Euphoria’s season three renewal on February 4, 2023, amidst its second season run, was like a balm, soothing the viewers’ anxiety and fear of not watching their favorite characters on screen again. The Zendaya-starrer never fails to deliver the ultimate high-school 21st-century narration of issues, irrevocably hooking its target audience to their couches.
Although Euphoria season two had a bittersweet end, nobody wanted to go through the withdrawal of the toxic addiction to Maddy and Cassie’s boy drama. HBO understood the assignment!
In February, the first episode of Euphoria season two amassed more than 19 million viewers in the US, amounting to an average of 16.3 million viewers. Additionally, Variety reported that Euphoria was the most-tweeted show of the decade, and it remains to date in the US with 34 million tweets. To add a cherry on top, HBO hails the show as the channel’s second-most-watched show since 2002 after Game of Thrones.
Phew! No wonder HBO renewed this euphoric show for a third season. However, lately, there have been a lot of rumors regarding the rescheduling of the release date. One of them was that Euphoria was canceled by HBO, which has been proven mendacious, so you can breathe a sigh of relief.
However, matters don’t seem to get better since the release date is presumed to be postponed indefinitely owing to the two strikes, WGA and SAG-AFTRA, which have shut down the production schedules of Stranger Things, The Sandman, Outer Banks, and more.
However, amidst all this darkness, there shines a bright light in the name of Sam Levinson, the show’s creator and executive producer, who teased some of the latest updates about Euphoria season 3. Here’s what he had to say.
Euphoria season 3: What did Sam Levinson reveal?
In a very recent interview with Elle, Sam Levinson teased the fans of this HBO drama series on what they can expect to happen in the third season. He said that the third season could be described as a “film noir”. Not only that, but he also suggested that Zendaya’s character of a recovering addict can possibly “explore what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world.” (Interesting!)
Levinson’s idea about the third season felt like a balm to the fans who were wounded by the unexpected demise of Angus Cloud last month. Cloud played the role of Fez in the first two seasons of Euphoria. However, it’s still unclear how the future seasons of the show will deal with his absence.
Euphoria Season 3 Release date: When can we expect the new season to arrive on HBO?
Earlier, in an interview with Deadline, HBO’s head of drama commented that the release date of Euphoria season 3 had been pushed back to 2025. Orsi said:
“Euphoria is one of those that we had begun writing in tandem with post-production on Idol but at this point, we don’t have countless scripts. We can’t start shooting, so the delivery of that show—ideally in 2025—will be determined on when we can pick back up with Sam, who at this point is all pencils down and just finishing posts on Idol.”
Unfortunately, Euphoria season 3 has once again been pushed further owing to the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes. As per several sites, it is expected to premiere in 2026. According to Euphoria star Maude Apatow, season 3 would not begin filming until the second part of this year. Hence, the delay.
Euphoria airs on HBO in the US and on Now and Sky Atlantic in the UK. So, any updates regarding Euphoria season 3 will be released by the official social media handles of the aforementioned channels.
What can we expect to happen in Euphoria Season 3?
In Euphoria season 2, Nate was seen calling the police on his father, Cal, and revealing the contents of his USB disc, disclosing his father’s sexual relationships. The fans also caught a glimpse of Cassie and Maddy fighting during Lexi’s play at school, while Rue seems to have forgiven Jules for throwing her under the bus in front of her mother regarding her drug addiction.
No matter what goes down in season 3, it will undoubtedly underscore the relationships of these characters, more precisely, the relationship between Maddie, Cassie, and Nate. Speaking of Nate, we wonder whether Nate’s brother will finally make an appearance until season 2 has always been appearing in family portraits. We are also curious to learn what would happen to Cal and his friend/love interest Derek in season 3. But the important question is: Will Cal feature in the next season?
On the parallel front, the tangent of Fez’s character is also an area of interest, owing to his arrest and being accidentally shot by Ashtray. Will Fez survive the shot and come back in season three?
In October 2022, Angus Cloud, who plays Fez in the series, opened up about what fans could expect to happen in season 3 while speaking to E! News. He said, “I can’t wait to get back to work with everyone. I feel like it’s been way too long. I just can’t wait to see everyone and working on set again. Definitely not sure what to expect for Fezco, but knowing Sam [Levinson], it will be good.”
