Over the span of just two seasons, HBO’s hit teen drama Euphoria has cemented itself as one of TV’s most talked-about series. (Who can forget the delightful chaos of Euphoria Sundays on Twitter?) The show that won Zendaya her first Emmy and launched a thousand think pieces is slated to return for a third installment—but when?
After several delays, season three of the 25-time Emmy-nominated series has finally started filming. It’s been rumored that given how long it’s been between seasons (it’ll be four years if this one is released in 2026 as expected), season three will feature a time jump that takes the characters out of East Highland High School. Read on for everything we know about Euphoria season three so far:
Spoilers for season two of Euphoria ahead.
Which cast members will return?
HBO has confirmed that most of the main cast will return for season three. This includes Zendaya as Rue Bennet, Sydney Sweeney as Cassie Howard, Alexa Demie as Maddy Perez, Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn, Maude Apatow as Lexi Howard, and Jacob Elordi as Nate. Colman Domingo will guest star as Rue’s NA sponsor, Ali.
Martha Kelly, who played terrifying drug dealer Laurie, and Chloe Cherry, who played spacey Faye, have been upped to series regulars.
Actor Eric Dane, who plays Nate Jacob’s duplicitous father Cal, has also confirmed his return. At the end of season two, Cal was arrested after Nate turned him into the police with damaging evidence of his underage relationships. Speaking to Variety, Dane addressed his character’s possible arc: “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.”
First look at Zendaya as Rue in Euphoria season three
Are there any new cast members?
Deadline reported the addition of several new cast members in February 2025, including singer Rosalía. A new photo from set shows Rosalía in character in what looks like a bar, wearing a bejeweled neck brace and drinking a cocktail.
Rosalia in Euphoria season three
“If there’s anything that excites me as much as creating a good melody or writing a great lyric it’s becoming a better performer every day. Euphoria has been my favorite series over the last few years and I couldn’t be happier and more grateful to be acting alongside all of these incredibly talented people that I admire so much and contributing my “granito de arena” to bring Sam’s vision to reality to make magic. I can’t wait to share what we’re doing!!! Besitos, Rosi,” Rosalía said in a statement.
Former NFL champion and Bottoms star Marshawn Lynch and TV veteran Kadeem Hardison have also joined the cast—it’ll be a reunion for Zendaya and Hardison, who played her dad for three seasons from 2015-2018 on Disney Channel’s K.C. Undercover.
Lynch said, “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.”
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Suicide Squad) and Toby Wallace (Babyteeth) will join the cast as series regulars, and Priscilla Delgado (Julieta), James Landry Hébert (1883), and Anna Van Patten (Gossip Girl) will have guest star roles.
Which cast members won’t be returning?
Storm Reid is the latest cast member to exit Euphoria. Reid played Rue’s younger sister, Gia, with her storyline largely revolving around witnessing Rue’s increasingly dire struggle with substance abuse. Rotten Tomatoes shared a video interview with Reid at the 2024 Governors Awards, in which she shared that she would not be returning to the series: “I’m very excited for season three,” she said. “Unfortunately, Gia’s not returning...I’m so glad that [Euphoria] is a part of my legacy and that I was a part of such a cultural phenomenon.”
The first main character to drop out was Kat Hernandez, played by Barbie Ferreira. Kat’s character sparked tons of discourse, given her treatment as the show’s sole plus-size character, in addition to endless rumors about behind-the-scenes drama between Ferreira and Levinson.
On August 24, 2022, Ferreira announced with an Instagram Story post that she would not return to Euphoria season three. “After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye," she wrote. "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.”
Angus Cloud’s tragic death at the age of 25 on July 31, 2023 also means that the character of Fezco will not be returning.
Fezco’s child sidekick, Ashtray (played by Javon “Wanna” Walton), died in the season two finale.
In February 2022, season two breakout Dominic Fike told Jimmy Fallon that his character, the moody, guitar-playing drug addict Elliot, would “absolutely” be part of season three. However, in February 2025, it was confirmed he will not.
Has Euphoria season 3 started filming?
Yes—after a series of delays (more on that below), the season finally began production in February 2025.
What’s been the hold-up with the season?
The delay between seasons is due to multiple factors, including the double writers’ and actors’ strikes of 2023, the principal cast (think: Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer and Colman Domingo) becoming booked and busy due to a rise in all of their public profiles, the death of Cloud and the show’s producer Kevin Turen, and series creator Sam Levinson’s insistence on writing the show himself, with no writer’s room to take on some of the work.
There were also reportedly some creative issues, specifically with the scripts. Variety reported Levinson turned in a first pass of the season in late 2023 with a time jump five years into the future, with “meaty arcs” for Sweeney and Elordi that were “very compelling.” However, Zendaya wasn’t a fan of Rue’s proposed storyline, which featured the now-sober character working as a private detective and relegated largely to the background.
Zendaya proposed her own storyline, where Rue would be a pregnancy surrogate, but according to Variety sources, the new scripts “didn’t feel like the show tonally.”
Given that many of the series’ stars have since become major movie fixtures, there have also reportedly been some scheduling conflicts. Bloys said, “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.”
One of those stars is Sweeney, who was relatively unknown when she first stepped into Cassie’s high heels but has gone on to become one of the highest-paid actresses of her generation. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Sweeney described how she’s handled juggling multiple projects, including the show that first made her famous.
“There were definitely a few projects that I had to pass on because I was supposed to be going back to Euphoria,” she said. “But because I am producing now, I was able to say, ‘You know what? I don’t think this is happening. I’m going to put some of my own projects on the slate.’ That’s how Anyone But You happened. Euphoria was supposed to start filming, and I had another film that I was supposed to do, but we couldn’t get cleared and after a few weeks, I realized, This is not happening. So I put in full gear to make Anyone but You.”
Schafer has also seen her star rise meteorically since playing Jules on Euphoria—which was her first official acting gig. In September, she talked to W about the uncertainty of waiting to find out if the series would officially return, saying, “It’s so wild because we’ve been in this limbo for a couple years now of, like, ‘I don’t know if we’re going to get a season 3.’ It was taking so long, and everyone is growing up and getting busy. The further you get away from it, the more out of reach it feels. It’s really surreal. I’m still processing, honestly.”
Is there a trailer for Euphoria season 3 yet?
There’s no trailer for Euphoria season three yet; stay tuned for updates.
When is the release date for the third season of Euphoria?
There series is set to be released in 2026.
How many episodes will season three of Euphoria be?
Like seasons one and two, season three of Euphoria will have eight hour-long episodes.
Will Euphoria’s season three be its last?
It’s unconfirmed that season three will be Euphoria’s last, but given the major delays, it’s likely.
This article was originally published on
