Many people find that most John Hughes movies gave them a false idea of what high school would be like when they came of age, imagining themselves becoming the next Ferris Bueller or Claire Standish. Euphoria takes that to an entirely different level, not that people under high school age should really be watching the show... Created by the controversial Sam Levinson, Euphoria is so much more than a TV show about high school drama.
The first season premiered on June 16, 2019, and was such a hit that a second season was greenlit the following month. Based on an Israeli drama series of the same name, Levinson’s Euphoria quickly became the fourth most-watched series on HBO, after Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, and House of the Dragon. The series is wildly popular among fans of the production company A24 and has received praise for its extremely stylistic approach to its mature content matter through cinematography, writing, and acting. The show has also received criticism due to depictions of child abuse, sexual assault, drug use, addiction/relapse, and excessive nudity for a show about teenagers. Euphoria has often been compared to the British comedy-drama series Skins because they both address a lot of similar themes and dangerous situations that teenagers might find themselves having to navigate.
The upcoming season of Euphoria will have to not only tackle the show's controversial subject matter but will also have to address the tragic passing of actor Angus Cloud (Fez). This article will tell you everything you need to know about the upcoming season.
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A look at life for a group of high school students as they grapple with issues of drugs, sex, and violence.
There haven’t been any confirmed release dates by the creators of the show, but they were supposedly starting filming this year. However, in May this year, HBO’s Drama Chief Francesca Orsi did state that audiences shouldn’t expect the new season for up to 2 years from now. This delay is largely impacted by the writer’s strike, which started at the beginning of May 2023, Zendaya’s busy filming schedule while working on other projects, and Sam Levinson’s latest controversial series, The Idol, which stars The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp. It's looking like we will not get to see the new season of Euphoria 2025. As of January 2024, HBO chairman and CEO Casey Bloys said that "[Levinson is] writing Season 3 right now," and that he hasn't had a specific conversation with him about whether this season will be the final season or if he has more plans for the future. At this point, it's more likely that we won't get to see the third season of Euphoria until sometime in 2026, given the fact that the main cast have been busy working on many other projects in the interim.
Bloys also confirmed that the third season of Euphoria will have eight episodes after false rumors came out in November 2024 that the show had been canceled. On November 12, in an interview with Variety, he stated "...we have a start date, mid to late January. Nothing's changed. Somebody said something online, and then this whole thing started. We are shooting the season. I have read the scripts. We're happy. We're moving ahead." Stay tuned here for any news regarding casting, production, or release date timeframes as this article will be updated when the information comes out.
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Is There a Trailer for 'Euphoria' Season 3?
HBO released a brief teaser in February 2022 with a simple tweet that showed only the number "3" with Labrinth's score overlaid to announce the much-anticipated third season of the show. Since then, Max has announced that filming for the third and potentially final season of the series will begin in January 2025, with an anticipated release in 2026. The major plot points that need to be addressed in this season will likely revolve around the drama that took place at the end of the second season. Lexi's play drove a wedge between her and her sister, Cassie, Nate called the police on his father, resulting in his arrest, and Rue still owes $10,000 to Laurie for the suitcase of drugs that she promised to sell, only to have Jules and Elliot flush them down a toilet.
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Who Is Returning for 'Euphoria' Season 3?
Zendaya will be returning as the (unreliable) narrator and main character, Rue Bennett. She has collected two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Critics Choice Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the series. Hunter Schafer, who recently starred in the 2024 horror film, Cuckoo, will reprise their role as Jules Vaughn, as Jules and Rue have reconciled and expressed their feelings towards one another during the resolution of the second season. When describing Rue's character this season, Levinson said, "[Zendaya] is constantly growing as an artist and always seeking a challenge." Here's hoping Rue is taken in a new and exciting direction.
Sydney Sweeney, who plays Cassie Howard in the show, will return for the third season, as she has unfinished business with Nate (Jacob Elordi) and her younger sister Lexi (Maude Apatow). Jacob Elordi and Maude Apatow will both be reprising their roles in the third season because, if not them, who else would be there to make Cassie’s life miserable? In a recent interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon regarding the portrayal of a high school student, 26-year-old Elordi said "I hope it's soon, or they're going to have to Benjamin Button me or something. I'm going to have a bad back walking down the hallway, you know?" That brings us to Alexa Demie, who plays Maddy Perez in the series, who was the girlfriend of Nate's character. Demie will also return and will also most likely (and justifiably) contribute to Cassie’s torment in the upcoming season after the big reveal that Cassie and Nate had been cheating behind her back.
Coleman Domingo, who won an Emmy for “Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series,” for his portrayal of Ali Muhammad, Rue’s sponsor for Narcotics Anonymous will also return. It’s safe to predict that most of the supporting roles will be reprised, with Dominic Fike as Elliot, Austin Abrams as Ethan Daley, and Algee Smith as Cassie’s ex-boyfriend, Chris McKay. Additionally, Rue’s mother, Leslie, who is played by Nika King, will most likely return for the third season. She's stated that she would like to see some backstory about her character in the new season, to show where she's coming as a single mother. It’s unclear whether or not Nate’s father, Cal, played by Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy), will return this season, as police arrested him at the end of the second season.
