Zendaya Eddy Chen/HBO
Euphoria fans aren’t the only ones who want answers about when the show will return — the cast would love to know too.
The HBO series, which premiered in June 2019, follows troubled high school student Rue (Zendaya) as she struggles to remain sober after rehab. The ensemble cast includes Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Maude Apatow, Colman Domingo and more.
Euphoria was quickly renewed for a second season but it took nearly three years for the episodes to air, with HBO ordering two individual specials about the aftermath of Rue and Jules’ (Schafer) breakup to air in the meantime.
The third season was originally set to air on HBO in 2025 before it was hit with several delays, including creator Sam Levinson’s commitment to his short-lived series The Idol and Zendaya’s busy schedule. The delay increased during the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which took place in late 2023.
“We’ve been through strikes before, you know, they increase the cost,” HBO CEO Casey Bloys said in November 2023 about potential production costs increasing as a result. “I don’t see a scenario where I go, ‘Well, I was going to make another tentpole show, but now I’m not going to because we have to pay X amount more.’ I don’t think it works like that.”
Production was delayed again without an official start date. “HBO and [creator] Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season,” a spokesperson for the network told Us Weekly in March 2024. “In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.”
Several cast members — including Zendaya — have since hinted that they were as in the dark as fans about the future of the show. Keep scrolling for everything Euphoria‘s stars have said about the delays and when season 3 is expected to return:
Waiting for the Call
Two years after season 2 premiered on HBO, Elordi admitted he had no clue when he would reprise his role as Nate again.
“I don’t know [when we resume filming]. Do you know?” Elordi joked on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January 2024. “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?”
Elordi shared his hopes for a potential time jump, adding, “I’m assuming that we’ll have to go forward, otherwise it’s going to seem a weird bit.”
Euphoria‘s season 2 finale introduced many twists and turns that ended with the audience having more questions than answers. Even though the entire season hinted at Fez’s (Angus Cloud) potential demise, it was actually his little brother that ended up dying after they were sold out to the police. Instead of allowing Fez to take […]
Mixed Signals
Sydney Sweeney. Eddy Chen/HBO Max
Sweeney (Cassie) hinted in March 2024 that production would be starting back up again soon when she discussed her busy schedule. “I go into Euphoria,” she told Josh Horowitz about her plans after being on back-to-back press tours for Anyone But You, Madame Web and Immaculate.
Sweeney was also asked whether she saw any scripts for the upcoming season, to which she coyly responded, “Maybe. I don’t know.”
Later that month, HBO confirmed further filming delays and noted that cast members were allowed to take on other projects amid the ongoing hiatus.
Large Filming Gaps
“Season 3 is coming out. I don’t f–king know. Don’t ask me. I don’t know. It’s one of those things,” Nika King, who plays Zendaya’s onscreen mother, said during a stand-up show in March 2024. “People are like, ‘We need season 3.’ I’m like, ‘Bitch, I need season 3. I haven’t paid my rent in six months.’ And Zendaya’s over in Paris at Fashion Week, I’m like, ‘Bitch, come home! I need you! Mama need you!’”
She continued: “You’re laughing and I’m serious. I haven’t booked anything since Euphoria, this is some bulls—t. I thought my career was on the rise. After Euphoria I thought I was good. It don’t work that way. I called [Taraji P. Henson], she was like, ‘Bitch, get used to it.”
As networks make decisions about their programming, Us Weekly will continue to track what has been renewed and which TV shows have been canceled. Slow Horses was the first show to score a renewal in 2024. In early January, Apple TV+ picked up the series for a fifth season, which will be based on Mick […]
Not Surprised
After news broke about Euphoria not going into production yet, Storm Reid hinted that the future is very much up in the air.
“I would hope the viewers, the audience will be able to finish the show,” Reid, who plays Rue’s sister Gia, told Variety in March 2024. “I think we should handle the show with care. We’ve put our hearts and soul into it.”
Reid was asked whether she was taken aback by the delay, to which she responded “yes and no,” adding, “We would all hope to be able to go back tomorrow, but there are logistics that have to be figured out. So even though I’m a little disappointed, I’m not surprised. I do know if we do go back, that I am sure we will continue to be authentic and represent the real world.”
An Unclear Status
Despite being an executive producer, Zendaya said she had no information about Euphoria‘s third season.
“I don’t know. [I’m] not in charge,” Zendaya told Variety in April 2024 about whether Euphoria will continue. “If it’s right for the characters and everything turns out the way it should, of course. But it’s beyond me.”
Keeping a Positive Outlook
“I’m optimistic that it’s gonna come back,” Eric Dane, who plays Cal Jacobs, shared during a June 2024 episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna. “There’s a real appetite for that show out there and it’s just too good to let go of.”
Dane also praised the series for its “spectacular” writing, noting he knew it was a special project “from the jump.”