It's been a while since fans have checked in with the raucous teens at East Highland High, but Euphoria season 3 is still on the way. The show was confirmed to return for a third installment several months after the second season aired, so as the heartbreak and high of the events of last season wears off, you can rest easy knowing that more from Rue, Jules, and their various classmates (and drug dealers) is on the way.
The second season drew criticism for leaving too many storylines unfinished and underusing fan-favorite actors, but it also told gutting, honest, and beautiful narratives about the ups and downs of addiction, teen love, and grief leading it to skyrocket in popularity. According to Variety, viewership nearly doubled from season 1, and Euphoria season 2 became HBO’s second-most watched show since 2004, following only the juggernaut Game of Thrones. With that in mind, it makes sense that the network is holding out for a third installment of the show starring Zendaya and helmed by Sam Levinson—despite many delays (more on that later).
With Euphoria season 3 on the horizon, here's what we know about it.
How did 'Euphoria' season 2 end?
Season 2 had a bittersweet ending: we saw the second act of Lexi’s brilliant play (including a riveting intermission, thanks to a rogue Cassie and Maddy); watched Nate turn his father over to the police; saw Rue come to terms with her grief and close chapters on her relationships with Elliot and Jules; and saw Fezco and Faye be arrested while Ashtray was killed in a shootout with a S.W.A.T. team.
Will 'Euphoria' return for season 3?
HBO announced in February 2023 that Sam Levinson’s hit drama had been renewed for a third iteration. At the time, the network didn't provide details on when the new season would premiere or what it would focus on.
“Sam, Zendaya, and the entire cast and crew of Euphoria have taken season 2 to extraordinary heights, challenging narrative convention and form, while maintaining its heart,” Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming, said in a statement when the news was announced. “We couldn’t be more honored to work with this gifted, wildly talented team or more excited to continue our journey with them into season 3.”
Who is in the returning cast of 'Euphoria' season 3?
Many of the Euphoria stars' careers have taken off exponentially since the drama premiered, and even in the time since season 2 wrapped up—namely Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer, and Sydney Sweeney, who all led blockbusters and critically acclaimed projects in recent years (with more to come in 2025). Because of that, many fans have wondered whether they have grown out of the series or their schedules would be too busy to return.
While HBO put those rumors to bed in 2024, with chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content Casey Bloys telling Variety that season 3 would be "the same core cast," the series officially confirmed who would return in February 2025. As production kicked off, the show's social media confirmed that Zendaya, Sweeney, Schafer, Elordi, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, and Maude Apatow will lead the next installment.
Several former stars were missing, including Nika King (Rue's mother Leslie), Austin Abrams (Ethan), Algee Smith (Chris), Chloe Cherry (Faye), and Dominic Fike (Elliot). Storm Reid (Gia) and Barbie Ferreira (Kat) were also absent from the list, though Reid revealed in November 2024 that she wouldn't be back, and Ferreira also said she exited the series in 2022.
Who are the new additions to the cast in 'Euphoria' season 3?
When the returning cast was confirmed, Euphoria also revealed a number of exciting, new names are joining the show's third installment.
After singer-songwriter Dominic Fike was a big name added to season 2, the drama seems to be following its tradition and has booked Spanish pop star Rosalía. She's not the only big name joining the ensemble: NFL-star-turned-actor Marshawn Lynch and Kadeem Hardison, who starred on the sitcom A Different World and alongside Zendaya on KC Undercover, are also now a part of the show. Other additions include Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Toby Wallace, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Priscilla Delgado, James Landry Hébert, and Anna Van Patten.
Their roles remain undisclosed at this time, however, the announcement included a first-look photo of Rosalía on set. In the shot, she wears a chic green top with cutouts and what appears to be a bedazzled neck brace, and seems to be sitting in a chair in the audience at a theater. (Fingers crossed that means we get to hear new original music from her!)
