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The White Lotus has always made the rich look dreadful in sunlight. Now, creator Mike White is dimming the brightness a little - trading crashing waves for clinking glasses, the tropics for the terraces of France. Season four of HBO’s glossy social autopsy will be set between Paris and the French Riviera, a move that promises less sunburn, more scandal. Production won’t begin until next year, but the shape of it is already forming. Season four is expected to unfold mostly along the Riviera, with a subplot in Paris, giving White a chance to contrast languid seaside leisure with the old-money sophistication of the French capital. The production has been scouting five-star hotels, including the Ritz Paris, Coco Chanel’s long-time haunt, and Le Lutetia, a Left Bank legend frequented by Hemingway, Picasso and Josephine Baker. Along the coast, Monaco and Nice offer the rocky beaches and resort glamour that have become a trademark of the series’ darkly comedic take on vacation culture. It’s a deliberate step away from the Four Seasons-branded idylls that have hosted every previous season. The show’s long-running marketing partnership with the hotel group has quietly expired, forcing HBO to look elsewhere for its next gilded playground. The White Lotus has spent three seasons dismantling the comfort of luxury; cutting ties with its long-time partner feels like the next logical move and may give the series a slightly sharper, less corporate sheen. White hinted at this tonal shift months ago. “For the fourth season, I want to get a little bit out of the ‘crashing waves on rocks’ vernacular,” he teased after the Thailand-set finale, before adding, with trademark deadpan, “but there’s always more room for more murders.” Fans know to take that seriously. Across the tropics, Hawaii, Sicily and Thailand, audiences came to love the locations almost as characters in their own right - the landscapes reflecting the moral decay unfolding poolside. France offers a very different palette: urbane, historical, a place where elegance masks tension and old money can be just as sharp as new greed. The hotels themselves will do much of the storytelling. Le Lutetia, reborn under the Mandarin Oriental brand, exudes history and eccentricity, while the Ritz’s gilded halls have witnessed the comings and goings of literary and fashion royalty. Both settings are poised to underscore the series’ trademark satire: the collision of wealth, indulgence and moral compromise, now against a European backdrop that brims with old-world weight. Returning characters may add continuity to the anthology. Viewers might see Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda or Jon Gries’s Greg again, alongside possible appearances from Charlotte LeBon’s Chloé. The interplay between familiar faces and a fresh cast has always been a part of the show’s appeal, keeping audiences invested while delivering new forms of social critique and dark comedy. Whenever it lands, season four looks set to replace cocktails by the pool with champagne at the bar, selfies with oil paintings, and sunburn with meticulously pressed linens. Less tropical escape, more urbane reckoning. After all, if White has taught viewers anything, it’s that the deadliest thing at a luxury hotel isn’t the fall from a balcony - it’s the fall from grace, and this time, the French Riviera is watching.
