While it’s been a little more than a year since the last The White Lotus season, HBO's boss is starting to tease what’s to come—and it might involve familiar faces.
In an interview with Deadline during the HBO Max afterparty from the Primetime Emmys, HBO’s Chairman and CEO, Casey Bloys, was asked about season 4 of The White Lotus, both when fans can expect it to air and if there might be any familiar faces that fans might see. Bloys confirmed the show will air in the first half of 2027 but also said this regarding surprises or former characters, “There were a few nice surprises.”
Now that’s one ambiguous answer.
Keep in mind this could be Bloys referring to general surprises, not specifically returning characters. But it’s not like the show hasn’t done this before. The White Lotus began as a limited series; the show became so popular that HBO made it a full drama. Most seasons introduce a whole slew of new characters, but some former cast members have returned.
A big one is Jennifer Coolidge, who played Tanya in seasons 1 and 2. Her character was a beloved one, but unfortunately she did bite the bullet at the end of season 2, as she was jumping from a boat in an attempt to get away from some of Greg's associates (Jon Gries) and hit her head. We don’t know if it was the hit that killed her or how she drowned afterward, but she is gone.
Another character who has returned is Belinda, portrayed by Natasha Rothwell. The character became close to Tanya in season 1 but hadn’t been in contact with her, as we learn in season 3. Thankfully, Belinda made it out of season 3 alive after taking a huge million-dollar payout from Greg, Tanya’s former husband.
Belinda essentially figured out what happened to Tanya—that her death was connected to Greg, but for her to survive, she took the money so she and her son could live a better life. While it wasn’t the most moral thing to do, it was the safest for her situation.
Oh, and that’s the third character to come back time and time again—Greg's appeared each season. He really loves going to these hotels, huh?
As for who could come back, we don’t really know yet. But if Bloys is teasing about “surprises,” it might end up being a face we wouldn’t even expect.
We could also use a process of elimination based on the next season's location. We know that The White Lotus season 4 will take place in France, and there’s obviously a slew of people from former hotel locations that won’t appear.
But really, any of the super-wealthy might show up somehow. I wouldn’t be shocked if Greg appeared once more, even though Jon Gries hasn't been confirmed for season 4.
That said, plenty of new characters have been announced, with a star-studded cast including Laura Dern, Max Greenfield, Chris Messina, Chloe Bennet, Alexander Ludwig, and many more. It makes you wonder how these new characters will interact with anyone who might return.
Bloys also spoke briefly about The White Lotus creator Mike White and what he’s doing with the cast and that he’s eager for fans to see what White has been cooking up this season.
“Mike is the best, I love working with him, and I can’t wait for you to see what he’s been working on with this cast. There are always breakout characters, breakout stories. We are lucky to have Mike doing White Lotus for us.”
But Bloys is still keeping his mouth shut about exactly who might appear and who might not. And this is just making me want to do more and more research/theorizing to figure out what happens next.
The White Lotus is currently filming season 4 in France, with its scheduled finish date at the end of October, according to Variety. Hopefully, once filming wraps, we can get a teaser and figure out who might come back. But if not, I suppose we’ll have to wait until the series premieres next year.
You can watch all three seasons of The White Lotus on HBO Max.
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