“The White Lotus” Season 2 just wrapped up on HBO, bringing closure to weeks of tension threaded throughout the second installment of Mike White’s Emmy-winning anthology series. But one of the biggest questions most fans have after that finale is, what about “The White Lotus” Season 3? Well, here’s everything we know about the third season so far.
It’s Definitely Happening
There will absolutely be a “White Lotus” Season 3, as HBO officially renewed the series for a third season on Nov. 18, just a few weeks into Season 2’s airing. Indeed, ratings and critical reception to Season 2 were strong, so HBO was quick to order up another course of vacation intrigue.
The first season was initially billed as a limited series (and won Emmys as such), but was so popular that White and HBO decided to expand “The White Lotus” into an anthology show. Speaking of which…
Season 3 Will Feature a New Cast and Setting
Just like Season 2 featured a total cast and location reset, “The White Lotus” Season 3 will feature new characters and a new locale. Season 1 was set in Hawaii, Season 2 took place in Sicily, so now the speculation begins about where the third season takes place.
HBO did confirm that, of course, Season 3 will take place at another White Lotus location so we will once again be following the exploits of the guests and employees at another fancy hotel.
As for whether a character from Season 2 might carry over into Season 3, the same way Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya returned for Season 2, that remains to be seen but there are a few contenders (namely Portia).
It Could Be Set in Japan
The only tease about the setting of Season 3 we’ve gotten is from creator Mike White himself, who told Deadline in October he was thinking about possibly setting the third season in Asia.
“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.”
Japan specifically came into play when White was asked if Coolidge would return for a potential Season 3.
“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.”
Mike White Will Be Back
Speaking of Mike White, yes the creator will return as showrunner (and hopefully writer/director) for Season 3. The “Enlightened” creator has thus far written and directed every single episode of “The White Lotus” himself, so it’s safe to say the show would not be the same without him.
“There’s no place I’d rather work than HBO and there’s no people I’d rather partner with than Casey Bloys, Francesca Orsi, Nora Skinner and their incredible team,” White said when the show was renewed for a third season. “I feel so lucky to get this opportunity again and am excited to reunite with my amazingly talented collaborators on ‘The White Lotus.’”
But When Will ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Premiere?
As for when “The White Lotus” Season 3 will actually hit HBO’s airwaves, that has not been revealed. Filming has not yet begun, nor has a cast been announced. HBO has not confirmed or revealed any kind of airdate or gameplan, but Season 2 arrived a little over a year after Season 1 first aired, so the network will likely try to stick to a similar release strategy.
If we had to guess, we can reasonably hope to see “The White Lotus” Season 3 at some point in very late 2023 or more likely the first quarter of 2024.
