It's time to ring your concierge and plan for another return to The White Lotus. The hit HBO drama, created by Mike White, has made waves among TV viewers for its depiction of luxury vacations that turn into psychological thrillers, as visitors to paradise can't escape the hell that is other people (including their family members). After its breakout first season, set in Hawaii, season 2 brought viewers to Sicily with an entirely new cast and a gripping murder mystery.
So, what do we know about The White Lotus season 3? We're breaking down everything we know about the highly anticipated next installment of the Emmy-winning show, including when fans can check into their suite and who is going on vacation this time around.
When will 'The White Lotus' season 3 be released?
The White Lotus will return for season 3 on February 16, 2025. HBO announced the release date when it dropped the first full teaser (more on that below) two months out on December 16, 2024. Along with the teaser, the network included a season 3 tagline: "Seeking peace can be a trip."
With the show returning in February, we expect it to run throughout winter and spring 2025.
It's been known for quite some time that White Lotus season 3 would premiere in 2025 (so thankfully, we can check back into the series earlier than later). HBO previously revealed on November 2, 2023, that season 3 was pushed to 2025 due to delays from the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes, per Deadline, and then later revealed that filming was set to begin in February 2024.
Where will 'The White Lotus' season 3 be set?
The next season of The White Lotus is headed to an entirely new continent: Asia. Variety reported in March 2023 that season 3 will be filmed in Thailand, noting that White had spent time in the country scouting locations (probably scoping out which Four Seasons property will serve as the fictional resort). In January 2024, HBO confirmed that production would begin the following month at locations in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok.
Ahead of the confirmation, White shared some ideas for where the series could set up a new White Lotus resort (suggestions we're banking on for future seasons). At the season 2 premiere, for example, he had hinted to Deadline that the show could head to another continent.
"We just turned in our last episode to the network yesterday, so it’s hard to think about the next race," he told the outlet at the time. "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."
The showrunner also mentioned a specific country in an interview with Vulture, where he mentioned Japan as a possible location for season 2 before he decided on Sicily. (Fingers crossed the show continues running and we get to stay at every luxe White Lotus across the globe!)
Who will join the cast for 'The White Lotus' season 3?
On January 5, 2024, HBO revealed the first set of stars joining the forthcoming season, including Parker Posey (Dazed and Confused, The Staircase), Leslie Bibb (GCB, Iron Man), Jason Isaacs (Star Trek: Discovery, Harry Potter), and Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone, Mission Impossible). Thai actors Dom Hetrakul and Tayme Thapthimthong round out the group, who will join returning cast member Natasha Rothwell in the Thailand-set episodes.
Variety confirmed more season 3 cast members throughout January 2024, including HBO alum Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age, The Leftovers), Julian Kostov (Shadow and Bone), Christian Friedel (The Zone of Interest), Morgana O’Reilly (Mean Mums), Lek Patravadi (In Family We Trust), and Shalini Peiris (The Ark, The Danny & Mick Show). On January 16, 2024, the outlet reported that Walton Goggins (The Righteous Gemstones, Fallout), Patrick Schwartzenegger (Gen V), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), Sarah Catherine Hook (First Kill), and Sam Nivola (Maestro) have also joined the cast.
And on February 12, 2024, Variety revealed the exciting news that a global K-pop star will make her acting debut in season 3. BLACKPINK member Lalisa Manobal, known mononymously as Lisa, will appear in the upcoming season filmed in her home country of Thailand.
It wasn't until the first official teaser for season 3 dropped that HBO shared insight into any of the characters. The network dropped the following character descriptions:
"Leslie Bibb as Kate: one of three long-time friends on a girls’ trip after not having seen each other for a while
Carrie Coon as Laurie: one of three long-time friends on a girls’ trip after not having seen each other for a while
Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett: rugged man with a chip on his shoulder, traveling with his girlfriend Chelsea
Sarah Catherine Hook as Piper Ratliff: a college senior and middle child to Timothy and Victoria Ratliff, Piper is a religion studies major
Jason Isaacs as Timothy Ratliff: a wealthy businessman vacationing with his wife and three children
Lalisa Manobal as Mook: one of the health mentors for guests staying at The White Lotus
Michelle Monaghan as Jaclyn: one of three long-time friends on a girls’ trip after not having seen each other for a while
Sam Nivola as Lochlan Ratliff: Timothy and Victoria Ratliff’s youngest, a high school senior
Lek Patravadi as Sritala: one of the owners of The White Lotus and the visionary behind its wellness program
Parker Posey as Victoria Ratliff: vacationing with her husband and three children
Patrick Schwarzenegger as Saxon Ratliff: the eldest son of Timothy and Victoria Ratliff, Saxon works for his father’s successful company
Tayme Thapthimthong as Gaitok: a security guard at The White Lotus
Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea: a free-spirit, traveling with her on-edge older boyfriend Rick."
Which of the cast will return for 'The White Lotus' season 3?
