Clear Your Schedule: HBO’s ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Premieres Tonight

Unsurprisingly, HBO is as keen for The White Lotus season 3 as the rest of us.

Week after week, the wonderfully satirical black comedy-drama anthology series captivated the internet’s imagination — be it through elaborate fan theories regarding what would happen next; or the all-important question regarding whether that third leg of an appendage was Theo James’ real penis.

Here’s everything we know about our next visit to the fictional White Lotus resort post-Sicily.

Jump To:

• Has The White Lotus season 3 been confirmed by HBO?
  • The White Lotus season 4 is already in development
• Where will The White Lotus season 3 be set?
• What will the third season of The White Lotus be about?
• Do we know The White Lotus season 3 cast members?
• When is The White Lotus season 3 release date (Australia or otherwise)?
• The White Lotus season 3 trailer

Has The White Lotus season 3 been confirmed by HBO?

On November 18th of 2022, HBO officially renewed The White Lotus for a third season.

“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,” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President of HBO Programming and Head of HBO Drama Series & Films.

“And yet, he’s only continued to reach new heights in season 2, which is the ultimate testament to Mike’s raw, unparalleled vision. His courage to explore the uncharted waters of the human psyche, paired with his signature irreverent humour 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.”

Series creator Mike White added: “There’s no place I’d rather work than HBO and there’s no people I’d rather partner with than Casey Bloys, Francesca Orsi, Nora Skinner, and their incredible team.”

“I feel so lucky to get this opportunity again and am excited to reunite with my amazingly talented collaborators on The White Lotus.”

The White Lotus season 4 is already in development

HBO boss Casey Bloys has alluded to early discussions surrounding a fourth season of The White Lotus.

“While we were in Thailand, Mike White pitched us on his concept for season 4,” he said, later clarifying: “Mike, obviously — if he wants to move forward and do the four seasons — he will do the fourth season.”

Details are obviously virtually non-existent at this stage.

RELATED: The Real Star Of ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2? This Ultra-Luxe Sicilian Hotel

Where will The White Lotus season 3 be set?

During The White Lotus season 2 finale, the cheery yet sinister Daphne Sullivan (Meghann Fahy) suggested: “Next year, the Maldives.” As you can imagine, this sent online speculation into overdrive before series creator Mike White this was just another red herring.

“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,” Mike White revealed ahead of the season 2 premiere, before hinting Japan was on the list for consideration.

As of March 28th, 2023, Variety confirmed The White Lotus season 3 would be set in Thailand:

As the first two seasons of Mike White’s The White Lotus were shot at Four Seasons resorts in Hawaii and Italy, respectively, it’s possible that season 3 will take place at one of the luxury hotel giant’s four properties in Thailand, which are located in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, and the Golden Triangle. Thailand’s Four Seasons resorts are spread across the city, country, jungle, and beach, giving White plenty of settings to play with, if he so chooses.

According to Bloomberg, an executive who was personally involved in the deal to secure location indicated the cast spent approximately three months shooting at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui.

“One plotline features some cast members visiting temples in Phuket, where they’ll stay at another hotel, the same person says,” reported the publication.

Another source, however, has revealed the hotel co-starring in season 3 alongside an entire cast of heavyweight human talent (more on this later) is none other than Anantara Mai Khao Villas Phuket, where reservations were blocked off for several weeks during the nonpeak travel months of April and May, 2024.

The publication added: “In Bangkok, HBO has further broken its loyalty with the Four Seasons in favour of a more authentically Thai-looking property, as yet unidentified, says a source involved in the negotiations.”

In any case, both options appear to be extremely camera-ready.

“The kingdom’s exotic natural beauty, rich historical sites and diverse landscapes are the perfect settings to share our fascinating culture, fantastic cuisine, top-notch wellness and luxury offerings, and most importantly, our people and Thai hospitality,” said Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

“Thailand has long been considered one of the world’s favourite filming locations. The White Lotus project will certainly strengthen the kingdom’s status as a preferred filming destination and a beacon of experience-based tourism, inspiring even more visitors to amazing Thailand.” 

RELATED: Is Anyone Else A Little Disappointed By ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2 Finale?

What will the third season of The White Lotus be about?

[WARNING: Major spoilers ahead regarding The White Lotus season 2 — proceed with caution.]

