Everything We Know About ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 On HBO

The White Lotus season 2 ended this Sunday with a finale that I’d consider living up to expectations, albeit it sacrificed a major character to do so. We already know that The White Lotus has been renewed for season 3, which was announced while season 2 was still airing, and HBO, despite cutting-costs and stripping shows away left and right under new management, seems to be invested in White Lotus specifically for the long haul.

So, what do we know about season 3 of The White Lotus? Not a ton, but a bit. Spoilers for season 2 follow.

In terms of release date timing, White Lotus season 1 premiered in July of 2021, while season 2 arrived in October 2022. So, if the spacing the same, we are looking at probably January/February 2024 for the return of the series, unless production is sped up a bit, or HBO wants to shuffle things around.

In terms of the storyline, while season 2’s main returning character, Tanya, was killed off attempting to escape a plot to…murder her, showrunner Mike White has indicated we may not have seen the last of this storyline, where now Tanya’s scheming husband Greg should have inherited her fortune as a result of her death. Lingering aspects of that plot, even if Tanya is dead, include the idea that Greg was having an affair with someone, and that Portia has been left alive as a witness to what happened. Jack also implies the existence of “powerful people” she doesn’t want to mess with, which could be Greg and Quentin, but it could be a larger conspiracy at play.

In terms of the focus of the show, White said that season 1 focused on money while season 2 focused on sex, though there was both sex and money in both seasons, certainly. Season 3, he says, may focus on death, implying we may not escape another murder for the third season in a row. Here’s what he said about a possible theme:

“I think the third season, it would be maybe a kind of satirical and funny look at death in Eastern religion and spirituality — it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus,” White said.

So, if season 1 was Hawaii and season 2 was Sicily, a focus on “Eastern religion and spirituality” would imply somewhere in the Asia-Pacific region. Bali or Fiji immediately come to mind as possible locations. Maybe Bora Bora or Tahiti. All of those seem like spots where you might find a fictional White Lotus hotel.

As for any returning guests? The only immediate suspects are Greg and Portia, given that storyline, but I’d really like to see Cam and Daphne again, out of season 2’s group. And who’s to say we couldn’t see someone return from season 1 as well?

More to come when official announcements are made.

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