- HBO may have greenlit The White Lotus season 4 before the third season could even premiere, but what will the story be about – more importantly: where will it be set?
- We spoke with season 3 star Patrick Schwarzenegger, who played finance bro come good Saxon Ratliff, to get a gauge of where the series is headed.
- This article will be updated as details surrounding The White Lotus season 4 come to light.
At this stage, the three certainties of life are death, taxes, and The White Lotus being renewed by HBO for another season – but has showrunner and series creator Mike White given any indication regarding what season 4 has in store for us?
“No, he hasn’t told me anything. I’ve said that I always thought a ski resort or mountain would be really beautiful,” Patrick Schwarzenegger, who portrayed Saxon Ratliff in the hit anthology’s Thailand edition, recently told B.H. while visiting Sydney.
“It probably wouldn’t work logistically to film out in the snow, you know? The weather would be too crazy and non-reliant. On a yacht would also be really fun, I think.”
Considering what an entertaining delight Triangle of Sadness was – which essentially dealt in the same satirical realm as The White Lotus on both boat and deserted island – this could definitely be a viable option. One that we’d eagerly await.
Here’s everything we know for sure about HBO’s The White Lotus season 4.
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Jump To:
- Has The White Lotus season 4 been confirmed by HBO?
- What could the fourth season of The White Lotus be about…
- … and where will it take place?
- Do we know The White Lotus season 4 cast members?
- When is The White Lotus season 4 release date (Australia or otherwise)?
- Is there a trailer for The White Lotus season 4?
Has The White Lotus season 4 been confirmed by HBO?
In January 2025, ahead of the third and most recent season’s premiere, HBO formally renewed The White Lotus for season 4 with neither centrepiece location nor cast members announced. Though it has been noted that Mike White had already began pitching ideas to HBO & Max chief Casey Bloys during the latter’s set visit in Thailand.
“Mike, obviously – if he wants to move forward and do the four seasons – he will do the fourth season,” Bloys told reporters, emphasising the carte blanche nature of the dynamic between White and the network in light of the monstrous viewership and 15 Primetime Emmy Awards.
What could the fourth season of The White Lotus be about…
[WARNING: The White Lotus season 3 finale spoilers ahead.]
A good majority of the eyebrow-raising events that transpired during The White Lotus season 3 finale were fairly self-contained to these latest episodes.
In something of a Greek tragedy with a Buddhist twist, Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) finally chooses to embrace the love standing right in front of him with earnest girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), rather than dwell on the love he was supposedly deprived of as a child, thanks to White Lotus resort owner Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn); who is believed to have killed Rick’s father. But Rick just can’t well leave it alone.
After a nasty exchange of words back at the hotel, wherein old Jim badmouths Rick’s mother and “deceased” father, Rick finally pulls the trigger and executes Jim at gunpoint. That’s when Jim’s wife Sritala (Lek Patravadi) reveals that Jim was actually Rick’s biological father, though before there can be any sensible resolutions, a firefight ensues between Sritala’s bodyguards and Rick.
In all the chaos, the innocent Chelsea is fatally wounded. Rick carries his beloved into his arms after taking out a few of the guards, walking off as he promises they’ll be together forever – a sentiment that’s honoured immediately after when newly-assertive security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) executes Rick from behind on Sritala’s orders.
The dearly departed symbolically falls into a nearby pond, where they float to the great beyond.
“It’s a classic theme of Greek tragedy: someone killing the thing they love while trying to get some revenge,” explained Mike White (via The Hollywood Reporter).
“Chelsea has this kind of romantic fatalism about their relationship, and you want to buy into it. She says to him, ‘Stop fixating on the love you didn’t get. Think about the love you have! I’m right here!’ It feels like a nice return to the beginning, where we find Amrita (Shalini Peiris) in this therapy session with Zion. And now we see it in a completely different context.”
“If Amrita had sat with Rick, maybe none of this would have happened.”
