WISHFUL THINKING

‘The White Lotus’ Season 4: Our Dream Cast

Everything we can’t stop loving, hating, and thinking about this week in pop culture.

This week:

Who Should Check in to The White Lotus?

The White Lotus finale aired, and everyone has thoughts and questions. Please, tell me more about your quibbles with this season and it being slow. You’re so cool, not liking this thing everyone else is obsessed over. Do you, like, smoke cigarettes and take your coffee black? (I’m so uncool that those are my go-to references for what would be cool.)

The producers and HBO are already thinking about Season 4. Therefore, so are we. This week, beyond suspecting that I should never let my father offer to make my family pina coladas again, the biggest question on my mind has been who should be cast in Season 4.

I’ve spent more time than I care to admit thinking about this cast list. Each person came to me like a deranged, pop-culture-pilled epiphany. I’d be on the subway: Calista Flockhart! Mid bite of the pizza I bought for dinner even though I’m on a diet: Michaela Watkins!! Having a conversation with a friend about who would be good on The White Lotus and they said Allison Williams: Allison Williams!

So, without knowing what the setting or theme of Season 4 will be, here is my random list of who I think would be great on the show:

Calista Flockhart

Taylor Schilling

Justina Machado

Rob Delaney

Molly Gordon

Allison Williams

Alison Tolman

Dan Stevens

Patricia Clarkson

Jack Reynor

Raul Castillo

Susan Kelechi-Watson

Michaela Watkins

Ncuti Gatwa

Laura Benanti

Andrew Barth Feldman

Erika Alexander

Jay Ellis

Catriona Balfe

Constance Wu

Abby Elliott

Manny Jacinto

HBO, I accept Venmo and Paypal, should you need my services as a casting consultant.

Peace Has Been Restored

There is a day in every gay man’s life where one of his elders has to sit him down and tell him the devastating, confusing news: Madonna and Elton John hated each other.

It didn’t make sense! It was so upsetting. The entire Pride Flag rainbow would blur in front of their eyes as they struggled to process the news.

This week, however, progress was made! In separate social media posts, the pop stars declared a truce.

If Madonna and Elton John can find peace, maybe there’s hope for the rest of us.

A Prince Among Men

I hope you’ve been watching The Pitt. It is genuinely the most exciting new drama series I’ve watched in years. The season finale aired this week, so star Noah Wyle, who is also a producer and writer on the show, has been doing his dutiful press. But this tidbit about how he asked people to not be scrolling phones on the set and even started a library to help with that ask is just so charming.

You Have to Be Kidding

Every day “this is like a 30 Rock joke” becomes less of a joke and more of our daily existence.

What to see this week:

Drop: Meghann Fahy makes everything worth watching. (Now in theaters)

Warfare: The most nerve-rattling war movie in years. (Now in theaters)

Your Friends & Neighbors: Jon Hamm is back on TV! Yay! (Now on Apple TV+)

What to skip this week:

G20: Even Viola Davis makes bad movies sometimes. (Now on Prime Video)

Kevin FallonSenior Editor, Obsessed

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