Will There Be a "White Lotus" Prequel Series Starring Jennifer Coolidge? Here’s What We Know
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HBO’s The White Lotus has taken us to the beaches of Hawaii and the coast of Italy, and now it’s time to book our tickets to the next destination. In November 2022, the network announced the season 3 renewal of Mike White’s anthology series, which follows a group of wealthy individuals and their eccentric oddities during their stay at a luxe White Lotus resort.
“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,” Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming and head of HBO drama series and films, said in a statement, per Variety. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to get the chance to collaborate on a third season together.”
Who can we expect to see at the White Lotus next? From cast news to teasers and trailers, here’s everything we know (so far) about season 3 of The White Lotus.
Where will season 3 of The White Lotus take place?
It’s official: The White Lotus season 3 will be set in Thailand. We don’t know exactly *where* in Thailand, but Variety suggests that the upcoming installment could unfold in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, or the Golden Triangle region.
Even before the season 3 locale was announced, a few different hints from showrunner Mike White indicated that it’d take place somewhere in Asia.
In the season 2 finale, as the group departs the White Lotus in Sicily, Italy, Meghann Fahy’s Daphne quips, “Next year, the Maldives!,” a group of islands in South Asia. Viewers questioned if this was a hint to next season’s locale, and although White didn’t confirm this at the time, he did suggest that Asia was a contender.
“We just turned in our last episode to the network yesterday, so it’s hard to think about the next race,” he told Deadline in October 2022. “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.”
What will season 3 of The White Lotus be about?
While we don’t know the exact plotline for season 3, White has dropped some hints about its general premise. “The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex,” he said in an “Unpacking S2 E7” clip, according to Variety. “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.”
ICYMI (and spoiler alert ahead!), Tanya McQuoid-Hunt, expertly played by Jennifer Coolidge, dies in the season 2 finale. Her husband Greg Hunt, portrayed by Jon Gries, left their Italian vacation early, but many fans believe he was on the boat where Tanya met her end. It’s suggested that he schemed with English expat Quentin to befriend Tanya, then ultimately kidnap and kill her so he could inherit her wealth. Considering his storyline is left fairly open-ended, it’s possible Greg could return in season 3 — and Coolidge has some thoughts for how it could go.
In conversation with Jeremy Allen White for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, Coolidge shared how Tanya can seek revenge on her estranged, devious husband. “I hope there’s some comeuppance for evil Greg,” she said. “I think he should, I don’t know, end up in a meat-grinding machine... If Tanya could come back in any form, maybe she could come back as a seagull and poke Greg’s eyes out.” HBO, Mike White, you listening?
Who will be in season 3?
The Emmy Award-winning anthology series, which introduces a new set of characters each season, has made their first (!) casting announcement. In April 2023, Variety confirmed that Natasha Rothwell, who portrayed spa manager Belinda Lindsey in season 1, will return to The White Lotus. Belinda is a fan favorite, who exhibited tremendous levels of grace after hotel guest Tanya (Coolidge) offered to finance Belinda’s own spa in Maui, but days later, abruptly rescinded the proposal.
While we don’t know any other casting details just yet, Rothwell may not be the only character to reprise their role. During Series Mania in March 2023, HBO exec Casey Bloys said that White is “casting people you know” in season 3, and writing them in a way that “allows you to rediscover them or see them in a new light,” according to Variety.
The only season 1 characters to return to season 2 were Coolidge as Tanya and Gries as Greg. But given her truly bizarre death in the final episode of season 2, it’s safe to say we won’t see Tanya in season 3 — but as mentioned above, Greg could reprise his role and come face-to-face with Belinda in the third season.
Meanwhile, in a July 2022 interview with Deadline, Connie Britton — who portrayed uber-wealthy, career-focused Nicole Mossbacher in season 1 — teased a possible appearance in season 3. “[White] wanted me to be in the second season, and there was an idea that I loved for the character,” she revealed. “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.” 👀
As for her on-screen daugher, Olivia Mossbacher? It’s not clear if she’d return, but Sydney Sweeney, who portrayed the sharp-tongued college student, told Variety in a recent interview that she had to “fight” for the season 1 role. “They didn’t think that I was right for White Lotus, because I did Euphoria,” she shared. “So I put myself on tape, I auditioned for White Lotus just like everybody else and had a call back like everybody else.”
When does The White Lotus season 3 come out?
There’s no word yet on whether season 3 has started filming, so a release date hasn’t been confirmed.
HBO’s Head of Drama, Francesca Orsi, told Deadline that specific scheduling for some shows has been affected by the current work stoppage from the Writers Guild of America strike. “The White Lotus was ideally looking to go in 2024 but there’s some question about timing of the strike,” she told the publication in May 2023.
This means we may have to hold tight for season 3 of The White Lotus, but you already know we’ll be updating this piece with more details as they come.
Will there be a White Lotus prequel series starring Jennifer Coolidge?
We may not have to say goodbye to Tanya McQuoid-Hunt just yet. Although she did die in the season 2 finale, showrunner Mike White is reportedly open to a prequel series centered around Jennifer Coolidge’s quirky character.
“I absolutely think that’s possible, we were just talking about that,” White told Deadline during a June 10 press conference. “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!’” You certainly have our vote.
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