The Grammy winner also shared a statement with her casting news. "If there’s anything that excites me as much as finding a good melody or a good lyric, it’s becoming a better performer every day," she wrote. "Euphoria has been my favorite series of the last few years and I couldn’t be happier and more grateful to be acting alongside all these colleagues that I admire so much and contributing my ‘granito de arena’ to bring Sam’s vision to reality. I can’t wait to share what we’re doing!!! Besitos, Rosi."
Lynch, who had a breakout role in 2023's Bottoms, shared a statement, as well: "I'm hella juiced about the show and getting a chance to work with the people in front and behind the camera. At the end of the day, I’m just thankful for the opportunity."
Meanwhile, Hardison, said, "I was over the moon when I heard the news that I booked it. It’s amazing to be back on set with Z. She and I formed a tight friendship while shooting K.C. Undercover and we’ve stayed close, so this is truly special."
He continued, "Sam, Ashley, the entire cast and crew have all been great to work with and we’re all very happy to be shooting it here in L.A., especially after the travesty that thousands here just experienced. Our hearts go out to everyone affected and here’s to hoping more productions follow suit and come back to Los Angeles to shoot."
More exciting season 3 casting news was announced several weeks later. Oscar-nominated Hollywood legend Sharon Stone rounds out the A-lister newbies. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the star, known for leading classic '80s and '90s movies, namely, erotic thrillers, joined the ensemble after it was rumored for some time that she was in talks to star.
As with other new cast members, it's yet to be announced who she'll be playing, but Stone shared a statement about her excitement. "There is little more exciting than going to work with this team of thrilling talent,” she said. “From the genius of Sam Levinson to the raw sophistication of this profoundly moving cast and tight crew. I am honored to be Euphoric.”
Asante Blackk is another newcomer to season 3. The 23-year-old This Is Us alum's casting was announced by Deadline in early March, and unlike previous new names joining the forthcoming season, the outlet reported who he's said to be playing. Not only did Deadline report that Blackk will appear in a "major recurring role," but they also shared character details that he's set to play "Kidd, a runner for a ruthless kingpin played by new series regular Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje." Akinnuoye-Agbaje's role was previously unannounced, and while major character details remain slim, we now know a bit about who the British star will portray.
When will 'Euphoria' season 3 be released?
It's official: School won't be in session at "Euphoria High" until 2026. As reported by Deadline, the 2026 release date was announced by the CEO and President of Global Streaming for HBO/Max parent Warner Bros. Discovery, JB Perrette, at a December 2024 event. While Perrette confirmed other big shows (like The Last of Us season 2 and White Lotus season 3) are due out in 2025, he noted that fans will have to wait for Euphoria.
No premiere date has been announced, but A24 confirmed in February 2025 that the show had officially started filming season 3. The production company posted on social media that the hit drama was "in production" and shared a first-look image at the forthcoming installment. The single shot features Zendaya reprising her role as Rue, turning to look over her shoulder while standing in a dimly lit room.
With the show filming now and likely throughout the rest of winter 2025 and into the spring, it's possible we could see new episodes in early 2026.
Euphoria Season 3 is in production. pic.twitter.com/QSV9DVoIiYFebruary 10, 2025
For fans who have been closely following Euphoria news since it's been off the air, it shouldn't be a complete surprise that season 3 won't air until 2026. Updates surrounding the drama's return have been sporadic and vague for quite a while.
Even though Euphoria has been renewed for season 3 in early 2023, fans have had to anticipate a long wait between seasons for quite some time. The first time HBO gave an update on when new episodes would arrive came over a year after season 2 aired in May 2023 when HBO's head of drama told Deadline that the release date had been pushed back to at least 2025. At the time, Orsi explained that the delay was due to Levinson's focus on finishing up The Idol, which aired from June to July 2023.
Several months later at a November 2023 press event, the network chief said Euphoria was supposed to be back in 2025, which we now know is no longer feasible. However, in July 2024, Deadline announced that the show is confirmed to enter production for the long-awaited third season in January 2025.
