Both of the previous seasons opened with a shot of an unidentified dead body, setting up a mystery in the background that propelled the comedy-satire through its story on class and relationships. The first season highlighted money and the second sex, and creator Mike White had said that the third season would be a “satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality.” Something that felt like “a rich tapestry” to do another round at White Lotus.
When the second season finished, White said he could be open to giving viewers more answers from the finale, particularly related to Tanya’s husband, Greg (Jon Gries), and his involvement in the tragic ending. In a later feature with THR, he spoke about revisiting other characters (before Rothwell was announced), the show’s pivot from limited series to drama and why he may not open season three with another dead body.
“It would be easy to just be full-on anthology, but I think it’s more fun to have little threads through the show. If the show goes on for a couple of seasons, it would be fun to have an all-star season,” he said. “I don’t think it needs to always be a body [opening the show]. There are so many ways that we want to reinvent the show each year. Like, what is this show — other than people? A fresh mystery, people maybe expect that. But I don’t feel constrained by expectation. It’s fun.”
Coolidge added to THR: “Mike must have some juicy stuff for [Rothwell’s character]. I think that will be the most interesting storyline of all: whatever’s happened to Natasha’s character. But, yeah, I also want to see Greg get it.”
When nearing the end of 2023’s SAG-AFTRA strike and finalizing his scripts, White told EW that season three would be “a supersized” White Lotus — something the cast announcements are bearing out: “It’s going to be longer, bigger, crazier. I don’t know what people will think, but I am super excited, so at least for my own barometer, that’s a good thing … I’m super excited about the content of the season.”
Weeks ahead of premiere, White, in his interview with Time, expanded on his inspirations for the season (years of travel, vacation observations and a personally hard year). The third season explores his interest in Eastern spirituality and wellness practices, along with his skepticism of how Westerners use the medicine on self-care. “They’re all in some kind of hurt,” White said of this season’s guests. “Like, they’re all dead, but they don’t know it.”
He also said the Thailand-set season will be “much, much darker” than the two previous seasons, as well as grander and more epic. “I do feel like the other seasons were a rehearsal for this one,” said White.
