Do you hear that? It’s the sound of your next destination welcoming you to paradise.
That’s right, The White Lotus has been renewed for Season 3. After two crazy seasons, it’s no wonder that the show got picked up. While it originally started off as a miniseries, its success in 2021 ended with it receiving a second season, and now, a third one is on the way, with plenty more hijinks to come.
But, who might be in this season? And when can we expect to even see it? For some of the questions that you might have about The White Lotus Season 3, here is what we know so far.
What Is The White Lotus Season 3 Premiere Date?
At the time of updating this in January 2024, The White Lotus Season 3 is set to come out at some point in 2025, according to a preview video for HBO on YouTube to showcase what’s coming over the next two years.
Deadline reported the news of the Season 3 near the end of 2022. The renewal came not that long after the first two episodes aired for the second season. The outlet noted that the first episode scored 7.6 million viewers, and is one of the most-watched shows on HBO Max.
Truthfully, it’s not that surprising that it won’t be on any 2024 TV schedule. While the turnaround time between the last two seasons was only a year in comparison to how long it takes other big HBO shows to film seasons (i.e. House of the Dragon Season 2 with all of its ridiculous dragons to animate), everything was on pause for a bit during the Writer’s strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike. Hopefully we’ll be getting a lot more updates in the next few months.
So Far, Leslie Bibb, Dom Hetrakul, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey and Tayme Thapthimthong Joined The Cast
While there are some characters in The White Lotus we’d love to see return, it is an anthology series and we do love its rotating cast. In January 2024, HBO confirmed that six cast members were set to join.
These included Leslie Bibb (Iron Man), Dom Hetrakul (The Man with the Iron Fists 2), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter), Michelle Monaghan (Echoes), Parker Posey (Lost in Space), and Tayme Thapthimthong, a new arrival to Hollywood.
The White Lotus Season 1 cast was full of great stars, and so was The White Lotus Season 2 cast, with all of them truly blowing it out of the water. So, for an anthology series, this sounds like another great cast.
Jennifer Coolidge Will Not Be Back – But Natasha Rothwell Will Be
When I first wrote this guide, it was before Season 2 of The White Lotus had come to an end, but I think we can all pretty much confirm now that Jennifer Coolidge is not going to be back as Tanya for Season 3 after the events of the Season 2 finale.
There’s a reason why Coolidge ended up winning a Primetime Emmy for her performance in the first season and garnered another nomination for the second season as well. She’s just a great actress all around, and delivers funny moments that have you holding your side in laughter, so I’m going to miss the heck out of her as Tanya.
However, there is another cast member from another season who is set to make a return, and that, my friends, is Natasha Rothwell.
The news was announced on April 19, 2023 that Rothwell would be returning for Season 3 of The White Lotus, portraying Belinda once again – which is honestly hilarious since she had a strong storyline with Tanya, Coolidge’s character, in the first season.
This is major news, as Rothwell was a huge fan-favorite from Season 1 and even earned a nomination at the Primetime Emmys for her role, so I’m super excited to see her again. It’s awesome to see previous characters come back occasionally while most of the cast remains new.
Season 3 Will Take Place In Thailand
Variety confirmed in March 2023 that the episodes are going to take place in Thailand.
When Season 2 premiered (and before Season 3 was even ordered), White was quick to comment on what the upcoming season could entail. As the Deadline article regarding the renewal said, it will take place in a new locale, but a different article from the outlet saw White talking about possibly moving to another continent again – maybe even Asia:
We just turned in our last episode to the network yesterday, so it’s hard to think about the next race. 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 first season of the show took place in Hawaii, and the second season was set in Italy (Sicily to be exact), so it would make sense for the show to travel, and now, we can confirm they will be heading out to Thailand, which sounds freaking awesome, if we’re being honest.
Season 3 Could Deal With The Topics Of “Death, Eastern Spirituality And Religion”
The story of The White Lotus is often kept under wraps for some time, but the creator of the show, Mike White, has teased what Season 3 could potentially be about. According to a behind the scenes clip from Season 2 (via Variety), Mike White teased that the third season would take place in Asia, and be about “death and Eastern religion and spirituality”:
The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex. 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.
This actually lines up perfectly with the fact that Natasha Rothwell will be back as Belinda, because her character was all about spirituality and peace, so I could certainly see her coming back. And obviously, with the news that the third season will take place in Thailand, this tease makes me even more excited for what this season has to offer.
Mike White Says Season 3 Will Be “Supersized”
While the casts of The White Lotus have been extensive and the stories have been interesting to watch, Mike White promises that Season 3 will be even bigger – it will be “supersized.”
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in November 2023, White promised that the next season would be even “crazier” than the others, and even longer – so much so that he didn’t know what fans would “think” of the next installment:
It's 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.
2024 literally just started and now I’m looking forward to 2025.
There Is Also Going To Be Some Aspect Of A Murder Mystery In Season 3
A key part of The White Lotus has always included some aspect of murder, where fans come back weekly to see if they can find clues to figure out who is the unfortunate soul that was killed in the first episode – or was found dead. Mike White says that Season 3 will not be straying from that.
In an interview with NPR in December 2022, White said that it’s “clearly” something that brings fans back each week, so it wouldn’t make sense not to include it in Season 3. Death would be a defining characteristic of the show:
It clearly is something that drives interest in the show. People will decide at the conclusion whether it's satisfying or it feels just device-y.
Filming Is Slated To Begin In February 2024
After such a long wait, we know that filming for The White Lotus Season 3 is set to begin in February 2024. It was confirmed by HBO that filming for the third season was “tentatively slated” to begin in early February in Thailand.
What are you looking forward to the most with The White Lotus Season 3? I know, it’s going to be a long time before we get it, but if I can be patient, so can you. We have to plan our next vacation, friends.
