It's time to ring your concierge and plan for another return to The White Lotus. The hit HBO drama, created by Mike White, has made waves among TV viewers for its depiction of luxury vacations that turn into psychological thrillers, as visitors to paradise can't escape the hell that is other people (including their family members). After its breakout first season, set in Hawaii, season 2 brought viewers to Sicily with an entirely new cast and a gripping murder mystery.
So, what do we know about The White Lotus season 3? We're breaking down everything we know about the highly anticipated next installment of the Emmy-winning show, including when fans can check into their suite and who is going on vacation this time around.
Has 'The White Lotus' been renewed for Season 3?
Yes! HBO announced the show's renewal on November 18, 2022, only three episodes into its second season. The announcement came after positive reviews and viewer reaction propelled the show to become the current most popular show on Max at the time.
"Reflecting on The White Lotus’ humble, run-and-gun origin as a contained pandemic production, it’s impossible not to be awestruck by how Mike orchestrated one of the buzziest and most critically acclaimed shows," Francesca Orsi, head of HBO's drama series, said in a statement. "And yet, he’s only continued to reach new heights in season 2, which is the ultimate testament to Mike’s raw, unparalleled vision. His 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."
Fans who tuned into season 2 following the show's runaway success may be surprised to learn that the Hawaii-based premiere season was initially pitched as a miniseries. Creator Mike White later reworked the show as an anthology, which has become a must-see series for anyone looking for stunning landscapes and rich people behaving badly.
When will 'The White Lotus' season 3 be released?
On August 6, 2024, HBO gave the first look at season 3 during a highlight reel for its late 2024-2025 slate. The brief clip features footage of The White Lotus that begins with season 1 character Melinda (Natasha Rothwell) arriving at this season's resort, before a shot of some of the new cast (including Parker Posey and Jason Issacs' characters) entering the pool area. There are also snippets of a group of women lounging by the pool, before a flash to what looks like a boxing or MMA fight. The only spoken line? "What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand."
HBO had previously revealed on November 2, 2023, that season 3 had been pushed back until 2025, due to delays from the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes, per Deadline. The network later confirmed that filming would begin in February 2024, with White and the new season 3 cast headed to...
Where will 'The White Lotus' season 3 be set?
The next season of The White Lotus is headed to an entirely new continent: Asia. Variety reported in March 2023 that season 3 will be filmed in Thailand, noting that White had spent time in the country scouting locations (probably scoping out which Four Seasons property will serve as the fictional resort). In January 2024, HBO confirmed that production would begin the following month at locations in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok.
Ahead of the confirmation, White shared some ideas for where the series could set up a new White Lotus resort (suggestions we're banking on for future seasons). At the season 2 premiere, for example, he had hinted to Deadline that the show could head to another continent.
"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 at the time. "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 showrunner also mentioned a specific country in an interview with Vulture, where he mentioned Japan as a possible location for season 2 before he decided on Sicily. (Fingers crossed the show continues running and we get to stay at every luxe White Lotus across the globe!)
Who will join the cast for 'The White Lotus' season 3?
On January 5, 2024, HBO revealed the first set of stars joining the forthcoming season, including Parker Posey (Dazed and Confused, The Staircase), Leslie Bibb (GCB, Iron Man), Jason Isaacs (Star Trek: Discovery, Harry Potter), and Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone, Mission Impossible). Thai actors Dom Hetrakul and Tayme Thapthimthong round out the group, who will join returning cast member Natasha Rothwell in the Thailand-set episodes.
Variety confirmed more season 3 cast members throughout January, including HBO alum Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age, The Leftovers), Julian Kostov (Shadow and Bone), Christian Friedel (The Zone of Interest), Morgana O’Reilly (Mean Mums), Lek Patravadi (In Family We Trust), and Shalini Peiris (The Ark, The Danny & Mick Show). On January 16, 2024, the outlet reported that Walton Goggins (The Righteous Gemstones, Fallout), Patrick Schwartzenegger (Gen V), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), Sarah Catherine Hook (First Kill), and Sam Nivola (Maestro) have also joined the cast.