“After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye. I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her and I hope you guys could feel it. Love you Katherine Hernandez.”
Also, not returning to the cast is Javon “Wanna” Walton, who played Fez’s younger adopted brother, “Ashtray.” It’s possible he might make an appearance in a flashback scene or memory, but it’s most likely that his character did not survive the police shootout at the end of the second season.
Rue’s younger sister, Gia, who is played by Storm Reid (Missing, The Last of Us), announced this year that she would not be returning in the third season of the series. Fez, who was portrayed by the late Angus Cloud, will also need a resolution to his storyline, as he was a friend of Rue's and the love interest for Lexi.
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Why Was Season 3 of 'Euphoria' Delayed?
Image by Jefferson Chacon
The third season of the enigmatic and addictive show has faced many setbacks since the finale of the second season. Despite the show's obvious popularity with viewers, many people criticized the show for sexualizing high school-aged characters and glorifying their brazen use of alcohol and drugs. However, in an interview with Variety, an HBO spokesperson stated that “HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season... in the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.” While the SAG-AFTRA strikes have admittedly caused further delays in script development, another cause for delay is the fact that scripts for the third season were written in tandem with post-production with Levinson's The Idol. The equally controversial show, which was not renewed for a second season, gave room for Euphoria's lead stars to pursue other roles in their careers, which, in turn, led to scheduling conflicts on top of delays caused by the writing of the third season.
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What Have the Stars of 'Euphoria' Been Doing Since Last Season?
Since we last saw Euphoria's lead cast members in the second season, they have all been quite busy with other projects. Zendaya has starred in two major motion pictures: Dennis Villanueve's epic sci-fi drama, Dune: Part Two, and the steamy tennis drama, Challengers. Hunter Schafer, who plays Jules, has been busy with the latest Hunger Games installment, The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the upcoming horror mystery, Cuckoo, which comes out on August 9, 2024, and Yorgos Lanthimos' latest comedy-drama, Kinds of Kindness. Since we last saw Nate in Euphoria, he was in a bad spot, socially and emotionally. That couldn't be farther from the truth for Jacob Elordi, who plays Nate. Elordi has been in several films since the Season 2 finale, including Saltburn and Oh Canada. He also played Elvis in the Priscilla biopic and starred in the crime-thriller He Went That Way, which is based on true events surrounding serial killer Larry Lee Ranes. Additionally, he will be playing the titular monster in Guillermo Del Toro's upcoming reimagining of the classic horror film, Frankenstein.
Sydney Sweeney (Cassie) has since taken lead roles in Madame Web, the romantic comedy Anyone But Youopposite Glenn Powell, and the religious horror movie Immaculate. She will continue her horror movie trend with the upcoming drama thriller, Echo Valley. Maude Apatow, who plays Cassie's younger sister, Lexi, has been doing voice work in the animated television series, Pantheon, and is currently working on an upcoming Christmas comedy called Oh. What. Fun. Eric Dane, who plays Nate's father, Cal, has been in the suspense thriller, Dangerous Waters, and the latest Bad Boys installment, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, as the antagonist, McGrath.
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What Will 'Euphoria' Season 3 Be About?
Image via HBO
Season 2 ends with Rue narrating that she stayed sober for the rest of the school year, but we know that she can be an unreliable narrator at times. Details about the exact plot have yet to be released, but the third season will undeniably take the main characters a step closer to graduation and beyond. Zendaya has indicated during interviews that this season might see some of the characters post-graduation, figuring out what they want to do with their lives. She also added that Rue’s sobriety journey might look “chaotic” and that she is interested to see what that will look like for the character.
The finale of Season 2 also ended with both Fez and Cal being taken into police custody (for vastly different reasons), so while we’re unsure if Cal will return, we know that “Fexi” was the most unanimously shipped relationship of the series. The budding relationship between Lexi (Maude Apatow) and Fez (Angus Cloud) will have to be addressed in the upcoming season, or else fans of the show might riot.
Another loose end from the second season is Laurie’s character. Played by Martha Kelly (Marriage Story), this unnervingly quiet character was introduced in the second season as a major drug supplier for Fez (and eventually Rue). After Rue’s family and friends destroy a suitcase full of narcotics that belonged to Laurie, Rue panics and tries to steal to replace the cost of the drugs. When she is unable to do so, Laurie gives her morphine and attempts to detain Rue with the intent of human trafficking to pay the debt. Rue eventually manages to escape, but something feels like Laurie might not be finished with her just yet.
Image by Jefferson Chacon
Image via HBO
Image via HBO
Image by Jefferson Chacon
Image via HBO
English (US) ·