Almost two years ago, the season two finale of Euphoria went out all guns blazing. There was the showdown between Maddy and Cassie after that ill-advised hook-up with Maddy’s ex, Nate; Nate’s dad Cal was finally arrested for being a sexual abuser, and then there was the massive police shootout over at Fez’s, killing his little bro, Ashtray.
Since then, we’ve been waiting patiently for the next instalment of the controversial high school drama to arrive, only to be greeted with silence. But now, finally, we’ve been thrown some crumbs of info – here’s everything we know so far.
When is Euphoria series three out?
While we had hoped to return to East Highland in 2024, it’s been confirmed that we won’t hear a peep from them until at least 2025.
In a sizzle reel trailer for what’s in store for 2024 on Max (formerly known as HBO), at the end under ‘coming in 2025’ we get a little peek of Rue (Zendaya), and that’s as much as we know at this point.
The SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes earlier in 2023 meant a pause of several months on all activity, plus Sam Levinson was elsewhere engaged in the disastrous The Idol, which, predictably, wasn’t commissioned for a second series.
In May 2023, HBO drama chief Francesca Orsi also confirmed that the show was expected to return said “ideally in 2025”. She told Deadline: “Euphoria is one of those that we had begun writing in tandem with post-production on The 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 The Idol.”
However, in March 2024, Variety reported that the shoot was delayed, after rumours began circulating that the entire season had been scrapped.
“HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season,” an HBO spokesperson told Variety. “In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.” The publication added that the scripts for the third series "are still being written".
Who is in the cast for Euphoria season 3?
Tragically, one person who won’t be returning is the late actor Angus Cloud, who played the benevolent drug dealer, Fez. Cloud died of a multiple drug overdose in July 2023 and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson released a statement at the time saying: “There was no one quite like Angus. He was too special, too talented and way too young to leave us so soon. He also struggled, like many of us, with addiction and depression. I hope he knew how many hearts he touched. I loved him. I always will. Rest in peace and God Bless his family.”
It’s highly unlikely we’ll see Javon Walton as Ashtray, Fez’s little brother, as the character was shot, presumably dead in the police shoot-out in the final episode of series three.
Zendaya will be back as Rue, as will Hunter Schafer (Jules), Jacob Elordi (Nate), Alexa Demie (Maddy), Sydney Sweeney (Cassie), Maude Apatow (Lexi) and Storm Reid (Rue’s sister, Gia). Also expected are Nika King (Leslie), Austin Abrams (Ethan), Colman Domingo (Ali) and Dominic Fike (Elliot).
Still, how much longer can the main cast convincingly portray high schoolers? It's an issue that Elordi touched upon in his interview on The Tonight Show in January, when he told host Jimmy Fallon: “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?”
According to Elordi, one A-list fan is waiting with bated breath. “The biggest one is Leonardo DiCaprio, which sounds like a crazy name-drop,” he told Fallon. "He came up to me in a club one time when I was sort of much younger. So we’re in this club, and there’s really loud music and everything. And he’s like, ‘The shot in the first season, you know, the shot where you came in’. And it’s him and I in the middle of this club, just... talking about camera angles.”
In a recent interview with Variety at the Sundance Film Festival, Dominic Fike opened up about the chances of appearing in the new series, saying it “would be dope” but that “I don’t really talk to them anymore”. He also talked about his struggles with playing a drug addict on screen, describing himself as "a pretty big drug addict myself, believe it or not.
"When I was on Euphoria, they kind of just gave me a coach who would just talk to you. It was just some random lady," he went on to say. "A random lady that i’d never relate to. We had nothing in common. We didn’t come from the same places or the same problems. It was hard to take advice from someone like that or give a shit.”
What happens in Euphoria series three?
Well, it could go anywhere really, but expect it to be gritty, edgy and dark, once again.
At the end of the last episode in series two, Rue tells us: “I stayed clean through the rest of the school year”, which suggests that she falls back into her drug habit. Whether her relationship with best friend/ex-girlfriend Jules can be repaired is also likely to feature heavily.
Will Cassie and Maddy make up after Cassie started shagging her best mate's former boyfriend, Nate? It’s not totally off the cards, although Maddy warned her: “Don’t worry, this is just the beginning” – the beginning of a revenge campaign from Maddy against Cassie, or was she referring to how Nate is going to treat Cassie, after cruelly dumping her?
Speaking of Nate, after shopping his sexual predator dad, Cal, to the police, we’ll likely find out the impact that will have on the family. Cal, played by Eric Dane, confirmed that he would be back for season 3, telling Variety: “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.”
Also of interest in the Jacobs family is the missing third brother. In the first series, viewers spotted the Jacobs family photograph, showing Cal, Marsha, Nate, Nate’s brother Jason and a mystery third son who we’ve yet to see on screen.
Finally, there’s the loose end of Laurie, the drug dealer who Rue still owes $10k worth of drugs to – and given Laurie’s terrifying character, she’s not the type to forgive and forget.
Going into detail on his approach to the new series, Levinson likened his plans to a “film noir” focusing on Rue as she “explores what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world”. Which could just about take her character anywhere, really.
Where can I watch Euphoria series three?
Euphoria will air on Sky Atlantic in the UK, Max in the US and on Binge in Australia.
