It's almost time to check into paradise. "The White Lotus" season 3 is bringing the popular HBO anthology to Asia for the first time — specifically, a luxury hotel and wellness center in Thailand — when it premieres on Sunday, Feb. 16. And fans got a sneak peek not only at that swanky property but also at this installment's batch of batty vacationers in a brand-new official trailer for the third season of the acclaimed Emmy-winning drama.
“What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand,” teases one guest in the nearly three-minute clip, which HBO dropped on Monday, Jan. 27. Those staying at the Thai resort will be a mix of series newcomers as well as familiar faces: Joining returning cast member Natasha Rothwell — back as spa manager Belinda Lindsey, who is in Thailand to learn wellness tricks and tips to bring back to Maui's The White Lotus location from season one — are an age-gap couple played by Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood, a girlfriend group portrayed by Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan, and a Southern family led by Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey. ("We usually go to the Caribbean," Posey's character drawls in an exaggerated Southern lilt.)
Ominous lines hint that the visitors will be experiencing more than just Zen stillness at the resort. "At the end of the week, you will be an entirely different person," teases one character, with another adding: "Everyone who comes to Thailand are either hiding from someone or looking for someone."
In true "White Lotus" fashion," their relaxing retreat is interrupted by mysterious text messages and masked intruders wielding handguns. "We're poor now and daddy's going to prison," Jason Isaac's wealthy businessman Timothy Ratliff can be seen yelling into a phone — are his secret financial troubles the cause of all the drama?
And it's not only the hotel guests who will be experiencing dangers and difficulties this season. As with previous installments of the HBO drama, the third season will explore the cultural and economic contrast between the moneyed Western travelers and the Thai staffers tasked with waiting on them hand and foot, including Lalisa Manoba, Tayme Thapthimthong and Lek Patravadi.
“The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex, and I think the third season, it would be a satirical and funny look at death and eastern religion and spirituality," writer-director Mike White revealed during a post-finale Season 2 featurette. "And it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round of White Lotus."
White also previously shared with Entertainment Weekly that season 3 was going to be “a supersized 'White Lotus'”: “It’s going to be longer, bigger, crazier. I don’t know what people will think, but I am super excited, so at least for my own barometer, that’s a good thing .... I’m super excited about the content of the season.”
We'll see exactly what goes down when "The White Lotus" season 3 premieres on HBO and Max on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 9 p.m. ET. In the meantime, Tom's Guide will keep you update on all things "The White Lotus," which has already been renewed for a fourth season. And if you need something else to keep you entertained, you can check out our guide to the best shows like "The White Lotus" that you can watch right now for more streaming recommendations.
