The last season of The White Lotus — set at a luxury resort in Sicily — drew to a close culminating in an expectedly dramatic and bloody finale. The second season of the hit series saw the return (and death) of Jennifer Coolidge’s iconic character, and new additions such as Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli and Theo James. Shocking, addictive and popular as both seasons were, sights were set on a third season of the deceptively sunny HBO show before the season two finale had even aired, with the next instalment officially confirmed on 18 November 2022. Now, after the writer’s strike ended in September 2023, the scripts have been finished and showrunner Mike White revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the show is likely to air in 2025 (the SAG-AFTRA strike means filming has had to be pushed back), and that the whole thing will be “supersized”.
Returning star Natasha Rothwell has also confirmed that, if the scripts are anything to go by, this season is going to be major. “I gasped out loud a minimum of five times and this was just me reading them,” she told Vanity Fair. “The scripts are a testament to Mike’s skill and ability to tell the most smart and entertaining stories. I mean, everything that he does is like a lesson to me as an actor and a performer. And as a writer myself, he takes folks on a journey. Everyone needs to buckle up, because it’s going to get real!”
So where will it be set? Who’s returning? And what exactly is the plot of this new third season of The White Lotus? Here’s everything we know.
Where is The White Lotus season 3 set?
Sources close to the production confirmed to Variety that the new season will be set in Thailand, where a range of Four Seasons resorts (in the city, country, jungle and beach) await as potential filming locations. Since the show’s first two seasons were shot at properties owned by the luxury hotel chain in Hawaii and Italy, it makes sense to end up at another for its third outing — in either Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui or the Golden Triangle. While shooting for season three has yet to begin, sources say that Mike has been “spending time in Thailand, scoping out sites”.
He also added his plans for where future seasons would be set, including one in Australia. “My dream would be to hit every continent, so yeah, this is like its own continent, basically,” he said. “We kind of have to come to Australia if we keep going… It would be so fun. Obviously, there’s a huge wealth of talent here and the beauty is inarguable, so it feels like it checks all the boxes.”
What’s the plot of The White Lotus season 3?
Right now, we have no idea what’s happening in the returning season of The White Lotus, all we know is what Mike White told EW: that “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.”
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Who is in the cast?
At the premiere of season two, Mike said: “There are so many fun actors we’ve worked with so far, so it’s just kind of like, who’s available and who will do it and how it all works out. I definitely think it’s fun to bring somebody back from some of the seasons.” The first show alum confirmed to be returning in the third season? The aforementioned Natasha Rothwell. Her performance as Belinda, a beleaguered spa manager strung along by Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya, earned her an Emmy nomination in 2022 as well as fan-favourite status.
Maybe this means an upcoming season will see the return of blasé mean girls Olivia and Paula, played by Sydney Sweeney and Brittany O’Grady, too? Or perhaps we’ll find out what happened to Lani, the White Lotus employee from the first episode of season one, who was desperate for work and pretending she wasn’t nine months pregnant? What’s she up to these days? The internet is calling for Lindsay Lohan to have a starring role in a future season and we would like to see it. After all, if anyone knows how to throw a party, it’s her.
What’s this about a prequel?
While at a festival in Sydney, Mike and Jennifer shared they had been talking about doing a season set prior to her character Tanya McQuoid’s experiences at The White Lotus in Hawaii in season one. “I absolutely think that’s possible, we were just talking about that,” Mike said when asked about the prequel. “It’s a funny idea. And making Jennifer, you know, 20 years younger, that would be fun too. I think Jennifer’s like, ‘Sure, let’s do it!’.”
When is The White Lotus season 3 released?
Originally, the new season of The White Lotus was supposed to arrive in 2024, but owing to the actor’s strike, HBO says that it’s been pushed back to 2025.
This story has been updated with new details and republished.