The third season of The White Lotus is being teased by Mike White.
Ahead of the season 3 launch on February 16, the creator of the well-liked drama series talked candidly with Time about what viewers might anticipate.
Tanya McQuoid, played by Jennifer Coolidge, will not be making a comeback, but White expressed his hope that fans will still enjoy seeing the new cast members.
“How do you go about replacing Jennifer?” he questioned. “It’s not just the creative part, but she’s a very good friend, and also a big part of the show just as a person. I’m not friends with the cast the way that I’m friends with Jennifer.”
“But there’s definitely some performances I feel rival her as far as hopefully iconic performances,” he divulged.
The outlet later learnt that everything in season 3 is larger and better than before from Natasha Rothwell, who is returning to her position as spa manager Belinda from season 1.
“It’s expansive. The cast is huge, the scale of the production is huge — and it needs to be to hold the story, because the story is so robust and full and layered and juicy,” she shared.
As Tanya, Coolidge immediately won over fans with her catchphrase, “Please, these gays, they’re trying to murder me!” The incident became one of the show’s most memorable moments, inspiring thousands of memes and online recreations.
“I wanna thank all the evil gays,” she said in her acceptance speech when she received an Emmy for the role in January 2024, further contributing to the trend.
When Tanya passed away at the end of the second season, fans were saddened and hoped to see more of her in the future. But according to Coolidge, this was how White had envisioned the series developing.
“Mike was looking for a big Italian opera ending, and it was big and dramatic,” she said in a discussion with Jeremy Allen White for Variety in 2023. “So he wanted me to die for many reasons.”
“But I also think Tanya’s a lot,” she continued, joking: “Maybe people would get sick of her on another season. Maybe people would be like, ‘Oh my God, get rid of Tanya!'”
Season 3 of the series promises fresh relationships and intriguing character combinations.
Among the new cast of vacationers are three longtime friends, played by Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, and Carrie Coon, who embark on a trip together. Meanwhile, an unlikely couple, portrayed by Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood, navigate their relationship.
Rounding out the group is a family of five, consisting of parents Parker Posey and Jason Isaacs, and their three children, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Sam Nivola.
Season 3 of The White Lotus premieres on February 16 on Max.