One returning cast member is back for season 3! In April 2023, Variety reported that season 1 cast member Natasha Rothwell will return to the series, reprising the role of Hawaii branch spa manager Belinda Lindsey. The last time we saw Belinda at the end of season 1, she was reeling from being strung along by Tanya McQuoid (R.I.P.) with promises of an investment to open her own practice.
The season 3 teaser revealed that she's on an "exchange program" in Thailand, presumably picking up some tips for her own wellness practice.
The past two seasons of The White Lotus have included large casts of Hollywood stars. The first Hawaii-set installment starred Emmy winners Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge, as well as Connie Britton, Jake Lacy, and Sydney Sweeney. Meanwhile, season 2 replaced the entire cast as well as the location, only bringing along Coolidge's heiress Tanya McQuoid and Jon Gries as her new husband Greg. The rest of the Sicily-bound cast included Sabrina Impacciatore, Theo James, Meghann Fahy, Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli, and Tom Hollander.
Now that we know who didn't make it out of Sicily in the season 2 finale of White Lotus, we can say ciao to our hopes that Tanya will be our guide through the White Lotus chain. The Blossom Circle member drowned in the Ionian Sea, leaving the show without one of its two recurring characters. (Yes, there's also Greg, but screw Greg.) Coolidge's time on The White Lotus is over, despite White previously hinting that she could return.
Now, the question is whether season 3 will bring back even more former cast members who they've kept under wraps or not. The new season could work with or without additional returning characters, as White has now turned most of the show's viewers into faithful fans, but the more the merrier. As for who should come back, we suggest one of season 2's MVPs: Meghann Fahy (Daphne) or Simona Tabasco (Lucia).
What will 'The White Lotus' season 3 be about?
So far, each season of The White Lotus has served as its own miniseries examining the class and power dynamics among the rich. Season 1 remarked on colonialism and focused on the relationships between the hotel staff and the guests, while season 2 depicts gender and sexual dynamics, with the guests interacting with a pair of locals. Now that we know the show is going to Thailand, we can anticipate another story centered around the guest/staff dynamic, and potentially also touching on the cultural clash between Western and Eastern norms.
White has given some new insight into a potential storyline for season 3. According to Vulture, the creator said in a post-mortem interview that the new season is expected to explore non-Western spirituality.
"The first season we highlighted money and then the second season is sex,” White said. "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."
Based on White's teaser, it seems likely that the next season will be focused on wellness-themed tourism in Southern Asia. However, it could also take place among Western practitioners who build a religion that takes inspiration from (a.k.a. appropriates) Eastern spirituality. There's a lot to explore within the possible theme.
White also has other ideas to explore for future White Lotus seasons. The creator previously shared a bit of his initial pitch for season 2 in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, initially hesitating as he said, "I might still do it down the road maybe, if they give us a third season, so I don't know if I should say."
He decided to continue, saying, "Originally, it was more of like a Bilderberg conference, more about getting into some of the bigger power dynamics there. But Sicily was a totally different vibe than the idea I pitched. That didn't seem right."
For those unfamiliar, the Bilderberg meeting is an annual off-the-record conference that began in 1954 and "fosters dialogue" between Europe and North America. Per the website, "The group's agenda, originally to prevent another world war, is now defined as bolstering a consensus around free market Western capitalism and its interests around the globe."
Is there a trailer for 'The White Lotus' season 3?
HBO dropped the first teaser for The White Lotus season 3 in mid-December 2024, showing the soul-searching spiritual journey many guests are on this time. The trailer opens with the classic shot of the hotel staff waving as a boat pulls up of the new faces checking in and goes on to give a glimpse of each character.
"Everyone runs from pain towards pleasure but they get there only to find more pain," a voiceover says, hinting at what each vacationer may be dealing with or running from this season.
As for our familiar face with Belinda, it turns out she's wound up at a sister hotel because she's on an "exchange program." "I’m starting to feel like something good is going to come out of this," she says at one point.
Goggins' Rick seems to be influenced by his girlfriend into letting some stress go on the trip, while the group of friends traveling seem to be butting heads as some want to let go and others are critical of their behavior.
There's also lots of shots of nightlife, foreboding clips of snakes baring their fangs, what looks like a robbery, a screaming Carrie Coon, and more. We can't wait to check in!
There's a bit more footage available that fans can check out if the teaser wasn't enough. HBO included new clips of the highly anticipated season in its official reel for 2025. In early November, Max shared a "Coming to Max in 2025" clip featuring shots of the new season—most notably giving a hint at Lisa's previously under-wraps hotel staff character. She's shown welcoming a group of guests with a big smile on her face, saying, "Welcome to the White Lotus in Thailand."
The clip also shows Walton Goggins looking up at the statue known as the Great Buddha of Thailand, Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, and Michelle Monaghan in vacation-wear as they walk through a busy street, and brief shots of Parker Posey and Natasha Rothwell, who looks pleased to presumably be arriving as a visitor to the White Lotus this time around.
