HBO’s currently on a trip to Sicily, but it’s already booked another stay at “The White Lotus.” Mike White’s anthology series has been renewed for a third season, the channel announced Thursday.
The news comes in the middle of the show’s second season, which premiered on October 30 and will conclude December 11 after seven episodes.
Like the first season, which premiered in July 2021, Season 2 revolves around the relationships, petty rivalries, and dysfunctions of the guests and employees staying at the titular luxury resort chain. And then there are the murders. Both seasons were shot on location at different vacation destinations — Season 1 in Hawaii, and Season 2 in Sicily. There are worse locales for a TV set. For Season 3, the show will again switch locations to a new White Lotus somewhere else in the world, although there’s no word yet on where White and the crew will be headed.
“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,” White said in a statement. “I feel so lucky to get this opportunity again and am excited to reunite with my amazingly talented collaborators on ‘The White Lotus.’”
Originally envisioned as a limited series by White, “The White Lotus’” first season was ordered by HBO during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to fill their schedule with a show that could be shot in a bubble during quarantine, with White writing and directing every episode. But “Lotus” proved too good to end there, attracting strong word of mouth on social media and growing its audience each week. The Season 1 finale attracted 1.2 million viewers on linear alone.
Season 2, which switched up most of the main cast aside from Jennifer Coolidge as flighty heiress Tanya McQuoid, has been watched by more than 7.6 million viewers on HBO and HBO Max, according to the channel’s own running tally. The season’s latest episode hit a series high.
“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,” HBO Programming EVP Francesca Orsi said in a statement. “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 humor 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.”
Since its first season, “The White Lotus” has gained critical acclaim for White’s writing and direction, the performances of the ensemble cast, and its social commentary on relationship and class dynamics. With 10 victories, it was the biggest winner at this year’s Emmys, including for Best Limited or Anthology series, outstanding directing and writing wins for White, and acting wins for Coolidge and Murray Bartlett. In addition, the show dominated the limited series acting nominations, with the majority of the cast — Jake Lacy, Steve Zahn, Connie Britton, Alexandra Daddario, Natasha Rothwell, and Sydney Sweeney — receiving nods for their work.
In addition to Coolidge, the Season 2 cast of “The White Lotus” also includes F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Meghann Fahy, Beatrice Grannò, Jon Gries, Tom Hollander, Sabrina Impacciatore, Michael Imperioli, Theo James, Aubrey Plaza, Haley Lu Richardson, Will Sharpe, Simona Tabasco, and Leo Woodall. Like the first season, every episode is written and directed by White, who executive produces with David Bernad and Mark Kamine.
