HBO managed to turn their teen-drama Euphoria into must-see TV for just about every demographic. And the show recently celebrated its second season finale. Like all good finales, it left fans wanting more.
Fortunately, we won’t be waiting indefinitely. HBO has already confirmed the show is coming back for a third season. But are we going to see more of Zendaya, since her movie career is really exploding? What characters are likely to return, and when is the Euphoria Season 3 release date?
Keep reading to discover everything we know so far about Euphoria’s third season.
Will Zendaya return for Euphoria Season 3?
While Euphoria’s entire cast is magnificent, nobody has captivated us quite like Zendya. And critics agree: after all, the talented actress took home the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series back in 2020.
However, Zendaya has obviously been very busy lately. When she’s not doing Euphoria, she’s performing in blockbuster films like Dune and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Fans can’t help but wonder: even if she wanted to return to the show, will her frantic schedule let her do so?
Don’t worry, fans. In an interview with TVLine, HBO’s Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys confirmed that Zendaya’s Rue will be returning to Season 3.
Other characters returning for Euphoria Season 3
So, we know that Zendaya’s Rue is coming back. But who else do we know for sure is coming back for a third season?
Dominic Fike plays Elliot, a friend of Rue’s that we first saw in Season 2. And like Rue herself, we know that Elliot is coming back. As Teen Vogue reports, Fike said he would “absolutely” be coming back in an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
So far, Zendaya and Fike are the only actors who we know are coming back. However, most of the characters seem very likely to return after the events of Season 2. This includes Sydney Sweeney as Cassie, Alexa Demie as Maddy, Angus Cloud as Fez, Jacob Elordi as Nate, Hunter Schafer as Jules, and Maude Apatow as Lexi.
In fact, the only one we’re really unsure about seeing a return is Barbie Ferreira as Kat Hernandez. Rumors swirled that she clashed with series creator Sam Levinson over creative differences and actually walked off the set multiple times. Some think this is why her character seemed to have a very diminished role in Season 2, and we can’t help but wonder if we’ll see her in Season 3 at all.
What Euphoria Season 3 needs to resolve
We don’t yet have any confirmations from Sam Levinson or anyone else about the exact plot or story details for Euphoria’s third season. However, the second season ended in such a way that there are several plots and character arcs that need to be resolved.
It seems reasonable that Season 3 will pick up right where Season 2 ended. In that case, we should see whether Rue truly achieves redemption or falls into relapse. Fez was also left in a dark place following the death of Ashtray, so we’re eager to see what happens to him. Additionally, whether you’re a ‘shipper or a hater, we all want to see how things play out with Cassie and Maddy’s relationship.
In general, most fans are hoping to see more of the characters that we didn’t see much of in the second season. This includes characters like Lexi, Faye, Ethan, and Kat.
Finally, we still have unresolved plot threads from both this season and even Season 1. Since Cal got arrested, what’s going on with Nate’s family? Rue escaped the sex trafficking ring, but what’s going on with Laurie? Perhaps Season 3 will provide some answers.
When is Euphoria Season 3 release date?
Hardcore Euphoria fans were asking when we’d get a third season immediately after the second season finale. But actually predicting when Season 3 will come out is more difficult than you might think.
Since Zendaya is returning for the show’s third season, we can actually use her schedule to predict when shooting may begin. She is playing a prominent part in Dune 2 and will be filming for that movie later on in 2022. This means that the absolute soonest Euphoria could begin filming its third season would be 2023, and we wouldn’t see the show until later that year.
With that being said, rumors have been swirling that we may not see Euphoria Season 3 until 2024. While there is nothing to substantiate those rumors, Zendaya’s exploding Hollywood career means fans are probably better off assuming a longer wait than a short one.
Is Euphoria Season 3 the final season?
Given the scheduling difficulties, some fans have been nervously asking one more big question: will Season 3 be the show’s final season?
It looks like the answer to that question is “probably not.” Why not a definitive answer? In that same TVLine interview, Bloys explained that HBO is basically leaving this up to Sam Levinson and his team. “I will let [exec producer] Sam [Levinson] and Zendaya talk about [that],” he said. “I’m very excited about what they’ve got planned [for Season 3]. So I will leave that to them. I will say, generally speaking, we trust where they want to take these characters. So we’ll let the creative team lead the way.”
So, that’s neither a confirmation or a denial that the show will extend beyond Season 3. But it seems unlikely that Levinson or anyone else would want to pull the plug on one of TV’s hottest shows prematurely. In all likelihood, we’ll be breathlessly tuning into Euphoria for a good, long time.