'White Lotus' Season 4 is Coming Sooner Than You Think

With season 3 of HBO's hit show, "The White Lotus," coming to an end on Sunday night with a much-anticipated season finale, fans are undoubtedly preparing themselves for what could be a long wait before season 4, given how long the wait was between season 2 and season 3. But there's a good chance the wait won't be nearly as long this time.

Between the conclusion of season 2 and the beginning of season 3, "White Lotus" fans had to wait over two years, with season 2 concluding on Dec. 11 of 2022, and season 3 debuting on Feb. 16 of 2025. However, there is a reason why the latest season of the show took so long to produce, and that won't be a factor this time.

Like many projects on both television and the big screen, season 3 of "The White Lotus" was delayed by overlapping labor strikes from both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). The WGA Strike lasted from May 2, 2023, until Sept. 27, 2023. The SAG strike lasted from July 14, 2023, until Nov. 9, 2023.

Casey Bloys, who is the Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, said during a press conference back in November of 2023 that the show was initially slated to be released in 2024, but had been delayed to 2025 as a result of the strikes.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Mike White, winner of Outstanding Directing for a Limited Anthology Series or Movie, and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Anthology Series of Movie for "White Lotus" poses in the press room during the 74th Primetime Emmys at Microsoft Theater on September 12, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

“‘White Lotus’ Season 3 probably would have been in play for 2024, it’s 2025,” Bloys said in 2023 via the LA Times.

Obviously, the show will not have to navigate with the strikes as they create the next season of the show, giving it a much faster timeline than season 3. But there's a good chance that the show could come faster than season 2, as well.

Season 2 of "The White Lotus" came a little over a year after the debut season with Season 1 concluding on Aug. 15, 2021 and Season 2 beginning on Oct. 30, 2022. However, Season 4 is actually a bit ahead of schedule compared to Season 2.

Both season 2 and season 3 of "The White Lotus" were greenlit toward the end of the previous season, meaning planning and production of the show did not begin until the previous season was nearly wrapped up. That is not the case this time.

Season 4 of "The White Lotus" was actually confirmed back in January, putting it nearly three months ahead of schedule compared to the previous two seasons.

Obviously, a lot can change between now and when the show is ultimately released, and the showmakers have not yet announced a target release date. Still, it's very likely that the wait will not be as long as it was for previous seasons.