Sam Levinson’s surreal high school drama Euphoria was renewed for a third season back in 2022, though its future was uncertain for a while. Now, several months after production officially began, we have a release date. Season 3 is scheduled to premiere on HBO in April 2026.
Find more details about the third season below.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO
When will Euphoria Season 3 be released?
The HBO drama is set to return with eight new episodes in April 2026, over four years after the Season 2 finale. The announcement was made on the official Euphoria Instagram, featuring an image of Zendaya as Rue sitting in a car, captioned: “Let’s ride. April 2026.”
On December 12, a preview of HBO Max’s 2026 programming included footage from the new season, showing Zendaya’s Rue, Jacob Elordi’s Nate, Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie, Hunter Schafer’s Jules, Alexa Demie’s Maddy, and Maude Apatow’s Lexi, among others.
What will happen in Euphoria Season 3?
Speaking at an HBO Max presentation in London on December 3, Levinson shared some key character details and storylines. “Five years felt like a natural place, because if they’d gone to college, they’d be out of college by then,” he said. “We pick up Rue south of the border in Mexico, in debt to Laurie, trying to come up with innovative ways to pay it off.”
Levinson continued: “Cassie is living in the suburbs with Nate: they’re engaged, and she’s very addicted to social media, envious of what seems like the big lives her high school classmates are living now.”
He added that Jules “is in art school, very nervous about having a career as a painter, and trying to avoid responsibility at all costs.” Meanwhile, Maddy is working at a Hollywood talent agency for a manager. “She’s obviously got her own side hustles going,” Levinson said. “And Lexi is an assistant to a showrunner played by Sharon Stone, who is absolutely delightful and a true icon.”
Then, Levinson revealed perhaps the biggest plot point: “I feel strongly this is our best season yet… I will say that Cassie and Nate do, in fact, get married. I’m confirming it. And I promise it will be an unforgettable night.”
The long gap between seasons—Season 2 ended in February 2022—was always going to bring major life changes for the characters. It was reported that in 2023, when Levinson pitched his vision for Season 3 to executives, it included a five-year time jump. However, rewrites were needed because, according to sources, Angus Cloud’s Fez “figured heavily into the initial concept for the season.”
But when revised scripts were submitted in late 2023 and early 2024, executives were reportedly not convinced. Per Variety, “There was a new arc for Zendaya’s Rue, whose character in Levinson’s first pass had been relegated to the background in a somewhat surprising storyline about her working as a private detective, which HBO had immediately vetoed. Among many other ideas for the rewrites, Zendaya had pitched an idea in which Rue, now sober as a twentysomething, would be a pregnancy surrogate. But insiders say the new scripts simply didn’t feel like the show tonally.”
How these conflicting ideas were ultimately resolved remains unclear—but it was Zendaya who first confirmed the time jump last year. “I don’t quite know exactly what the season is going to look like, but I do know that the time jump is happening and I know it’s important because there’s only so much high school drama you can deal with,” she told The Awardist.
Who is joining Euphoria for its third season?
On October 17, Variety reported that several stars had joined the series, including Trisha Paytas and Natasha LyNew additions to the cast of Euphoria include Trisha Paytas, Natasha Lyonne, Danielle Deadwyler, and Eli Roth. They join other new cast members such as Bella Podaras, Bill Bodner, Cailyn Rice, Colleen Camp, Gideon Adlon, Hemky Madera, Homer Gere, Jack Topalian, Jessica Blair Herman, Kwame Patterson, Madison Thompson, Matthew Willig, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Sam Trammell. As previously announced, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Toby Wallace, Sharon Stone, Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Kadeem Hardison, Priscilla Delgado, James Landry Hébert, Anna Van Patten, and Asante Blackk have also joined for Season 3.
Not all original cast members will return. In August 2022, Barbie Ferreira announced she would not reprise her role as Kat. She shared on Instagram, “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 expressed hope that fans saw themselves in Kat and felt the care she put into the role. Her reduced role in Season 2 made this less surprising. On the Armchair Expert podcast in 2023, Ferreira reflected, “I don’t think there was a place for Kat to go. I really wanted to avoid being the ‘fat best friend,’ and I think both parties agreed. Season 2 felt like a struggle for everyone to find her continuation. It was hurtful to watch the fans get upset, but it also felt like a relief to move on. Sam writes for what he relates to, and I don’t think he relates to Kat.”
In July 2023, Angus Cloud, who played Fezco, died from an accidental overdose at 25. His co-stars and fans paid tribute, while also wondering about the future of his character. Fez was left wounded and arrested after a shoot-out with police in the Season 2 finale, and his adopted brother Ashtray (played by Javon Walton) appeared to die in the same scene.
In November 2024, Storm Reid, who played Rue’s younger sister, also announced her departure. However, other major cast members—including Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Maude Apatow, Alexa Demie, and Colman Domingo as Rue’s sponsor, Ali—are expected to return. They will be joined by Alanna Ubach (Suze), Daeg Faerch (Mitch), Melvin Bonez Estes (Bruce), Paula Marshall (Marsha), Sophia Rose Wilson (BB), Zak Steiner (Aaron), Dominic Fike (Elliot), and Nika King (Leslie).
Production for Season 3 was originally scheduled to begin in February 2023 but faced repeated delays, including disruptions from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. In a March 2024 interview, Sydney Sweeney mentioned that filming would resume soon, which quickly went viral. She later joked, “Honestly, it’s as scary as talking about Marvel. I said one thing, and it went everywhere.” She did not confirm a start date or whether she had seen any Season 3 scripts, saying only, “Maybe. I don’t know.”
Just two days later…HBO announced that production on Season 3 had been paused. “HBO and Sam Levinson are both dedicated to delivering an outstanding third season,” a network representative told Variety. “Meanwhile, we are letting our sought-after cast explore other projects.” It would take another year before news surfaced in February 2025 that filming had finally started in Los Angeles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Euphoria Season 3
General Information
Q Has Euphoria Season 3 been officially confirmed
A Yes HBO officially renewed Euphoria for a third season in February 2022 shortly after Season 2 ended
Q When will Season 3 be released
A There is no official release date yet Production has been delayed Initially expected in 2024 or 2025 recent updates suggest filming may not start until 2025 pushing the premiere likely to 2026
Q Why is Season 3 taking so long
A The delays are due to several factors including the Hollywood strikes in 2023 the busy schedules of the cast and creator Sam Levinson working on other projects and refining the scripts
Story Characters
Q Where did Season 2 leave off and what will Season 3 be about
A Season 2 ended with Rue sober and narrating a hopeful future Fezco arrested and Nate turning his father in to the police Season 3 is rumored to have a significant time jump exploring the characters in their early adulthood with themes of identity and consequences
Q Will all the main cast return for Season 3
A The main cast is expected to return including Zendaya Hunter Schafer Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney However following the tragic passing of Angus Cloud in 2023 his characters fate will need to be addressed respectfully
Q How will the show handle the death of Angus Cloud
A HBO and Sam Levinson have stated they are committed to honoring Angus Clouds memory Its likely his character Fezco will be written out of the story with care possibly explaining his absence due to his arrest at the end of Season 2
Q Are there any new characters coming in Season 3
A No new major characters have been officially announced Given the potential time jump we might see new faces in the characters adult lives
Production Format
Q Who is creating and writing Season 3
A Sam Levinson remains the creator