‘White Lotus’ Season 2: Everything to Know About the HBO Series

Credit: Mario Perez/HBO

‘White Lotus’ Season 2: Everything to Know About the HBO Series

Vacation time! HBO’s White Lotus will return for season 2 in 2022 — but the dark comedy will look and feel a bit different than before. Don’t worry, it will still include a cast of wealthy characters that viewers will love to hate. Creator Mike White is back for another round of the anthology series, which focused on the misadventures of the rich and famous on vacation at a ritzy Hawaiian resort named The White Lotus. The first season featured an ensemble cast that included White’s bestie Jennifer Coolidge, alongside Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Lacy, Sydney Sweeney and more. Each of the actors played a character that carelessly wreaked havoc over the tropical island. Their misdeeds included everything from apathy to accidental murder — the prelude to the latter was a CGI moment that viewers can’t unsee no matter how they try. [jwplayer mpwGNAKV-zhNYySv2] However, White is not interested in rehashing the same plot points from the first time around — even if he is returning to the same idea. "In TV, it's hard to start from scratch and go through the whole thing again," the School of Rock writer told Entertainment Weekly in August 2021, before the show was officially renewed. "So you feel like a bird in the hand is worth pursuing.” He continued that he would come back for another season "because I feel like there's a way to get at some new themes and do it in a way that feels fresh from this one.” The Survivor alum plans to take the show in a new direction in season 2, but he still wants it to focus on rather unlikeable people. “If I wanted to create a virtuous show, I could do it,” the Good Girl actor told Vulture after the August finale. “I feel like I could create characters that fit some people’s political and cultural agenda and probably my own! That would be pandering.” Whatever direction White ends up choosing — there are rumors that the show could be headed to Europe and include more than a few familiar faces from season 1 — HBO is on board. Francesca Orsi, the network's executive vice president, wrote in a September 2021 statement that she and others at the network “were thrilled to hear where he wanted to go next” and “can’t wait to keep following him wherever he takes us.” Keep scrolling to learn about the next season of White Lotus: [podcast_block]

Credit: Mario Perez/HBO

‘White Lotus’ Season 2: Everything to Know About the HBO Series

Vacation time! HBO’s White Lotus will return for season 2 in 2022 — but the dark comedy will look and feel a bit different than before. Don’t worry, it will still include a cast of wealthy characters that viewers will love to hate. Creator Mike White is back for another round of the anthology series, which focused on the misadventures of the rich and famous on vacation at a ritzy Hawaiian resort named The White Lotus. The first season featured an ensemble cast that included White’s bestie Jennifer Coolidge, alongside Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Lacy, Sydney Sweeney and more. Each of the actors played a character that carelessly wreaked havoc over the tropical island. Their misdeeds included everything from apathy to accidental murder — the prelude to the latter was a CGI moment that viewers can’t unsee no matter how they try. [jwplayer mpwGNAKV-zhNYySv2] However, White is not interested in rehashing the same plot points from the first time around — even if he is returning to the same idea. "In TV, it's hard to start from scratch and go through the whole thing again," the School of Rock writer told Entertainment Weekly in August 2021, before the show was officially renewed. "So you feel like a bird in the hand is worth pursuing.” He continued that he would come back for another season "because I feel like there's a way to get at some new themes and do it in a way that feels fresh from this one.” The Survivor alum plans to take the show in a new direction in season 2, but he still wants it to focus on rather unlikeable people. “If I wanted to create a virtuous show, I could do it,” the Good Girl actor told Vulture after the August finale. “I feel like I could create characters that fit some people’s political and cultural agenda and probably my own! That would be pandering.” Whatever direction White ends up choosing — there are rumors that the show could be headed to Europe and include more than a few familiar faces from season 1 — HBO is on board. Francesca Orsi, the network's executive vice president, wrote in a September 2021 statement that she and others at the network “were thrilled to hear where he wanted to go next” and “can’t wait to keep following him wherever he takes us.” Keep scrolling to learn about the next season of White Lotus: [podcast_block]

Credit: Mario Perez/HBO

The Plot

HBO revealed in an August 2021 release that the new season “leaves Hawaii behind and follows a different group of vacationers as they jet to another White Lotus property and settle in temporarily amongst its inhabitants.”

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A New Location

White teased Entertainment Weekly in August 2021 that the series would go international before the season 2 location was confirmed to be Sicily.

"We would go somewhere different because there's no way we could be able to afford the Four Seasons in Maui," the Enlightenment creator said. "So yeah, it would have to be The White Lotus: Kyoto or something.”

The fun part about leaving the U.S., he told EW, is that the writers “could get into culture clash ideas and stuff like that.” What’s Japanese for the “Pineapple Suite”?

