Break out your eye glitter and get ready to host your Euphoria watch parties because this popular HBO show is coming back for round three.
When Euphoria premiered back in 2019, it ended up being a huge hit for HBO, and three years later, it finally came out with a new season that both intrigued and annoyed fans, with some changes being for the better and others, not so much. However, Euphoria still prevailed with its stellar acting performances, specifically from Zendaya, and its incredible cinematography and still entertaining storyline, despite its flaws.
The series ended up being renewed for Season 3 due to the high viewership numbers, but when exactly are we going to get Euphoria Season 3? How long are we going to need to wait? Let’s get into it here.
What Is The Euphoria Season 3 Premiere Date?
Don’t get excited, there’s no set premiere date, and honestly, we might not get anything until at least 2025.
The head of drama at HBO, Francesca Orsi, talked about this to Deadline back in May 2023, confirming that because of the current writer’s strike going on, many popular HBO shows are going to be delayed – including Euphoria:
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.
For those who don’t know, The Idol is Euphoria creator, Sam Levinson’s, latest show, which premiered on HBO in June 2023. And, to be honest, it is a little disappointing to hear about the long wait. Those working on the second season of Euphoria had to wait through the pandemic in order for filming to really begin, and now with the writer's strike, the chances of getting the third season on the 2023 TV schedule is basically non-existent, so we’re just going to need to wait.
Most Of The Main Cast Is Expected To Be Back
I mean, this isn’t that much of a surprise, but most of the main cast of Euphoria is expected to be back. While nothing has been confirmed just yet, plenty of the cast members have talked about what they’ve wanted to explore with their characters next season, specifically at a screening of the Season 2 finale episode, via The Hollywood Reporter.
This would include Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, and Maude Apatow, whom were featured in the Q&A. The rest of the cast includes Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, Angus Cloud, Nika King, Storm Reid, Colman Domingo, Dominic Fike, Austin Abrams and Javona “Wanna” Walton.
Also expected to return in Season 3 is Eric Dane as Cal Jacobs, who in an interview with Variety, said that he hopes Season 3 will bring some sort of “redemption” for his character:
There’s gonna be redemption. I mean, 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.
With such a great cast, it’ll be awesome to see most of them back – but we do know at least one person will not be returning.
But Barbie Ferreira Will Not Be Back As Kat
Unfortunately, one of the cast members that we will not be seeing in Season 3 of Euphoria is Barbie Ferreira as Kat. According to her Instagram story (via The Hollywood Reporter) the actress decided to leave the show, saying that she hoped fans could see “themselves” in the character like she did:
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.
Later on, however, Ferreria revealed in an interview with Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, that the real reason she left the series was because she felt that there was “nowhere” for Kat to go next in the season:
I don’t think there was a place for her to go. I mean, I think that there were places you could go. I just don’t think it would have fit into the show. I don’t know if it was gonna do her justice. And I think both parties knew that. I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend. I don’t want to play that and I think they didn’t want that either.
It’ll be sad to see her go, but I wish Ferreira the best of luck in the future with all her new projects.
Euphoria Season 3 Could Take Place Five Years In The Future
While not much is known about the upcoming third season, there is a hint of how far Euphoria might jump into the future – and it could be substantial.
In an interview with Vogue that one of the costume designers, Heidi Bivens, gave, she confirmed that she will do her best to make the outfits for the third season just as great, hinting that there have been talks of a “five-year” time jump:
I’ll do everything I can to make the third season of the show successful. I’m really excited to read the scripts. There is talk of it being approximately five years in the future, and that they’re not in high school anymore. Dorothy’s not in Kansas anymore. I mean, it might be a total trip. Who can say? But knowing Sam’s brain, it’s gonna be exciting, and he will challenge all of us, because he won't want to repeat himself. It’ll be something new for the audience to discover.
This would honestly line up with the actual ages of the actors who play these teenagers in high school, so I’d be totally down for that.
Zendaya Hopes That Season 3 Explores The Character’s Lives Post-Graduation
Zendaya’s character, Rue, is the main character of Euphoria. While there are plenty of others that the story revolves around, Rue is the narrator and who we mainly follow. Now, with the idea that the show might jump ahead five years, she's already thinking of what she wants to explore with her character in Season 3.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Zendaya revealed that they hope that Season 3 digs into Rue’s life after high school, as well as the rest of the characters and what they might be going through after graduating:
I want to see what Rue looks like in her sobriety journey, how chaotic that might look. But also with all the characters, in the sense where they’re trying to figure out what to do with their lives when high school is over and what kind of people they want to be.
If the show does jump forward five years, this would be the perfect way to do this kind of story, and I am down for it.
Zendaya Could Potentially Direct An Episode Of Season 3
Another fun little tidbit that could be something we know is that Zendaya might actually get to direct an episode of Season 3. In an interview with Vogue Italia, she was asked about the possibility of directing an episode of Euphoria, and the star revealed that she was supposed to direct Episode 6 of Season 2, but she just didn’t have the time.
It's funny, I was actually supposed to direct Episode6 [of Season 2] but then I had to act in it. I didn't have enough time, so, unfortunately, I wasn't able to this time around. I wanted to have enough time to do it the right way. So, next season, probably.
I would be so down to watch a Zendaya-directed episode, and I have a feeling it would be awesome.
While we’re not going to be getting any Season 3 of Euphoria any time soon, we can at least watch the other two seasons and enjoy those for the time being. Until then, I guess I’ll just try to be patient. There are still so many questions that need to be answered.
