Rumours are swirling that the famously satirical HBO show is checking into a French hotel. Here are some things its writers should – and shouldn't – do to accurately portray French culture.

After three seasons of privileged mayhem in Maui, Sicily and Thailand, HBO's The White Lotus is now reported to be coming to France. But where? Given the series' history with Four Seasons properties, some sources point to the luxurious Grand Hôtel du Cap Ferrat on the pine-forested coastline of the Côte d'Azur as a possible contender, though the snowy Alpine retreat of Megève and even the swish George V in Paris are also in the running, according to Le Parisien.

While HBO reps are keeping mum, there's one thing locals agree on: it's essential that the show get French culture right.

For many travellers, the image of France conjures up visions of buttery croissants, cobblestone streets and runway-ready residents. These tropes are often reinforced by the nation's onscreen portrayal, as in the super-clean, fashion forward city of Emily in Paris.

But France is more than just a few tired stereotypes.

The previous seasons of The White Lotus have been lauded for hiring local actors like Kekoa Kekumano and Tayme Thapthimthong and their apt illustration of Buddhist culture and Sicilian machismo. But the series hasn't been without its cultural missteps. After season one aired, Vox journalist Mitchell Kuga criticised the "Hawaii 101 pastiche" of a Hawaiian hotel staff member recounting a childhood spent pulling taro, while season two drew fire for overlooking contemporary Sicilian diversity and race dynamics. In season three, wild monkeys popped up where they shouldn't, leading some critics to say the series reduced Thailand to a "digestible set of iconic images."

As a resident and citizen of France, I'm wary – and weary – of French stereotypes and shortcuts. If series creator Mike White wants to portray France accurately, here are six things he should bear in........

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