In the same 90-minute episode, the Ratliffs have their own close brush with death when youngest son Lochlan (Sam Nivola) uses the same poisoned blender his father Tim (Jason Isaacs) originally intended to leverage in his twisted murder-suicide plan. Because apparently, the shame of financial ruin and a criminal record for his white collar antics outweighs the prospect of your entire family dying.
Thankfully, Lochlan manages to survive and claims to have even “seen God.”
Most crucially, Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell) manages to get her happy ending by extorting a $5 million payday from the scheming Greg/Gary Hunt (Jon Gries) to forget they ever met; a deal considerably larger than the $100,000 the wanted person-of-interest initially offered, which was brokered by Belinda’s son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay).
It’ll certainly be enough to open her own resort like she planned on doing with the help of the late Tanya McQuoid-Hunt (Jennifer Coolidge) in season 1, though perhaps it’s also enough to warrant being hunted down by Greg so he can finish tying up every loose end.
If we were betting men, we’d place our money on this particular arc being the one that carries over for The White Lotus season 4 and probably no other plotline.
… and where will it take place?
In an episode of Max’s Unpacking the Episode, creator Mike White hinted at a change of scenery after the beachside splendour of Hawaii (season 1), Sicily (season 2), and now Thailand (season 3).
“For the fourth season, I want to get a little bit out of the ‘crashing waves against rocks’ vernacular. But there’s always room for more murders at the White Lotus hotels,” he admitted, having previously expressed interest in bringing The White Lotus to Australia on several occasions.
Earlier this year, HBO executive vice president Francesca Orsi noted that the producers were already scouting locations.
“I can’t really say where we’re going to land, but chances are, somewhere in Europe,” she told Deadline, adding there were “some countries on the map that we talked about” though “nothing to report on” until they actually scouted said locations.
In line with the assertions of longtime producing partner David Bernad that Mike White “does not like the cold” (“He’s a California guy, he’s not built for the cold.”) – along with reports that the production previously turned down $8 million to roll cameras in Norway – it’s safe to rule out that ski season. Sorry, Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Given The White Lotus has been exclusively shot in Four Seasons hotels, it could be anywhere from Morocco and Mexico to the French Riviera. Meaning until we hear something concrete, it’s anybody’s guess.
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Do we know The White Lotus season 4 cast members?
At the time of this writing, it’s uncertain who will appear in The White Lotus season 4.
In terms of returning cast members, theoretically, the sheer bulk of the third season’s players could reprise their roles post-finale bar Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett, Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea, and Scott Glenn as Jim Hollinger.
That being said, we shouldn’t exactly be holding our breath for many repeats: aside from Jennifer Coolidge’s late Tanya McQuoid-Hunt, the only surviving characters who’ve either made a comeback or existed as a narrative throughline are Greg Hunt (Jon Gries) and massage therapist Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell).
If anything, we should be keeping a keener eye out for what acting tour de forces will soon join the rarefied ranks.
The White Lotus season 3 also featured the following:
- Leslie Bibb as Kate Bohr
- Carrie Coon as Laurie Duffy
- Sarah Catherine Hook as Piper Ratliff
- Jason Isaacs as Timothy Ratliff
- Lalisa Manobal as Mook
- Michelle Monaghan as Jaclyn Lemon
- Sam Nivola as Lochlan Ratliff
- Lek Patravadi as Sritala Hollinger
- Parker Posey as Victoria Ratliff
- Natasha Rothwell as Belinda Lindsey
- Patrick Schwarzenegger as Saxon Ratliff
- Tayme Thapthimthong as Gaitok
- Sam Rockwell as Frank
When is The White Lotus season 4 release date (Australia or otherwise)?
Assuming there won’t be any more global pandemics or Hollywood strikes, we can expect to check back into the fictitious resort sometime in late 2026/early 2027. Standby for the official The White Lotus season 4 release date.
Is there a trailer for The White Lotus season 4?
Similar to the release date, The White Lotus season 4 trailer hasn’t been made available by HBO just yet. But stay tuned for when it does.
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