Now that season 2 of The White Lotus has come to an end (see the best reactions here), fans are clamoring to know what’s in store for season 3. So far, creator Mike White has hinted that it may take place in Asia and might focus on “a kind of satirical and funny look at death in Eastern religion and spirituality.” After he brought back fan favorite Tanya (played by Jennifer Coolidge), fans are guessing who else from season 1 or 2 may make a reappearance. Beware, spoilers for season 2 ahead.
Lately, Connie Britton’s name has been thrown around after a Deadline interview from earlier this summer resurfaced. “He wanted me to be in the second season, and there was an idea that I loved for the character,” Britton told the outlet about White. “Our intention is to do it in the third season. A piece of casting didn’t work in the second season and we’re hoping to that in the third season. I would love to see a spinoff on every character in that show.”
Britton played Nicole Mossbacher, a CFO businesswoman in season 1, who vacationed in Hawaii with her husband Mark (Steve Zahn), son Quinn (Fred Hechinger) daughter Olivia (Sydney Sweeney) and Olivia’s friend Paula (Brittany O’Grady). Britton and Sweeney were both up for best supporting actress nominations at the 2022 Emmy Awards alongside castmates Coolidge (who took home the win), Alexandra Daddario and Natasha Rothwell.
In the same interview Daddario, who played Rachel Patton, and Jake Lacy, who portrayed husband Shane Patton, also revealed that White discussed with them how their characters may reappear later on in the series. Daddario recalled: “Shane and I would be on a boat, talking about other people, annoying everyone around us. Mike’s brain is always working. That’s the whole thing with his commentary on the world around him: He’s always observing.”
Lacy also had an idea for how White can bring back his character and his mom Kitty, played by Molly Shannon. “I had hoped that Molly Shannon and I would be in the back of a shot; the two of us on vacation in another location, chewing out a concierge. It’s like, ‘That guy is still out there. He’s not even on trial; the dude is still going on vacation!”
Now that we know Tanya’s life came to an end in the season 2 finale episode, we can’t expect Coolidge to make another appearance — although White joked to the New York Times that maybe “it’s like Kenny on South Park: Every season Tanya has to come in and just die all over again.”
As for Coolidge, she said she’ll never forgive White and will “forever be sad about this.” She even tried to keep the window open for a change a heart from White while on-set. “Even when we were shooting the scene in the ocean where Daphne finds her body. She was like, ‘Should we just do one take where I pull myself up on the shore? Just one?'” White recalled.
“That’s an actress fighting for another season!” said Coolidge.
Now that we have a whole new slew of characters from season 2, your guess is as good as ours as to who returns.
