Get ready to head east (again!) because “The White Lotus” just dropped a major hint about season three’s location. HBO renewed the hit series on Nov. 18 amid its second season, set in Sicily, Italy, noting that the third installment will follow “a new group of guests at another White Lotus property.”
“Reflecting on ‘The White Lotus”s humble, run-and-gun origin as a contained pandemic production, it’s impossible not to be awestruck by how [creator Mike White] orchestrated one of the buzziest and most critically acclaimed shows. And yet, he’s only continued to reach new heights in season two, which is the ultimate testament to Mike’s raw, unparalleled vision,” Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO programming, head of HBO drama series and films, said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to get the chance to collaborate on a third season together.”
Though the network’s announcement didn’t specify where in the world that property might be, the “Unpacking Episode 7” segment pegged to the season two finale, which aired on Dec. 11, reveals season three’s potential location and theme. “The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex,” White says after season two’s conclusion. “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 isn’t the first time White has hinted at another eastern location for “The White Lotus” season three. Ahead of the show’s season two premiere on Oct. 30, he told Deadline, “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.”
While White also expressed interest in bringing Jennifer Coolidge’s beloved character Tanya back for another season, the chances of that are highly unlikely now considering the fate she meets at the end of season two. Of her tragic ending, White says in “Unpacking,” “I was thinking, it’d be so fun to bring Tanya back because she’s such a great character, but maybe that’s the journey for her, a journey to death.” He adds: “Not that I really wanted to kill Tanya because I love her as a character and obviously love Jennifer, but I just felt like, we’re going to Italy, she’s such a diva – a larger than life female archetype – it felt like we could devise our own operatic conclusion to Tanya’s life and her story.”
Season one of “The White Lotus” premiered in July 2021 and won 10 Emmys at this year’s awards ceremony. Season two – which stars Coolidge Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli, Meghann Fahy, Theo James, Haley Lu Richardson, and Tom Hollander – kicked off its 2023 awards season race with four Golden Globes nominations on Dec. 12. HBO has yet to announce a release date for season three, but, presumably, we can expect it sometime next year or in early 2024.
– Additional reporting by Njera Perkins