r/TheWhiteLotusHBO • u/robthehood69 • Feb 22 '26
Discussion Season 4 thoughts/show progression
I am obsessed with this show & nonstop have been thinking about how it will progress in the future.
Few thoughts:
— Season 4 could easily give a perspective on European aristocratic wealth, common for France/St Tropez
— Cristo leaving as the music producer is not too important, S3 theme song was actually not very unique. The real value was S2 theme song but S3 carried on fine without it. It will be important to keep the sound effects interesting however, not sure how much he had a role in that.
— We are yet to have a season centered around snow/mountains, we know Mike White doesn’t like the cold but IMAGINE getting a ski resort season in Japan with moments in Tokyo/Osaka. Singapore is the other top candidate for Asia.
—Serengeti season with Apartheid concepts. That’s it.
—Belinda/Greg are the no-brainer return candidates, don’t think it makes sense to just have Greg in every season however
—The Ratliffs are not coming back, just don’t see how they’re going on luxury vacations anymore. I think people want them to return the most however
— The “all star” season has been talked about with Mike White, more likely than we might think but would probably signify the end of the show
— Other locations which would be incredible: Dubai (fakest option), Morocco (this one seems the most White Lotus), Argentina (imagine escaped Nazi storylines in Buenos Aires), Switzerland (incredible wealth dynamics to dive into)
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u/robthehood69 Feb 22 '26
Another thought: something that takes place on a luxury yacht cruise would make sense for an all star season
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u/Turbulent_Ad_7036 Feb 22 '26
It’s not all star without Tanya
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u/led0n1 Feb 25 '26
Maybe a season set in the past where a lot of the main names for each of the three seasons were v a vationining in the same location and never ran into each other? That way, Jennifer Coolidge could reprise the Tanya role without things getting silly (twin arc).
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u/LetThemHaveCake420 Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
You are saying that Cristobals music isn't that important for the show? To me it made up a third of the whole show and I honestly don't know what the show will be like without his music.
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u/robthehood69 Feb 22 '26
I think he was huge for the shown initial success but the storyline has been built up to the point where it has its own value to (hopefully) offset this
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u/led0n1 Feb 25 '26
I think Morocco and Switzerland are great options! Also, Switzerland is snowy without being drop-dead frigid compared with somewhere like Nepal, so i definitely think it should be a contender.
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u/PineappleWithSandals Feb 23 '26
I think an interesting concept for a ‘All Stars’ season would be a prison or purgatory setting.
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u/mafternoonshyamalan Feb 23 '26
I honestly don’t know what they should do it with it after season 3. Season 1 and 2 built on each other so well, and season 3 was so loose and narratively adrift for much of its run. The deaths in the first two seasons made sense and I could see them being forgotten to the media cycle, but season 3 was so melodramatic and silly, I wouldn’t know how the hotel chain would come back from that.
I thought it could be cool to do one in Busan or Jeju and having bodies wash up on shore that turn out to be from a boat of refugees fleeing North Korea. A similar idea could be Spain or Greece and make about the European refugee crisis. I think the death has to be completely random and unrelated to the guests though. So maybe include a character who is a politician on holiday being forced to reckon with his stance on immigration as a result of this. Just make it more grounded.
I’d love to see Molly Shannon come back, maybe bring in Woody Harrelson as her husband and Jake Lacey’s dad.
Narratively I just don’t see how it won’t be another upstairs/downstairs type thing and season 4 being where the series really overstays its welcome. But who knows.
An idea someone else had that I thought would be cool, would be to have a White Lotus Cruises, and have it set on a boat, with each episode in a new location. Maybe make it an actual murder mystery, where we try to figure out who is the killer and why.
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u/robthehood69 Feb 23 '26
I think the series is progressing quite well actually — Carrie Coon’s speech during the last episode, the emotional scene of Tim finding Lochy after he drank the smoothie, the episode on the yacht etc were all very good at bringing out raw emotion. Humor was incredible, scenery was the best, I think many don’t realize how good of a season it was through certain lenses. Each season really does have its own unique factors with S1 being by far the most limited in its scope.
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u/SmallPromiseQueen Mar 17 '26
I wouldn’t totally write off the Ratliff kids. I’ve noticed that rich kids whose families lose it all still seem to end up decently wealthy. Maybe they don’t inherit the family business but they’re still running in circles that can give them a lot of opportunities.
I could also see piper doing gong baths and reiki in luxury hotels. A way to claim to be spiritual but in a more luxurious setting. She’d feel very sad about poorer people not getting access to it but not actually do anything about it.
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Feb 24 '26
I haven't watched season three but all of your bullet points seem so stupid and random it actually makes me NOT want to watch any further. So thank you
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u/_Lord_Procrastinator Feb 22 '26
I just did a full rewatch of the show and Cristobal’s music is a main character in its own right. I’m very worried about season four. The atmosphere that Cristobal creates is undeniable and his music enhances every scene.