And you thought the “Stranger Things” kids had gotten old. All joking aside, it’s been almost four years since “Euphoria” wrapped its second season in February 2022. Wisely, however, HBO and showrunner Sam Levinson will be taking that real-world passage of time into account by shifting their small screen sensation out of high school and into the everyday world, where we’ll catch up with the likes of Zendaya’s Rue, Hunter Schafer’s Jules, and Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie several years removed from where season 2 left them. And, obviously, they’re all doing perfectly well, having grown up into well-adjusted young adults who are thriving beyond the confines of the classroom.
I’m lying, of course; what would Levinson’s chaotic television drama even be about if its characters weren’t out there living their wildest, soap opera-esque lives? (Or, to quote the official synopsis for this new season, these former childhood “friends” weren’t wrestling with “the virtue of faith, the possibility of redemption, and the problem of evil.”) For more on that, and for proof that the show is actually really coming back this time, check out the newly-released “Euphoria” season 3 trailer (see above).
The kids are all grown up (and in more trouble than ever) in Euphoria season 3
Are you confused and/or cringing right now? Here’s the thing: “Euphoria” season 3 is what happens when an edgy show becomes mainstream and suddenly has to address the experiences of a much wider swath of viewers. Whereas season 1 was designed to speak directly to its intended audience (i.e. those who could personally relate to the extremely messy and complicated lives of its teens, as alien as their existences were to everyone else), season 2 responded to the series’ sudden viral fame by diving straight into the deep end of gonzo town. Then again, the same thing happened to “Riverdale” (the “Twin Peaks” of its time — no, that’s not a joke), so who am I to say that season 3 won’t find its groove in the wake of the show’s big time jump. A similar skip ahead worked wonders for “Riverdale,” after all.
Keeping that in mind, a fourth season of “Euphoria” seems like a long shot for now. With Zendaya starring in every other tentpole nowadays (she will appear in “The Odyssey,” “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” and “Dune: Part Three” in 2026 alone), Hunter Schafer lining up much-hyped projects like the series “Blade Runner 2099” and “Mother Mary” (one of several amazing-sounding 2026 movies that you may not know about yet), their returning co-star Jacob Elordi earning Oscar buzz for his work in “Frankenstein” ahead of his turn as Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s controversial box office smash in the making “Wuthering Heights,” and Sydney Sweeney desperately trying to score a hit without Amanda Seyfried, it’s kind of a miracle season 3 came together at all.
You can see the results for yourself when “Euphoria” season 3 premieres April 12, 2026.
