Euphoria Season 3 was expected to happen soon, but it got delayed because the creator, Sam Levinson, hadn’t finished writing the story. HBO and Levinson are thinking about changing the show’s setting from high school to early adulthood, so Levinson needs more time to plan.
The pandemic also caused delays in Season 2. Levinson was busy with other shows like The Idol, so some actors left.
The Euphoria cast became super famous with big movie roles, like Zendaya in Spider-Man and Dune, Jacob Elordi in Priscilla and Saltburn, Sydney Sweeney in Madame Web, Anyone But You, and Immaculate, and Colman Domingo got an Academy Award nomination.
Changing Euphoria from high school to post-high school will make it feel different. In high school, all the characters could interact, which made for good storylines.
Some people found the explicit scenes uncomfortable, so moving away from high school might make it easier for them to watch. The Season 2 finale didn’t mention graduation. High school settings can be appealing, but shows sometimes struggle after leaving high school.
Why is Season 3 Delayed?
HBO announced on Monday that the Euphoria cast can explore other projects while still being committed to Season 3. The show helped Zendaya, Sweeney, and Elordi become big stars, but they’re still dedicated to Euphoria.
This means they might have to balance filming between Euphoria and their other projects. HBO wants to be fair to the cast and let them take other roles in the meantime.
In Season 2, the characters were mostly in high school, but there was no mention of graduation in the finale. Instead, there was a chaotic play and a shootout.
Some characters exited the show, like Javon Walton’s character, and Angus Cloud’s character was arrested. Barbie Ferreira decided not to return for Season 3 because she felt her character’s story had reached its end.
Sources say Levinson takes a long time to write because he keeps rewriting. Colman Domingo, who won an Emmy for his role in Euphoria, mentioned Levinson’s interest in exploring deep questions in Season 3.
Levinson also worked on another HBO show called The Idol, which faced problems and was eventually canceled. A writers’ strike in 2023 also delayed Euphoria. Shows set in high school often struggle to keep going after graduation, which adds pressure to Season 3 of Euphoria.