And on February 12, 2024, Variety revealed the exciting news that a global K-pop star will make her acting debut in season 3. Blackpink member Lalisa Manobal, known mononymously as Lisa, will appear in the upcoming season filmed in her home country of Thailand. As with all other announcements so far, details about her character remain under wraps.
Which of the cast will return for 'The White Lotus' season 3?
We know at least one returning guest (or staff member) will be back for season 3! In April 2023, Variety reported that season 1 cast member Natasha Rothwell will return to the series, reprising the role of Hawaii branch spa manager Belinda Lindsey. The last time we saw Belinda at the end of season 1, she was reeling from being strung along by Tanya McQuoid (R.I.P.) with promises of an investment to open her own practice.
Plot details for season 3 are still under wraps, so the circumstances of Belinda's return are still unknown. Is she transferring to the hotel's Thailand location? Will she embark on a getaway with the help of an employee discount? Did she end up starting a successful private practice, now becoming the sort of disaffected guest she'd had to deal with in the past? Whatever the case, the wellness specialist will definitely align with season 3's satirical take on spirituality.
The past two seasons of The White Lotus have included large casts of Hollywood stars. The first Hawaii-set installment starred Emmy winners Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge, as well as Connie Britton, Jake Lacy, and Sydney Sweeney. Meanwhile, season 2 replaced the entire cast as well as the location, only bringing along Coolidge's heiress Tanya McQuoid and Jon Gries as her new husband Greg. The rest of the Sicily-bound cast included Sabrina Impacciatore, Theo James, Meghann Fahy, Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli, and Tom Hollander.
Now that we know who didn't make it out of Sicily in the season 2 finale of White Lotus, we can say ciao to our hopes that Tanya will be our guide through the White Lotus chain. The Blossom Circle member drowned in the Ionian Sea, leaving the show without one of its two recurring characters. (Yes, there's also Greg, but screw Greg.) Coolidge's time on The White Lotus is over, despite White previously hinting that she could return.
Now, the question is whether season 3 will bring back even more former cast members who they've kept under wraps or not. The new season could work with or without additional returning characters, as White has now turned most of the show's viewers into faithful fans, but the more the merrier. As for who should come back, we suggest one of season 2's MVPs: Meghann Fahy (Daphne) or Simona Tabasco (Lucia).
What will 'The White Lotus' season 3 be about?
So far, each season of The White Lotus has served as its own miniseries examining the class and power dynamics among the rich. Season 1 remarked on colonialism and focused on the relationships between the hotel staff and the guests, while season 2 depicts gender and sexual dynamics, with the guests interacting with a pair of locals. Now that we know the show is going to Thailand, we can anticipate another story centered around the guest/staff dynamic, and potentially also touching on the cultural clash between Western and Eastern norms.
White has given some new insight into a potential storyline for season 3. According to Vulture, the creator said in a post-mortem interview that the new season is expected to explore non-Western spirituality.
"The first season we highlighted money and then the second season is sex,” White said. "I think the third season, it would be maybe a kind of satirical and funny look at death in Eastern religion and spirituality, it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus."
Based on White's teaser, it seems likely that the next season will be focused on wellness-themed tourism in Southern Asia. However, it could also take place among Western practitioners who build a religion that takes inspiration from (a.k.a. appropriates) Eastern spirituality. There's a lot to explore within the possible theme.
White also has other ideas to explore for future White Lotus seasons. The creator previously shared a bit of his initial pitch for season 2 in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, initially hesitating as he said, "I might still do it down the road maybe, if they give us a third season, so I don't know if I should say."
He decided to continue, saying, "Originally, it was more of like a Bilderberg conference, more about getting into some of the bigger power dynamics there. But Sicily was a totally different vibe than the idea I pitched. That didn't seem right."
For those unfamiliar, the Bilderberg meeting is an annual off-the-record conference that began in 1954 and "fosters dialogue" between Europe and North America. Per the website, "The group's agenda, originally to prevent another world war, is now defined as bolstering a consensus around free market Western capitalism and its interests around the globe."
