It's time to call the concierge and plan a return visit to The White Lotus. This hit HBO drama by Mike White caused a stir among TV audiences with its portrayal of a luxury vacation turned psycho-thriller, where visitors to paradise can't escape the hell that is strangers (often their own families). After a breakout first season set in Hawaii, Season 2 took viewers to Sicily with an entirely new cast and a gripping new murder mystery. So what do we know about the third installment?

Yes, HBO announced on November 18 that the show had been renewed once the second season ended after just three episodes. The announcement came after positive reviews and viewer response made the show the most popular show currently on HBO Max. [Francesca Orsi, head of drama series at HBO, said in a statement, "Looking back on 'White Lotus' as a low-key show produced as a pandemic response, it is hard not to marvel at how Mike has orchestrated one of the most topical and critically acclaimed shows of all time. "But even in Season 2, he's made some new discoveries," says Mike. But in Season 2, he continues to reach new heights, which is the ultimate testament to Mike's raw, unparalleled vision. His courage to explore the uncharted waters of the human psyche, coupled with his signature irreverent humor and hilarious directing style, have us all dreaming of vacation days at the resort of our dreams."

Fans who tuned in for Season 2 after the show's huge success may be surprised to learn that the first season, set in Hawaii, was originally planned as a mini-series. Later, creator Mike White re-edited the show as an anthology, making it a must-see for anyone who enjoys great scenery and rich people doing bad things.

White has already shared some ideas about where the series could set up a new White Lotus resort. Speaking to Deadline (opens in new tab) at the Season 2 premiere, White suggested that the show could be headed to another continent.

"It's hard to think about the next race because we just submitted the last episode to the network yesterday," he told the outlet. 'But if I were to do it, I think it would be fun to go to a totally different continent. It would be fun to do something crazy like Europe or Asia or something like that."

The showrunner also mentioned a specific country in an interview with Vulture, where he mentioned Japan as a location for season 2 before deciding on Sicily.

The past two seasons of The White Lotus have featured a number of Hollywood stars. The first, set in Hawaii, featured Emmy Award winners Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge, as well as Connie Britton, Jake Lacy, Natasha Roswell, and Sydney Sweeney. Season 2, on the other hand, replaced the entire cast and location, with only the addition of heiress Tanya McQuaid, played by Coolidge, and John Gries as her new husband Greg. The rest of the Sicily-bound cast included Sabrina Impacciatore, Theo James, Megan Fahey, Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli, and Tom Hollander.

Assuming that the series' tradition of bringing in current cast members for the new season continues, we will have to wait for Sunday's finale to see who will escape Taormina alive. The most likely candidate to continue into Season 3 is Coolidge, whose character is a fan favorite and the unofficial guide to the White Lotus Resort. (Tanya is in Blossom Circle, after all.)

Since the heir is in genuine danger as of episode 6, it is possible that someone from season 2 will be a returning member. Fan favorites who might enjoy continuing the adventure include Aubrey Plaza's Harper and Megan Fahey's Daphne, but hopefully Tanya will want to continue the adventure in her own world.

Asked if Coolidge would be available for another season, White told Deadline that there is a good chance she would be invited. 'Jennifer is my friend and we all loved her in the first season. Maybe it still is. I might not even be able to go to Japan without Jennifer. So many of the actors I've worked with have been fun, it's just a matter of who's available," he said.

So far, each season of White Lotus has functioned as its own miniseries examining the dynamics of class and power among the wealthy. Season 1 made reference to colonialism and focused on the relationship between hotel staff and guests, while Season 2 portrays gender and sexual dynamics through the interaction between a guest and a local duo. If the show were to air in Japan, it would include another aspect of the guest-staff dynamic and may touch on the cultural clash between Western and Eastern norms.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly (opens in new tab), White actually shared part of his initial pitch for season two. [Originally, it was a kind of Bilderberg meeting, which was more about the larger power dynamics. But Sicily had a very different vibe than the idea I proposed. I thought that was odd."

To save you the trouble of a Google search, the Bilderberg Conference is an annual off-the-record conference that began in 1954 to "promote dialogue" between Europe and North America. According to the website (opens in new tab), "The group's agenda, originally to prevent a recurrence of world war, is now defined as strengthening the consensus around free market Western capitalism and its global interests."