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HBO fans couldn’t be happier to hear that the network renewed The White Lotus for season 2. However, there’s a catch with the return of the limited series created by Mike White. The ensemble cast that viewers came to love won’t return for the next run, and it’s at a brand new location. Here’s everything you need to know about the renewal for The White Lotus Season 2 and when to expect new episodes.

The White Lotus Season 1 Episode 6 with Jake Lacy as Shane Patton looking out at a plane
‘The White Lotus’ Season 1 Episode 6, ‘Depatures’ with Jake Lacy as Shane Pattion | Mario Perez/HBO

‘The White Lotus’ renewed for season 2 on HBO

On Aug. 10, 2021, HBO revealed that they renewed The White Lotus for Season 2. The new installment of the comedic satire returns to HBO sometime in 2022. Luckily, creator and showrunner White returns as he had hoped. According to the Warner Media press release, there are a lot of changes coming.

“The next chapter of The White Lotus 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,” the release reads.

The season 2 location

There’s a simple reason why The White Lotus Season 2 can’t return to Maui. Mike White created the series to support one of the resorts in Hawaii that were shut down due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The cast and crew took over the entire Four Season Resort Maui at Wailea. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, before HBO renewed The White Lotus, the creator gave insight into a second season.

“We would go somewhere different because there’s no way we could be able to afford the Four Seasons in Maui, not in a pandemic,” White told the outlet. “So yeah, it would have to be The White Lotus: Kyoto or something, which would be fun too, because we could get into culture clash ideas and stuff like that. So I would definitely do it, and I’m waiting to get the word from them.”

Why wasn’t ‘The White Lotus’ cast renewed for Season 2?

The change in scenery for The White Lotus Season 2 isn’t as heartbreaking as the complete change in cast. Viewers love the hysterical way Jennifer Coolidge portrays the lone traveler Tanya, as she peels back the layers of herself like an onion. 

“I don’t think you can credibly have [all the season 1 guests] on the same vacation again,” White told TVLine. “But maybe it could be a Marvel universe type thing, where some of them would come back.”

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Plus, the other problem is whether or not the actors could even return. When they filmed The White Lotus, most actors weren’t working because of the pandemic. However, now that most productions are up and running again, it’s harder to nail down the cast. 

“We only made one-year deals with the actors, so we’d have to find out who is even available,” White added.

Although the press release indicated a brand new cast, fans hope that a few of the season 1 cast members will return. Still, the good news remains that HBO renewed The White Lotus for season 2, coming in 2022.

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