Mike White reportedly has some restrictions on whereThe White Lotus’ future seasons will be set, which helps maintain the show’s established tone and themes in addition to sticking to his personal preferences. So far,the series has traveled across the globe to the titular resorts in Hawaii, Italy, and Thailand, sticking to warm climates for the revolving characters’ vacations during the spring and summertime. It’s still unclear where the series will be headed for thealready-confirmedWhite Lotusseason 4, but an executive producer has already given some indications as to where itwon’ttake place.
According toThe White Lotus’ executive producer David Bernad, viewers shouldn’t expect the popular HBO show to ever be set in cold weather. Bernad explained onThe Bill Simmons Podcastthat “Mike [White] does not like the cold, that is why we will never do it.I feel confident we will never do a season in the cold… Mike White is not for it. He is a California guy. He is not built for the cold.” While a snow-covered season could make for an interesting change inThe White Lotus’ future, White’s location preference benefits the anthology show’s tonal consistency.
A Cold Location Wouldn’t Fit With The White Lotus' Murder Mystery Tone
The White Lotus' Crimes In The Heat Of Passion Reflect Their Heated Environment
One of the most important facets of a murder mystery is to establish the environment, tone, and overall ambiance, as the setting and mood of the story can often become an influential character in and of itself. That’s certainly been the case forThe White Lotus’ first three seasons, with the tension, chaos, and crimes playing off the resort location’s climate. In Hawaii, Italy, and, presumably, Thailand,the biggest twists and crimes often occur in the heat of passion, with the heat of the climate aroundThe White Lotus’ charactershaving a crucial bearing on their risks and impulses.
Fighting for survival in the elements of a cold environment compared to a warm environment involves completely different threats and dangers, and that tonal shift would be reflected in the show.
As such, the heat of the environment inThe White Lotus’ resort locations has been integral to establishing the show’s tonal approach to its heated murder mysteries. Meanwhile,ifThe White Lotuswere to shift to a cold location, the tone of the murder mystery would change to become more reflective of cold, calculated crimes. A cold location would immediately heighten tensions with an offsetting environment that keeps the characters more on edge, which would also depart from the slow-burn approach that Mike White takes to the resort employees and guests’ descents into chaos.
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Koh Samui, Thailand
Considering each season ofThe White Lotusopens by teasing a mysterious deathat the resort, each outing essentially becomes a fight for survival among the characters. Fighting for survival in the elements of a cold environment compared to a warm environment involves completely different threats and dangers, and that tonal shift would be reflected in the show. Overall,The White Lotustraveling across the globe tovarious warm locations has helped maintain a consistent tone and theme despite completely different cultures, casts, and character groups, which would be disrupted by introducing a new climate.
The White Lotus Refusing To Be Set In Cold Locations Would Also Miss Out On One Great Story Potential
A Ski Resort Vacation Would Have Great Story Potential
A snowy vacation doesn’t seem to fit withThe White Lotus’ tone, but there’s certainly some potential for a classic murder mystery-style story in that type of location. A cold weather location gets more limited when assessing where the ultra-rich would want to spend a week or so out of the year, but there’s always thepotential to visit a White Lotus ski resort. The resort locations so far have only been in warmer climates, but it’s hard to believe that the owner or CEO wouldn’t have tried to tap into the market of wealthy people skiing over the winter.
Where Was The White Lotus Season 3 Filmed? All Locations Explained
The White Lotus season 3 was filmed on several Southeastern islands. The HBO show features the best resort in the series and popular local wonders.
Rather than another beachfront story,a cold location departure could seeThe White Lotussend a new ensemble to a resort in the Alps, trading in boat rides for gondolas and days by the pool for hot tubs and saunas. Still, it seems like it would be a tall order to convince Mike White to spend several months in the cold to film characters skiing out on the mountains or keeping warm at a resort lodge. Plus, while ski lodges have become a location trope in the spy genre, they aren’t necessary for satire mysteryshows likeThe White Lotus.
Where Else Could The White Lotus Season 4 Be Set?
HBO Has Teased The Possibility Of Another European Setting
HBO’sThe White Lotusseason 3 has only just reached its midway point, yet the anticipation around where season 4 will take a new group of guests and employees is already growing. So far, Mike White has yet to confirm exactly whereThe White Lotusseason 4 will be set, but there have been some hints about what to expect. Back in February, HBO executive Francesca OrsiteasedThe White Lotusseason 4’s locationasmost likely being somewhere in Europe.
While there were no specifics, another European setting might meanThe White Lotusseason 4could take place on the beaches of countries like France, Spain, Portugal, or Greece. If White ends up opting to go outside of Europe, then thehit HBO showcould continue the trend of traveling to another continent each season. As such, other potential destinations forThe White Lotusseason 4 could be warmer-weather countries on continents like Australia, Africa, or South America.
New episodes ofThe White Lotusseason 3 release Sunday nights on HBO and Max.
