Big news for France today, as Deadline reports that the European landmass (formerly Gaul) will finally be put on the map, having been chosen by Mike White as the next location for his hit HBO series The White Lotus. No longer will international travelers have to squint their eyes in confusion when the name “France” comes up in incidental conversation. (“The one with the hats? They make cheese there, right?”) Now, France will finally achieve its true destiny: The place where The White Lotus season 4 takes place.
Yes, White’s show—which previously performed similar duties for Hawaii, Sicily, and Thailand—is apparently finally ready to tackle the mainland. (White has previously said he was getting a little sick of the “crashing waves on rocks vernacular” when it came to the series’ visual tone.) Deadline has a lot of speculation about which vacation resort destinations in France White might end up using as the series’ primary setting—the show usually leans heavily on its connection with the Four Seasons resort chain to get its shots of opulent luxury filmed—which we’re sure will be fascinating for people who spend a lot of their free time vacationing on the French Riviera. (Will it be the Cap-Ferrat peninsula? Megève in the French Alps? Do you remember that café we used to go to during our Senior Trip to Paris? Jean Luc!)
Anyway: White’s series is currently rolling through the glitzy aftermath of its third season, which wrapped up back in April, and is currently nominated for 23 awards at this year’s Emmys. (Including two directly for White for Writing and Directing, plus Outstanding Drama Series, and a whole bushel of potential acting awards.) The series is currently enjoying a rare breed of critical invincibility, is all we’re saying, and now White has apparently decided to lend some of that artistic credibility to a plucky little country that’s been patiently waiting for the last several centuries of human history to get its shot at the big leagues.
