The White Lotus Season 3 Has Its Jennifer Coolidge Replacement (So More Actors Shouldn’t Return)

The White Lotus season 3 will not be released at least until 2025, but Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya’s absence may already be fixed. The first installments of the series have shown an increasingly positive response from both the audience and the critics. It’s partially for that reason that the new season has generated so much excitement. Some details from The White Lotus season 3 have already been revealed, yielding a certain amount of speculation regarding Tanya’s absence.

The White Lotus season 2 ended with the death of one of the series’ two recurring characters and, what’s worse, the backbone of the show. Considering that Tanya’s character was one of the funniest parts of the show and also of the most intriguing storylines, Jennifer Coolidge’s absence in The White Lotus seems a difficult obstacle to overcome in the upcoming season. However, one character from the first season returning to the show might be the perfect replacement for Tanya since she can no longer remain involved in the story.

Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda Can Be The Replacement For Jennifer Coolidge In The White Lotus Season 3

Recent announcements indicate that Belinda is returning to The White Lotus in the third season. The character portrayed by Natasha Rothwell was the resort’s spa manager during The White Lotus season 1, which took place in Hawaii. In that installment, she shared a storyline with Tanya that involved Jennifer Coolidge’s character’s offer to invest in Belinda’s spa which finally went down. Even though Belinda is a completely different character in terms of personality, her confirmed return might be what is needed to overcome Tanya’s absence in The White Lotus season 3.

Besides her ability to create funny situations, Tanya’s storyline is one of the most important things about the series as a whole. So, when she died at the end of season 2, the possibility of abandoning such an appealing story created a massive challenge for any future seasons to tackle. No solution was in sight at the time, but Belinda’s return should change that. Keeping in mind the backstory that both characters share, Belinda’s return can facilitate a fix for that problem.

Why The White Lotus Season 3 Bringing Back More Actors Would Be A Risk

While Tanya’s return in season 2 proved to be a positive way of connecting two seasons with completely different cast and characters, more returns might be detrimental to the show. Belinda’s impending comeback in season 3 should be enough to cover the need to link its story with the past and in turn, lure the attention of its established fanbase. A big part of The White Lotus‘ success lies in the fact that every season has something different to offer. Even though presenting something new in season 3 is a major challenge, making too many connections with previous seasons is not the way to properly move forward.