiar faces like Season 1's Natasha Rothwell also make an appearance.
The third season will take place in Thailand.
Per Variety, the third season of The White Lotus will be filmed in Thailand. Since seasons 1 and 2 both took place at Four Season resorts in Hawaii and Italy, respectfully, it's likely the series could film at one of the four hotel conglomerate's properties in the country which are located in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and the Golden Triangle.
A new season means a whole new cast.
While Season 1 favorite Natasha Rothwell is returning to The White Lotus for Season 3 reprising her role as spa attendant Belinda, new actors are also joining the ensemble series. Per Variety, six new castmembers are set to join the show including Leslie Bibb, Dom Hetrakul, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, and Tayme Thapthimthong.
White already has ideas for Season 3.
Ahead of the renewal announcement, creator Mike White told Deadline that he does have ideas for a third White Lotus branch.
"We just turned in our last episode to the network yesterday, so it’s hard to think about the next race," he told the outlet. "But if we did, I think it’d be fun to maybe go to a whole different continent. You know, we did Europe, and maybe Asia, something crazy like that, that would be fun."
The Enlightened scribe also hinted that a third season could include another appearance from Jennifer Coolidge, whose VIP heiress Tanya McQuoid is the only character who made the jump from season 1 to season 2. Besides McQuoid, the second season features an all-new cast of guests and staff inhabiting the luxury resort in Sicily, Italy.
"Jennifer is my friend and everybody loved her in the first season, and I was like, 'I can’t go to Italy without Jennifer.' And maybe that’s still the case. Like, maybe you can’t go to Japan without Jennifer, either," White said.
However, following the Season 2 finale it's clear that Coolidge won't be returning for wherever the White Lotus heads next, considering her shocking death by accidental drowning in Season 2's final episode.
Season 3 could follow the power dynamics between global leaders.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director also gave a hint regarding a possible season 3 plot, sharing that his initial pitch for season 2 populated the hotel with political and business tycoons.
"Originally, it was more of like a Bilderberg conference, more about getting into some of the bigger power dynamics there," White said, referencing the annual forum attended by American and European governmental leaders and industry experts. "But Sicily was a totally different vibe than the idea I pitched. That didn't seem right."
So will we see Tanya McQuoid in a scenario that sounds more Succession than Sicily? Only time will tell.
Watch this space for updates.
