The White Lotus turned into a sleeper hit for HBO while satirizing the hell out of rich tourists who are utterly miserable despite themselves. The Hawaii-bound first season starred Alexandra Daddario, Jake Lacy, Sydney Sweeney, Steve Zahn, and Connie Britton as vacationers, but that’s not all. Murray Bartlett stole the show while pooping in a suitcase as Armond, who had finally had enough and was letting his passive-aggressive angst fly.
Jennifer Coolidge’s boozed-up socialite, Tanya, served as a bridge between the first two seasons, and even though she defeated The Gays in Sicily, she is sadly, she is not of this earth anymore. Aubrey Plaza, Theo James, Haley Lu Richardson, Meghann Fahy, Will Sharpe, and Simona Tabasco’s characters all got out alive, but Season 3 will bring us a new cast in a new setting.
What can we expect from Season 3? Showrunner Mike White is gearing up, so let’s talk about it.
Plot
After White revealed that the third season would be a “satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality,” speculation abounded regarding the specific destination for the new tourist group. In an out-of-the-blue move, Johnny Knoxville, who is a friend of White, hinted, “He and I had been in Tokyo together. I think that’s where the next…. oh, I’m not giving anything away.” However, this turned out to be a false lead or a red herring or possibly a mistake because HBO revealed that the third season will take place in Thailand. Expect to see Bangkok, Phuket, and Ko Samui onscreen.
From there, Harper’s Bazaar has reported that this will be a larger season than the previous two installments, which contain a total of 13 episodes. So, will we be lucky enough to receive 8-10 episodes this time around? Fingers crossed.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand seems pumped (and surely, and aspirational tourism will boom in response), and the TAT Governor, Thapanee Kiatphaibool, issued a statement:
“We are honored to have amazing Thailand featured as the filming location for the highly anticipated upcoming season of ‘The White Lotus.’… The kingdom’s exotic natural beauty, rich historical sites and diverse landscapes are the perfect settings to share our fascinating culture, fantastic cuisine, top-notch wellness and luxury offerings, and most importantly our people and Thai hospitality.”
Cast
Interest is running high to find out who will portray the inexplicably unhappy bunch of mostly terrible people for the third installment. Sadly, Jack Black has denied his participation in the show in response to the rumor mill. Mike White will surely pull out the stops elsewhere, though.
Several confirmed cast members — including Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Leslie Bibb, Dom Hetrakul, and Tayme Thapthimthong — will be on tap. Additionally, Natasha Rothwell will return after portraying the Season 1 spa manager in the series.
So, can we expect to see any Season 2 characters return as well? No one would be mad to see Simona Tabasco’s Lucia messing with more dudes at a new White Lotus resort, and there was a social media rustle from those who want to see Meghann Fahy’s Daphne in a new location, living it up with a group of girlfriends who are all happy to be away from their (possibly) sociopathic, hedge-fund-type husbands. Or maybe Daphne would be on a getaway with her trainer/baby daddy, but of course, that’s all sheer speculation.
Mike White has not confirmed any returning Season 2 characters. He has, however, expressed an openness to an “all-star season” at some point, so stay tuned on that subject.
Release Date
Due to the effects of the writers and actors strikes, filming will likely begin in February 2024, and viewers can expect to wait until 2025 for Season 3 to arrive. (I know!)
Trailer
No footage or trailer exists as of yet, but hopefully, the cast will start dropping hints on social media. We will be watching.
The first two The White Lotus seasons are available to stream on Max.