Levinson was reported to be busy writing the next installment in June 2024. In a conversation with Variety, HBO/Max head Bloys shared, "[Creator and writer] Sam [Levinson] is working on it. There’s been a lot of back and forth."
Bloys again reiterated in mid-November 2024 that the show is still on track to film in January 2025. Variety reported that he said at an HBO/Max event, "We are shooting Euphoria... I think 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. All of the actors [in] the show."
"I know the show gets a lot of attention now because, you know, it has created some genuine movie stars, and they have various projects that are working on, but we are shooting this season, so nothing has changed,” the HBO/Max boss continued, also adding that it'll feature "eight episodes."
It's unclear when those eight episodes will finally premiere, but if the show has a smooth production, we'd expect them to start airing in winter 2026.
Why has 'Euphoria' season 3 been delayed?
It's unclear why exactly Euphoria season 3 has been delayed as long as it has, but several factors have been reported, from the lengthy production on The Idol to the season's concept.
When Bloys confirmed that Levinson was working on the season 3 scripts in June 2024, he shared with Variety that the delay was partially because the showrunner was still working out what he wanted to do with the season, including potentially aging up the characters. Bloys explained, "One of the issues I think that Sam is thinking about is that he doesn’t want to have it in high school anymore. That’s where it was set and what made sense then. So when you take it out of that, there’s a lot of back and forth about where to set it and how far in the future to set it and all that stuff. But I think he’s got a take that he’s excited about, and he’s busy writing."
Bloys' June 2024 comments followed a March 2024 report from Variety regarding the delays that confirmed the show was still inching toward production and not being scrapped entirely, despite speculation. "HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season,” an HBO spokesperson told the outlet. “In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.”
The cast has also weighed in on the fate of the highly-anticipated third season. Zendaya addressed the delays while speaking to Variety at the L.A. premiere of her film Challengers in April 2024. Though she serves as an executive producer on the series, the star admitted that she doesn't know whether season 3 will happen, saying that she's "not in charge" of the series' future.
While she said she would "of course" want a third season to happen "if it's right for the characters and everything thurs out the way it should," she added, "But it’s beyond me."
Meanwhile, sources also opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about Zendaya's relationship with Levinson becoming "frayed" with how long it's taken him to deliver Euphoria season 3. According to THR, the star's "frustration grew" as Levinson turned his focus to The Idol and away from Euphoria, and after the show had been off the air for two years, was so "perturbed" by the timeline that she demanded to meet with HBO executives to see what was taking so long.
As reported by THR, the November 2023 death of Levinson's longtime friend and producing partner producer Kevin Turen has also contributed to the delays. According to the outlet, Turen was always "more popular" than Levinson, but their working relationship became fraught months before he died unexpectedly, potentially affecting work on Euphoria. Now, his loss is said to have ramifications on moving into production, as Zendaya reportedly does not want Levinson and his wife Ashley, who has taken on many of Turen's duties since his death, to be the sole executive producers on season 3.
Clearly, it sounds like a lot has contributed to the long wait for Euphoria season 3, but nevertheless, it's coming (eventually).
What is the plot of 'Euphoria' season 3?
In an August 2023 interview with ELLE, creator Sam Levinson described Season 3 as a "film noir," adding that, through Rue's storyline, he plans to "explore what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world."
Several of the show's stars were asked about the future of the series in various interviews throughout 2022. Speaking to Variety, Zendaya said of Rue: "Rue wants to be here and it’s up to her now. I really hope that we can explore her life in the future, closer to the other side and her sobriety journey.”
But for now, it sounds like the cast is in the dark about what's next, plot-wise: "I know nothing. I’m so curious," Apatow said in an interview with Variety. "We’ve heard whispers but barely anything.”
“I feel like my whole life is a secret," Sweeney joked to Variety in November 2022. "It’s really hard.”