“The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex… 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,” explained Mike White.

During an interview with Vanity Fair, season 3 cast member Carrie Coon echoed these sentiments: “[White] had a season about money; he had a season about sex. And this is his season about death.”

“So here we are in this Buddhist country. It bumps up against some things in my own life right now that are really interesting to think about, and so I’m feeling incredibly gratified.”

Given the open-ended nature of how season 2 concluded, we initially thought there was room to explore the romances/dramas of all the above. And considering a certain thrice-divorced and once-widowed resort guest has just inherited a whole lot of money under extremely suspicious circumstances, we’d say there was at least one loose end to address.

But we now know that a (strict) continuation of season 2’s storyline isn’t on the cards. Beyond the matter of Jennifer Coolidge’s now-deceased Tanya McQuiod alone.

During a keynote interview at Series Mania, Casey Bloys even revealed White’s intended direction for The White Lotus season 3 had soundly earned his seal of approval.

“He’s just pitched us the idea for the third season, and it’s great — a really fun idea.”

He continued: “It’s great that he gets to cast new actors each time. What’s been great about seasons 1 and 2 is, a little like Succession, it allows you to rediscover actors or see them in a new light.”

While the story dimensions are still shrouded in mystery, as per Deadline, the third season will centre upon a patriarch, a corporate executive, an actress, a couple of mothers, a misfit, and a yogi among the bunch.

RELATED: For Watch Spotters, ‘White Lotus’ Is The Must-See Prestige TV Show Of 2022

Do we know The White Lotus season 3 cast members?

In the first week of 2024, Variety learned the cast of The White Lotus season 3 would feature:

• Jason Isaacs (The Patriot, Harry Potter, The Death of Stalin)
• Michelle Monaghan (True Detective, Mission: Impossible III)
• Parker Posey (You’ve Got Mail, The Staircase)
• Leslie Bibb (Iron Man, Talladega Nights)

Additionally, you can expect Thai thespians Dom Hetrakul (Bangkok Dangerous) and Tayme Thapthimthong (Farang). The only returning talent at the time of this writing is Natasha Rothwell, who reprises her role as White Lotus resort worker Belinda Lindsey from season 1.

Since the initial unveiling of The White Lotus season 3’s main cast, Walton Goggins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aimee Lou Wood, Sarah Catherine Hook, the aforementioned Carrie Coon, Christian Friedel, Morgan O’Reilly, Lek Patravadi, Shalini Peiris, and Sam Nivola have joined the show.

Francesca Corney, Nicholas Duvernay, Arna Fedaravičius, Charlotte Le Bon, Julian Kostov (replacing Milos Kikovic), Scott Glenn, and Thai-born K-pop star LISA (real name: Lisa Manobal) of BLACKPINK fame are also involved.

“It’s a huge cast. It’s an international cast. And I think [White’s] playing with some really interesting dynamics,” Carrie Coon told Vanity Fair.

“I think it’s something he would continue to do if they let him, because I think he would like to get bigger and more international and put together weirder groups of people — that’s what he’s passionate about.”

“And I think that’s important in this world, to see people banging up against each other in this way. Of course, he’s satirizing rich white people, and he’s doing it very well.”

RELATED: Bad News, ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Hasn’t Even Begun Filming Yet

When is The White Lotus season 3 release date (Australia or otherwise)?

Since the third season was greenlit, there hasn’t been a shortage of industry-related obstacles (i.e. Writers Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA strikes). And it’s definitely impacted the HBO content factory.

Warner Bros Discovery global streaming chief JB Perrette initially announced the early 2026 release window during a tech and media conference hosted by Wells Fargo — alongside HBO’s planned early 2025 premiere of The Last of Us season 2, late 2025 launch of Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, as well as the (tentative) 2026 return of Euphoria.

Now, we know The White Lotus season 3 release date has officially been locked in for February 16th, 2026 (US) and February 17th, 2026 domestically via Binge / Foxtel.

The White Lotus season 3 trailer

On December 17th, 2024, a teaser cut of The White Lotus season 3 trailer was released, expanding on the morsel of footage in an HBO “Coming To Max In 2025” sizzle reel. Now, we have a full-length preview — check it out at the top of this article.

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