Time to check in! Mike White’s anthology series The White Lotus has officially been renewed for a third season.
“Reflecting on [the show’s] 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,” Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, Francesca Orsi, told Variety in November 2022 after the series’ renewal was confirmed.
She continued: “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. We couldn’t be more thrilled to get the chance to collaborate on a third season together.”
The comedy drama’s first season, which premiered in July 2021, was set at the fictional White Lotus hotel chain’s Hawaii location and featured stars Connie Britton, Sydney Sweeney, Murray Bartlett and more.
Jennifer Coolidge, who won an Emmy for her portrayal of Tanya McQuoid, was one of only two actors from season 1 to return for the next installment, which takes place in Italy. Jon Gries, who plays her husband, also appeared.
White, the series creator, had his reasons for bringing the Best In Show actress back.
“Because the seasons are so thematically different, the locations are different, the cast is generally different, it felt like it would make sense to have somebody be the connective tissue between the two seasons. And if we went to Italy without Jennifer, she would be so mad,” he told Variety in November 2022. “Obviously people loved her, and she’s my friend. So, it just made sense that it would be Jennifer.”
The School of Rock screenwriter wanted season 2 — which features A-listers including Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli and F. Murray Abraham — to feel different than the satirical series’ debut.
“With all the Twitter-speak of the first season, I didn’t want to do something that we had already done,” he said. “As far as the characters, I wanted to make it just a little less spiky and let their actions speak for some of the ideas I’m trying to go for. What’s fun for me is doing a shape-shifting show and trying not to repeat. You need to have enough that it makes it feel like it’s all of a piece, but the content — and the form itself — can kind of shift and be fresh.”
Scroll through for everything we know about season 3 of The White Lotus so far:
Credit: Stefano Delia/HBO
Everything to Know About ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3: Plot, Cast, Location, Release Date and More
Time to check in! Mike White’s anthology series The White Lotus has officially been renewed for a third season.
“Reflecting on [the show’s] 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,” Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, Francesca Orsi, told Variety in November 2022 after the series’ renewal was confirmed.
She continued: “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. We couldn’t be more thrilled to get the chance to collaborate on a third season together.”
The comedy drama’s first season, which premiered in July 2021, was set at the fictional White Lotus hotel chain’s Hawaii location and featured stars Connie Britton, Sydney Sweeney, Murray Bartlett and more.
Jennifer Coolidge, who won an Emmy for her portrayal of Tanya McQuoid, was one of only two actors from season 1 to return for the next installment, which takes place in Italy. Jon Gries, who plays her husband, also appeared.
White, the series creator, had his reasons for bringing the Best In Show actress back.
“Because the seasons are so thematically different, the locations are different, the cast is generally different, it felt like it would make sense to have somebody be the connective tissue between the two seasons. And if we went to Italy without Jennifer, she would be so mad,” he told Variety in November 2022. “Obviously people loved her, and she’s my friend. So, it just made sense that it would be Jennifer.”
The School of Rock screenwriter wanted season 2 — which features A-listers including Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli and F. Murray Abraham — to feel different than the satirical series’ debut.
“With all the Twitter-speak of the first season, I didn’t want to do something that we had already done,” he said. “As far as the characters, I wanted to make it just a little less spiky and let their actions speak for some of the ideas I’m trying to go for. What’s fun for me is doing a shape-shifting show and trying not to repeat. You need to have enough that it makes it feel like it’s all of a piece, but the content — and the form itself — can kind of shift and be fresh.”
Scroll through for everything we know about season 3 of The White Lotus so far:
Credit: Fabio Lovino/HBO
Where Will Season 3 of ‘The White Lotus’ Take Place?
Although the season 3 locale is not yet confirmed, White already has some ideas percolating.
“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 Survivor alum told Deadline in October 2022.
After the December 2022 finale, White revealed in HBO Max’s Unpacking S2 E7 special that the third installment may take place in Asia and focus on “death and Eastern religion and spirituality.”
“The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex,” he said. “I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus.”
Credit: Stefano Delia/HBO
Will Jennifer Coolidge Return for Season 3 of ‘The White Lotus’?
Prior to the shocking season 2 finale — where Tanya met her fate — White played coy about whether the Legally Blonde actress would continue on with the HBO series.
“Tanya is such a fun character to write, and Jennifer is one of the highlights of my experience on this show as well as my career. So, I’m definitely open to keep going with Jennifer,” he told Variety in November 2022.
Following the December 2022 finale, White opened up about why he brought Coolidge back to kill her beloved character.
“In the end of last season, Tanya is sitting with Greg in the last episode and he’s talking about his health issues. And she says, ‘I’ve had every kind of treatment over the years, death is the last immersive experience I haven’t tried,’” he said in HBO Max’s Unpacking S2 E7 special. “I was thinking, it’d be so fun to bring Tanya back because she’s such a great character, but maybe that’s the journey for her, a journey to death. Not that I really wanted to kill Tanya because I love her as a character and obviously love Jennifer, but I just felt like, we’re going to Italy, she’s such a diva — a larger than life female archetype — it felt like we could devise our own operatic conclusion to Tanya’s life and her story.”
When asked about tying up loose ends with Greg (Jon Gries) and Quentin’s (Tom Hollander) plot to kill Tanya, White hinted at Haley Lu Richardson’s Portia potentially wanting answers: “It’s possible that Portia is scared enough to just leave it alone, but the fact that all of those guys die on the boat, it feels like there’s gotta be somebody who’s gonna track it down to Greg. But maybe you’ll have to wait to find out what happens.”
Credit: Fabio Lovino/HBO
What Is the Plot of Season 3?
It’s possible that the next White Lotus chapter could focus on politicians and business moguls — an idea that White had for season 2, but ultimately didn’t end up using.
“Originally, it was more of like a Bilderberg conference, more about getting into some of the bigger power dynamics there,” the Enlightened writer told Entertainment Weekly in September 2022, referencing an annual off-the-record meeting between European and North American leaders. “But Sicily was a totally different vibe than the idea I pitched. That didn’t seem right.”
Credit: Fabio Lovino/HBO
Who Else Will Join the Cast?
If season 3 follows the existing White Lotus trend, we can expect an all-new cast of characters with perhaps some returning actors.
No casting details have been revealed yet.
Credit: Fabio Lovino/HBO
When Will Season 3 Premiere?
A premiere date has not yet been announced, however, with the quick turnaround time between seasons 1 and 2, it could be as soon as fall 2023.
Meghann Fahy, who plays Daphne Sullivan in the second installment, acknowledged White’s swift writing process during a November 2022 interview with Glamour.
“He writes so quickly, and he doesn’t do many revisions,” the Bold Type alum told the outlet.
