Rue, Cassie, Lexi, Maddy, and the rest of the young crew of Euphoria are leaving high school behind when the hit HBO drama series finally returns for the much-anticipated season three.
Leading lady Zendaya confirmed the previously reported news that the show will be doing a time jump with the storyline, taking the core group to life after high school.
‘It’s important because there’s only so much high school drama you can deal with,’ the actress said on Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast, before adding a little sarcasm. ‘And then she cheats on her boyfriend again!’
While Zendaya (born Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman) is limited in what she could reveal publicly about what fans can expect in the new episodes, she let it be known it will be exciting.
‘I don’t actually know much about what is happening,’ the 28-year-old actress said, despite being an executive producer on the series. ‘I don’t quite know exactly what the season is going to look like, but I do know that the time jump is happening.’
Zendaya, 28, revealed she’s excited to see where all the young characters are in their lives while confirming Euphoria will be doing a time jump for the long-awaited season three, taking the core group to life after high school
‘It’s important because there’s only so much high school drama you can deal with,’ the actress said of the time jump on Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast, before adding a little sarcasm. ‘And then she cheats on her boyfriend again’
The actress, who has played queer teenager Rue, a high schooler who struggles with drug addiction, sounded as excited as fans to learn what’s in store for the young group now that they’re officially adults.
‘It will be fascinating to see and understand these characters outside of the context of high school and how all the stuff that we saw when they were kids and they were in high school affects the adulthood they have and who they become in a much bigger world,’ the Oakland, California, native said. ‘I’ll be interested to see what happens too.’
HBO announced the news of the time jump, that would take the young character past high school, and the return of most of the ‘same core cast’ back in June.
‘[Creator and writer] Sam [Levinson] is working on it,’ HBO boss Casey Bloys said at the time. ‘When you take it out of [high school], 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.’
Along with Zendaya, the cast for the first two seasons included Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith, Sydney Sweeney, Colman Domingo, Javon Walton, Austin Abrams, and Dominic Fike.
But two of the past stars won’t be returning, including Barbie Ferreira, who shared her emotional goodbye to her role as Kat Hernandez following the season two finale, and the late Angus Cloud, the actor who played everyone’s favorite drug dealer Fezco, who suddenly passed away from an accidental drug overdose in July 2023.
This recent delay is only the latest in a series of issues and mishaps that have shut down production and delayed release dates.
Euphoria, a gritty tale about teen addict and her peers as they navigate through strains of love, loss, sex, and addiction premiered its first season on HBO in June 2019.
The first delay happened in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the halt of production, which led to the decision to do two one-hour specials in December 2020 and January 2021 to give fans something new until the new episodes were finished.
Eventually, after shooting during all those health precautions and protocols, the second season premiered in January 2022.
The following February, the series was renewed for a third season, but the shoot was halted due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, and the unexpected deaths of Cloud and executive producer Kevin Turen.
‘It will be fascinating to see and understand these characters outside of the context of high school and how all the stuff that we saw when they were kids and they were in high school affects the adulthood they have and who they become in a much bigger world,’ Zendaya said. ‘I’ll be interested to see what happens too’
Euphoria, a gritty tale about teen addict and her peers as they navigate through strains of love, loss, sex, and addiction premiered its first season on HBO in June 2019
The show has had to deal with several production shut downs and delays dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic after season one and the he 2023 Hollywood labor disputes; stars Jacob Eldori and Alexa Demie are pictured in scene as Nate and Maddy
There was also a delay ahead of season three due to the unexpected deaths of Angus Cloud (Fez) and executive producer Kevin Turen
Barbie Ferreira is also not returning to Euphoria after she shared her emotional goodbye to her role as Kat Hernandez following the season two finale
The third season was initially expected to enter production in December 2023 but ended up being postponed indefinitely.
Ultimately, the show was confirmed to resume work on the third season on June 13, along with the word of the story time jump away from the high school setting.
The series has received numerous accolades, including Zendaya receiving two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Critics’ Choice Television Award, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance as Rue.
Sweeney, Colman Domingo, and Martha Kelly have also received Emmy nominations for their acting, with Domingo winning for his performance as Ali.
