The White Lotus season 3 gets MIXED reviews from critics who say the fictional resort chain 'needs a renovation'

The highly-anticipated third season of HBO's The White Lotus is receiving mixed reviews from critics. On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter's Chief TV Critic, Daniel Fienberg, praised the series for remaining 'fresh' and its creator Mike White's 'interpretation.'. 'If Ryan Murphy’s approach to anthologizing has been to build a recurring troupe and put the same actors through different paces, White has gone the opposite way,'  Fienberg said of the show's third season. 'The pleasure of watching his sublime, regularly refreshed casts play his mostly venal, barb-throwing characters against gorgeous backdrops remains unabated.'.

He also teased that the 'first three episodes' are a 'very slow burn in terms of plot.'. The Guardian's TV critic, Lucy Mangan, also applauded White for creating another amazing season, which she described as 'exquisitely shot, scripted, [and paced].'. Still, she said that 'the last series had less satirical bite than the first – which relentlessly went after its marks and never missed a chance to skewer the unthinking arrogance or active malevolence of Americans rich enough to have distanced themselves from the herd.'.

The highly-anticipated third season of HBO's The White Lotus is receiving mixed reviews from critics (Patrick Schwarzenegger seen in the series' trailer). Variety's TV Critic, Alison Herman, shared that she feels 'season 3 is the least immediately gripping entry in this running vacation diary to date.'. Still, she said: 'When the story coalesces and kicks into gear somewhere around its halfway point, it’s as wild and unpredictable as any of the powder kegs White has combusted.'.

In her review, Herman noted that 'there's a feeling of held breath to the first few episodes, which often end on anticlimactic downbeats, and a lack of calibration between performances.'. Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall also noted that 'nobody' in the cast 'is giving a performance nearly as big, bold, and mesmerizingly weird as [Jennifer] Coolidge’s.'. Mama’s Geeky, Tessa Smith, agreed as she wrote: 'If I am being totally honest, Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya is missed.'.

The Times' Carol Midgley teased in her review that 'the fare may be slightly less mouth-watering than last time but, trust me, you will still want to gobble it all down.'. Entertainment Weekly's Kristen Baldwin wrote: 'Just when it seems like this hotel-based franchise might be getting a little run down, Season 3 develops into an engrossing mystery about beautiful people who have everything they could ever want, but nothing they really need.'.

Meanwhile, Niv M. Sultan wrote in his Slant Magazine review: 'The season ultimately feels like a blunter, less jolting riff on the show’s familiar formula.'. On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter's Chief TV Critic, Daniel Fienberg, praised the series for remaining 'fresh' and its creator Mike White's 'interpretation'. The Guardian's TV critic, Lucy Mangan, also applauded White for creating another amazing season, which she described as 'exquisitely shot, scripted, [and paced]'.

Similarly, IGN declared that the show 'needs a renovation' in their review. BBC's Caryn James also ripped into the series, which she called an 'uneven iteration' that felt 'flabby and elongated.'. Chase Hutchinson, who writes for Seattle Times, however, declared this was the 'best season so far in how White playfully teases out the tension' and takes 'boldly audacious leaps to cut deeper into his characters’ psyches.'.

'The third season of The White Lotus lives up to the show’s previous work, while perpetuating some of its established weaknesses,' Garrett Martin of Paste Magazine wrote. Emma Kiely stated in her review for Collider that overall season three 'may be less exciting' but is 'easily the show’s darkest and most existential installment.'. As for whether they should keep making more seasons, FandomWire's Joshua Ryan wrote: 'I’m not sure how many seasons the series can continue while maintaining this level of quality, but there’s been no dip thus far, and I’d love to see it keep going for as long as it can.'.

Overall the series scored an impressive 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 45 reviews from critics, days before it becomes available for public consumption. Variety's TV Critic, Alison Herman, shared that she feels 'season 3 is the least immediately gripping entry in this running vacation diary to date'. Last month, The White Lotus creator Mike White has revealed that the upcoming third season will be 'much, much darker' than the previous two series.

Last month, White has revealed that the upcoming third season will be 'much, much darker' than the previous two series. The wildly popular drama is set to return to the streamer on February 16 with a new cast boasting of Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jason Isaacs, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, and Sam Nivola. Set in Thailand, spa manager Belinda Lindsey, played by Natasha Rothwell, will be the only cast member from previous seasons to be returning.