Elsewhere, in a conversation with Deadline, Colman Domingo hinted at the tangent that season 3 of the show will possibly take, talking about it will involve some “big swings.” He said:
“[Creator] Sam Levinson and I had some really deep conversations as of last weekend, actually. Here he’s talking about the arcs of all the characters and what he wants to do to expand that, to actually re-examine at times.
“It’s an organism and he wants it to keep shifting it in many ways,and I think he’s going to take some really big swings actually with season three.
‘He’s someone who, once there’s an expectation of the show, he wants to smash that expectation because he truly is a consummate artist and he wants to make sure he’s telling some really compelling storytelling.”
Emmy-winning actor Sweeney, whose character Cassie faced a black swan transformation in season 2, spoke to Variety about Euphoria season 3, saying,
“There was a bit of Cassie that I got to play with when she started saying she’s crazier than Maddy in a scene with Nate. And she kind of got a little more evil and dark and serious and not so frantic. I would love to play with more of that streak within herself.
‘I like playing characters that are complex and have multiple layers — and people wonder if they’re evil or good, and pure or not. I like playing characters that make people think and make me think. Cassie, especially in the beginning, I never thought of her as scary. I just think of her as a really fragile, damaged girl.”
In conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Walton shared an insight into his character Ashtray and whether he would return in the third season. He said:
“We’re not 100 per cent if he’s dead, because you saw absolutely no blood, right? And you didn’t see him fall. You did hear the bullet, but you didn’t see him get shot. So, there’s little things that could potentially bring him back for another season.’
He further added, “I hope he realises drugs isn’t the right path for him. He needs to focus on himself ’cause he’s given another chance at life if he is back. He needs to make the most of it. He’s a 13-year-old boy in the show, he has a lot to live for.”
Speaking to Variety, Zendaya said, “Rue wants to be here and it’s up to her now. I really hope we can explore her life in the future, closer to the other side and her sobriety journey. We carried her all the way to hopefully what is rock bottom and a dark moment, and hopefully by the end, [we] leave with a sense of happiness and joy that there is hope for her.”
Who are the expected cast members of Euphoria Season 3?
We expect the following cast members of Euphoria to reprise their respective roles in season 3:
- Zendaya as Rue
- Hunter Schafer as Jules
- Jacob Elordi as Nate
- Alexa Demie as Maddy
- Algee Smith as Chris
- Sydney Sweeney as Cassie
- Maude Apatow as Lexi
- Storm Reid as Gia
- Nika King as Leslie
- Austin Abrams as Ethan
- Colman Domingo as Ali
- Dominic Fike as Elliot
While in conversation with Variety, Dane confirmed that Cal would be seen again in the third season despite his arrest. In addition, he also revealed the character arc that the creators would possibly take in the third season regarding his role. He said, “There’s gonna be redemption. That’s the trajectory he’s on. I can’t imagine Cal’s life from solitary confinement. It’s tough to work Cal into the storyline when he’s behind bars.”
Unfortunately, one core cast member will not be returning for Euphoria season 3: Barbie Ferreira. Her role as Kat Hernandez will forever be remembered, and her absence will always be felt in the subsequent seasons. The actress bid an emotional goodbye through an Instagram story, saying:
“After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye.”
She further added, “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.”
Another core cast member who may not return is Angus Cloud, owing to his tragic death at the age of 25 in July 2023. Following the news of his death, the cast and behind-the-scenes teams of Euphoria posted a tribute on social media:
“We are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Angus Cloud. He was immensely talented and a beloved part of the HBO and Euphoria family. We extend our deepest condolences to his friends and family during this difficult time,.”
In an interesting turn of events, there is some talk going on about bringing Zendaya’s boyfriend, Tom Holland, in Euphoria season 3. Per Buzzfeed News, the actor had even hung out on set while season two was being filmed. Confirming the rumors, Zendaya told Entertainment Tonight that a Tom Holland cameo might be possible in Euphoria.
For more release date updates on Euphoria season 3, stay tuned to Web News Observer!