Euphoria’s Season 3 Delay Is a Good Thing

During the second season of Euphoria, it was clear that the series had become appointment television for its target audience. The series generated the most social media impressions during every episode, which resulted in the show becoming HBO’s most popular series in terms of reach since Game of Thrones. Given the subject matter of Euphoria, that might seem hard to believe. Still, no matter how gut-wrenching the show became, it was always riveting, compelling, and littered with fantastic performances from its young cast.

After Season 2 ended, the series was eventually renewed for a third season, and fans soon learned that creator Sam Levinson would engage in a time jump that would take the characters out of high school. This was likely half a creative decision and half a decision that was made because, in their mid to late 20s, the cast was starting to become less believable as high school students.

Season 2 wrapped in February 2022, and here we are in 2024 without a Season 3 as Levinson continues to work on the script. From strike delays, main characters passing away, the cast landing other high-profile jobs, and Levinson’s general writer’s block, Season 3 is looking less likely every day, and, no matter how superb of a show Euphoria has become, the series not returning at all might be a good thing.

Euphoria Season 2 Features a Proper Ending

Creatively, the show was in a proper place to end with Season 2. The quality of the show from its incredibly strong first season can be debated. However, even with a few creative hiccups, Season 2 still offered some stellar episodes (Rue’s intervention episode being its magnum opus and showcasing Zendaya’s ever-evolving talent).

The final two episodes of Season 2 played out as a school play that essentially recounted the events of Season 1. Rue remains clean and detaches from her codependent and toxic relationship with Jules (Schafer). The ever-entertaining love triangle between Cassie (Sweeney), Maddy (Demie), and Nate (Elordi) reaches a fever pitch and results in some strong-acting moments for all involved and, finally, Cal (Dane) is rightfully off to jail.

For the core characters, everything feels wrapped up as well as it can be, at least in truly messy Euphoria fashion. The most important character resolution is with Rue, someone the audience watched struggle with her addiction at a place where she’s clean and free of all toxic attachments. It would feel good for viewers if everything faded to black right here.

The reported time jump for Season 3 is not uncommon, particularly with series that have main characters that are teenagers and featured in high school. After the teen cast of Riverdale graduated from high school in Season 5, the series leaped forward seven years during Season 6. Midway through Season 6 of Pretty Little Liars, the drama realized that “A” couldn’t stalk the girls attending different schools, so the series jumped ahead to bring them back to Rosewood. Lastly, One Tree Hill bypassed the college years and jumped ahead half a decade between Seasons 4 and 5.

It’s not necessarily bad for shows to do this, because sometimes it’s just the nature of the beast when dealing with a series about young adults. Still, Euphoria‘s brand of angst and dysfunction was much stronger because it dealt with teenagers. The severity of their problems hit a lot harder because they were young, and it shined a light on adolescents who are not only struggling with addiction but also issues of identity, self-worth, body image, and sexuality. Some will watch Euphoria and debate how realistic it is and question if teenagers really go through all of these problems, but many do, and most of the series’ strength was that they weren’t afraid to spotlight it.

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The show stars are interested in jumping out of high school and into adulthood. Sweeney recently stated that it would allow for “more room for growth” for Cassie and her as an actress, while Zendaya made the assertion back in 2022 that she wanted to “explore the characters out of high school” and see what Rue was like as she walked on her road to sobriety as an adult. There is a compelling notion to do this, but unless Levinson truly shines with his writing, Season 3 runs the chance of not being as enticing for the viewers to engage with.

Some series work at the moment in which they are created. Euphoria thrived creatively because it showcased the dark corners of the high school experience and the difficulty in which young people navigate it. Granted, adults have their own brand of problems, but Levinson is better off creating another show to deal with that rather than using Euphoria as a springboard to tell that story.

The Euphoria Cast Is Becoming Too Busy

The most apparent reason that Season 3 of Euphoria seems increasingly unlikely is that its cast has exploded in popularity since the series started. Zendaya was already tap dancing with stardom, and now she’s arguably one of the most sought-after actresses of her generation working today. She’s attached to big tentpole franchises (Spider-Man, Dune) and crafting a movie career that sees her working with the best directors in the business (Luca Guadagino’s Challengers).

She’s also growing as a behind-the-scenes player and has flexed her muscles as a producer (she played this role during Euphoria and the COVID production of Malcolm & Marie). If she was the only cast member becoming busier by the minute, it might have been easier to make Season 3 happen, but success has found other performers on the show.

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Jacob Elordi had a huge 2023 between channeling Elvis in Priscilla and becoming the object of Barry Keoghan’s obsessive desire in Saltburn. The latter earned him a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and he has only steadily lined up roles. According to his IMDb, he has four projects in production, including playing The Monster in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, with another limited series called The Narrow Road to the Deep North on deck for this year.

Sydney Sweeney has nearly rivaled Zendaya regarding female breakout status on the show. Sweeney received Emmy nominations for her turn during Season 2 of Euphoria and her work during Season 1 of the HBO anthology series TheWhite Lotus. Her movie career has also seen success, including the rom-com Anyone But You, which has grossed over $200 million worldwide and has become one of the most successful romantic comedies in recent years.

There was the hiccup called Madame Web, but even Sweeney made the most out of it, saying she wouldn’t have a working relationship with Sony Pictures (which got Anyone But You made with help from her as a producer) had she not made that film. Most recently, Sweeney spearheaded the horror film Immaculate, a project she came across 10 years ago, and used her current high profile to get the film made as a producer, secure a director she had worked with in the past, and took the film to Neon’s biggest opening weekend as an independent film company. In addition, her IMDb page says she has six projects on the way, four in development and two in production.

Hunter Schafer is also a star on the rise. The character of Jules was a highlight of Euphoria, and it was clear that Schafer’s talents, despite it being her first major acting job, were destined for much more. Schafer is steadily building her filmography, appearing in last year’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which proved to be a box office hit. She has Cuckoo from Neon on the horizon, and she’ll appear in Yorgos Lanthimos’ next film, Kinds of Kindness.

Schafer’s IMDb shows three projects in development, adding to the list of very busy cast members. Throwing in supporting player Colman Domingo, who was just recently Oscar-nominated, and his ever-busy calendar, it becomes challenging to think of a moment when they would have time for Season 3 of Euphoria.

Sometimes, it’s OK for shows to come to a close early and when they’re still creatively strong. There is no need to spread Levinson too thin, and after the debacle of The Idol, fans of Euphoria certainly don’t want him to turn that show into the mess that became the series with The Weeknd. Then there is the tragic passing of Angus Cloud, who played Fezco on the show and arguably was the heart of the series. Losing him was like losing a piece of Euphoria. By the time Season 3 could even happen, interest might be low for the show to return. This is why the series should be done; it actually ended on a high. Euphoria is streaming now on Max.