Credit: Mario Perez/HBO

A New Cast

For those who hope that they’ll get to see all their favorite characters traveling together again, White has some bad news for you. “I don’t think you can credibly have [all the season-one guests] on the same vacation again,” the Freaks and Geeks writer told TVLine in August 2021.

However, he did tease that maybe “it could be a Marvel Universe type thing, where some of them would come back,” he said. “We only made one-year deals with the actors, so we’d have to find out who is even available.”

In January 2022, F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander and Haley Lu Richardson were cast as series regulars for the show's sophomore season. 

One month later, Divergent star Theo James and The Bold Type's Meghann Fahy signed onto the streaming hit.

Credit: Mario Perez/HBO

Jennifer Coolidge Is Back

In October 2021, it was reported that the Legally Blonde star would return for season 2. It’s unclear whether she is reprising her season 1 character, Tanya McQuoid, a boozy socialite who was at the resort to spread her mother’s ashes — or playing a different person that viewers should assume will be just as hilarious.

In June 2022, TVLine confirmed that Coolidge will once again play Tanya on the HBO series. 

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More Sex?

"They haven't told me what the script is," Coolidge told Entertainment Tonight in November 2021. "But, I hope I have lots of romance and sex in this next one. I felt like I didn't get enough of that in the first one."

She also gushed over the show, noting it’s the “most popular” thing she’s ever done. "It didn't matter where I was this year. It didn't matter that I had a mask on,” Coolidge added. “I could be in a motorboat up in Maine going by another speedboat and someone would be like, ‘White Lotus.' I mean, it was weird. Everyone saw it. Everyone saw that thing.”

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Michael Imperioli Joins

The Sopranos actor is set to play Dominic Di Grasso, who visits the hotel in season 2 with his father and son.

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Aubrey Plaza Joins

The Legion alum will join the sophomore season as Harper Spiller, a woman on vacation with her husband and his friends.

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The Sicilian Resort Is Filling Up

HBO cast Italian actress and comedian Sabrina Impacciatore as the White Lotus: Sicily resort manager, Valentina, TVLine reported in March 2022. Fellow Italian stars Beatrice Grannó and Simona Tabasco will add to the authentic vibes on set playing local Sicilians Mia and Lucia, who are often spotted at the resort.

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A Serious Energy

In an April 2022 interview with Cosmopolitan, Plaza revealed that she had been filming season 2 at the San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Italy. "It’s pretty wild," she told the outlet. "We’ve taken over this entire hotel. There’s an energy, for sure. ... It’s cool how the location informs the show. Sicily is such a culturally rich place. I mean, there’s a literal volcano that has erupted since we’ve been here. It’s a very charged environment. It’s going to feel like that."

The Parks and Recreation alum couldn't share too many details about her character arc, but she revealed that her story is mostly "separate" from Coolidge's plot line. "I play a woman who’s married and we’re on vacation with another couple," she explained. "Our story exists with our little foursome, but there are moments when some of the characters overlap, like in the first season."

Credit: HBOMAX

The 1st Look Is Here!

HBO Max dropped a short clip from the upcoming season in July 2022, which revealed that Jon Gries, who played Greg on season 1, is back. During the first set of episodes, the character fell for Coolidge’s Tanya, and based on the teaser, their romance is only just beginning. The twosome can be seen enjoying the Sicily countryside on a motorcycle amid clips of the new faces finding their footing in Italy.

Credit: Mario Perez/HBO

When Does Season 2 Premiere?

On the heels of the show earning an impressive 20 Emmy nods for its debut season, HBO announced in August 2022 that season 2 would air that October.

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A New Direction?

In August 2022, Plaza hinted that the new season won't be the same as the show's inaugural outing. "I know it’s a lot to live up to, but Mike is so good about making the second season different," she told Entertainment Tonight. "It's still The White Lotus, but now it’s in Italy, so it has a totally different vibe and so, I think people are going to be surprised." As for Coolidge's performance, Plaza added: "She's exactly like what you want her to be. She's hilarious. ... I was in awe of just being around her. She's iconic."

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Music With an Italian Twist

In a September 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly, White revealed that composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer will be back for season 2 after winning two Emmys for his work on season 1. "Last season had a tropical percussive vibe with a lot of whooping jungle animals as accents, and that clearly isn't Sicily," White explained. "We wanted to figure out a way to create new music but also take some of the hooks of last season and transport them to a Sicilian kind of vibe. We're still in the process of doing that, but he did it with the main titles and it's really fun."

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Special Cameos

“We had some Survivor contestants make cameos in that very first scene [of season 2],” White — who previously competed on the CBS series — told Variety in October 2022.