Good news for fans of The White Lotus: Season 3 is on the horizon! The HBO show is officially coming back with new episodes after a very dramatic season 2 ending.
While we know certain characters from season 1 and 2 will definitely not be returning, creator Mike White has a vision for the third installment of the series that revolves around a fictional hotel chain and the guests who stay in its luxury resorts around the world.
"The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex," he told Variety in December 2022. "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."
Mike may have been a bit cryptic about what all that exactly means, but viewers are eager to hear more about what could be in store. Here's everything we know so far about season 3 of The White Lotus, including the show's renewal, episode news and more:
Is there a release date for The White Lotus season 3 yet?
In November 2022, it was announced that the popular drama was renewed for season 3. Francesca Orsi, the executive vice president of HBO Programming and head of HBO drama series and films, revealed the news to Variety with some words of encouragement about the next chapter.
"Reflecting on The White Lotus’ 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,” she said to the outlet at the time. "And yet, he’s only continued to reach new heights in season 2, which is the ultimate testament to Mike’s raw, unparalleled vision."
Francesca continued: "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 show's official Instagram further confirmed the season 3 renewal with a teaser video that looked like a hotel commercial you might see on TV. "At #TheWhiteLotus, we manifest the things our guests desire into existence. We can’t wait to welcome you to our next White Lotus property," the clip was captioned in November 2022.
As for when fans can watch new installments of The White Lotus, that's unclear right now. Prior to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it looked like viewers would've gotten new episodes sometime in 2024. But in an article from Variety in early November 2023, HBO and Max chairman Casey Bloys disclosed that the network needed to rework its scheduling plans due to the strikes.
"White Lotus season 3 probably would have been in play for 2024," he said during a press event. "[Now] it's 2025."
Do we know who is in The White Lotus season 3 cast?
That we do! In an announcement made by The Hollywood Reporter on January 5, the show announced these six actors will join The White Lotus season 3:
- Leslie Bibb
- Dom Hetrakul
- Jason Isaacs
- Michelle Monaghan
- Parker Posey
- Tayme Thapthimthong
On January 16, Variety revealed the following actors would also be part of the storyline:
- Walton Goggins
- Patrick Schwarzenegger
- Aimee Lou Wood
- Sarah Catherine Hook
- Sam Nivola
Additionally, The White Lotus will welcome back actress Natasha Rothwell, whom Variety revealed will reprise her role as season 1 spa manager Belinda Lindsey in April 2023. The news of Natasha rejoining the show came after Jennifer Coolidge's character Tanya died at the end of season 2, with Mike floating the idea of having another season 1 actress come back into the fold.
What's more, Natasha wasn't the only one Mike vied for another shot on The White Lotus. "[Mike] wanted me to be in the second season, and there was an idea that I loved for the character," Connie Britton told Deadline in July 2022. "Our intention is to do it in the third season. A piece of casting didn’t work in the second season and we’re hoping to [do] that in the third season. I would love to see a spinoff on every character in that show."
When speaking to Esquire in December 2022, Mike also teased that Michael Imperioli could possibly rejoin the cast after portraying Dominic DiGrosso in season 2.
"Who knows, maybe there’ll be another White Lotus season where Dominic comes with his wife and they patch it all up!" he told the outlet in December 2022. "I don't want to think about it too much ... because the idea of that makes me so happy. I don't want to be disappointed ... I would want nothing more than that. I just loved working with Mike so much."
Are there any clues to the location of The White Lotus season 3?
With the last two seasons being set in Hawaii and Italy, respectively, the show has plenty of room to explore another far-flung locale for season 3. In fact, Mike has hinted that he had an idea for The White Lotus season 3 location back in October 2022.
"We just turned in our last episode to the network yesterday, so it’s hard to think about the next race," he said to Deadline. "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."
Make sure you hit "save" at the top of this article to stay up-to-date on the latest news about The White Lotus season 3.
Well, it looks like we will in fact be heading to Southeast Asia. Variety shared in March 2023 that it seemed likely The White Lotus season 3 would be set in Thailand. At the time, HBO chose not to comment on whether that was definitive, but Deadline also seemed to confirm the location in mid-November 2023.
According to the Deadline article, The White Lotus is tentatively slated to start filming season 3 in Thailand in early February. Additionally, sources told the publication that the cast is expected to be comprised of 13 roles, with nine being series regulars. As Deadline further wrote, the group of guests will range between the ages of 18 and 80, and may likely include a patriarch, a corporate executive, an actress, a couple of mothers, a misfit and a yogi.
"It’s going to be a supersized White Lotus," Mike revealed in the same article. "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."
How can I watch and stream The White Lotus?
It seems like it's going to be a while before The White Lotus returns for season 3. But while you're waiting, you can catch up on seasons 1 and 2 on Max.
When the time comes to stream new episodes of The White Lotus, you'll need to have access to Max. If you haven't subscribed to the streamer yet, you can opt into multiple plans which start at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Once you have a profile set up, click the show's page on the Max official site or the Max app for an on-the-go experience.
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
