The Euphoria debacle has been nothing short of confusing. Season 2 of the controversial but beloved teen drama series dropped in January of 2022, so it's been 2 years of waiting to find out what the hell Rue Bennet did with the damn suitcase... but just when we thought all hope was lost for a third season of the Emmy-winning show, Max executives are giving us something to hold on to...
In the span of the two years, we have been in a game of she said, HBO said. Whether it was from a cast member or a studio executive, one thing is absolutely certain: Nobody had any clue whether or not Euphoria season 3 is definitely happening. However a glimmer of light seems to be at the end of the tunnel. Max executive Casey Bloys recently did an interview with Variety, giving us the biggest sliver of hope we've had so far.
When asked about the state of Euphoria, Bloys replied: "Sam [Levinson] is working on it. There’s been a lot of back and forth... One of the issues I think that Sam is thinking about is that he doesn't want to have it in high school anymore. That’s where it was set and what made sense then. So when you take it out of that, there's a lot of back and forth about where to set it and how far in the future to set it and all that stuff. But I think he's got a take that he’s excited about, and he’s busy writing."
The music to our ears continued when Bloys was asked if the original cast would return. He responded definitively, saying, "It's the same core cast."
On the executive level, this is the first time we've heard a guarantee on Euphoria season 3. Over the last few months, the shows stars have answered questions pertaining to the series. Although it seemed to be all over the place, not even Zendaya herself had a direct answer. Sydney Sweeney and Storm Reid also joined the chat in recent months.
In an interview with MTV, Sydney Sweeney was asked if she was taking a break following her year of massive film releases like Anyone but You and Immaculate. Sydney shockingly responded, saying, "I go into Euphoria." Sydney was the first to confirm it was actually happening… but less than 10 days later, an HBO spokesperson told Variety that Euphoria was in fact delayed indefinitely and that the cast was allowed to "pursue other opportunities.''
As a fan, the situation became stressful when, days later, Variety reported that while Sam Levinson's early scripts went over well with HBO, allegedly Zendaya was not overjoyed with where the show was going. Reportedly Sam Levinson wrote the third season with a five-year time jump and made Rue Bennett a private detective. Sources said Zendaya countered that storyline with one where Rue was a sober surrogate. Apparently, HBO didn't like that very much either.
Most of the press surrounding Euphoria season 3 is through sources and the studio. The cast, and even Levinson the creator, have given no direct responses to whether or not any of these rumors are true.
The star of the show, Ms. Zendaya herself, also seems to be out of answers in regards to Euphoria's status. At the Los Angeles premiere of Challengers, the star was asked if Euphoria would be making a return. She responded, "I don't know. I am not in charge." Followed up by the question of whether she wanted to return, in perfect Zendaya fashion she said, "Of course, if it's right for the characters and everything turns out the way it should, of course. But it's beyond me."
On the Challengers carpet supporting Zendaya was her Euphoria co-star Storm Reid. E News! asked Storm what the status of the show was. "We're on pause right now, but we're anxious to get back," she responded. Giving us a glimmer of hope Storm added, "If it's meant to be, we'll be back soon and we'll give the audience what they want and deserve. Hopefully, we will be back."
Hopefully HBO and the cast can work this out for the love of these characters. Storylines need to be finished, questions need to be answered. Euphoria is a viral sensation and became a HBO Sunday staple for fans everywhere. After all, Zendaya won TWO Emmys for her performances on the show!
On the bright side we will have no shortage in seeing the Euphoria cast star in their own solo projects until then. Nevertheless fans deserve closure on the characters they fell in love with five (yes, five) very long years ago!
The first two seasons of Euphoria are currently streaming on Max.