Everything was totally different when “Euphoria” premiered in 2019.
Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi had been newcomers to the scene, there was buzz about Zendaya taking on such a gritty position following her look in Marvel’s family-friendly “Spider-Man” franchise, and beloved collection regulars Eric Dane and Angus Cloud had been nonetheless with us. People had been additionally making an attempt to make sense of the truth that rapper Drake was credited as one of many present’s govt producers.
The critically acclaimed first season’s daring, unnerving illustration of troubled highschool teenagers felt resonant and pressing, going on to win 9 Primetime Emmys over the course of its two seasons, together with two gongs for Zendaya’s searing flip as central character Rue Bennett.
But it’s been over 4 years because the second season of “Euphoria” and, nicely, loads has occurred.
For starters, since 2022, “Euphoria” has been tormented by studies of chaos on set, a few of it spurred by delays following the twin writers and actors’ strikes of 2023, and a few of it reportedly on account of rewrites and creative differences.
Now, because the collection makes its long-awaited return Sunday, the third and remaining season of the Sam Levinson-created present is rising right into a drastically totally different world, each when it comes to the story being informed on screen and the era of stars the present helped launch off screen.
It all begs the query: has an excessive amount of time handed?
“Euphoria” — at the least at its outset — adopted a gaggle of childhood associates who grapple with love, dependancy and trauma by their highschool years. Season 3, nonetheless, picks up 5 years since we final noticed Rue, Nate and Cassie (performed by Zendaya, Elordi and Sweeney, respectively), now firmly out of their teenage years as they wrestle with religion and redemption, in response to an official synopsis. The present additionally stars Colman Domingo, Alexa Demie, Hunter Schafer and Maude Apatow.
As the creators hashed out how Season 3 would wrap up everybody’s story, the present’s breakout stars, significantly Sweeney and Elordi, noticed meteoric rises in fame, with Zendaya persevering with to ascend as nicely.
Elordi returns this season as a newly minted Oscar nominee, incomes recognition from Hollywood’s most prestigious voting physique for his efficiency in Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” final yr, and Sweeney has change into a mainstream star following buzzy roles together with “White Lotus,” “Anyone But You” and final December’s “The Housemaid,” which can quickly spawn a sequel. Sweeney additionally discovered herself on the center of several conversations when she appeared in a controversial denims advert final yr.
As for Zendaya, exterior of starring in MCU films and the Oscar-winning “Dune” franchise, the previous Disney performer has change into a dominating, bankable Hollywood film star, this yr connected to “The Odyssey” and the third and remaining “Dune” installment, earlier than she returns to Marvel in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” this fall. And that’s to not point out her movie reverse Robert Pattinson, “The Drama,” in theaters now.
On high of that, “Euphoria” Season 3 is altering the vibe with a brand new sound. Prolific Hollywood movie composer Hans Zimmer is credited for the season premiere episode’s music as an alternative of British artist Labrinth, who wrote the music for the primary two seasons and was broadly credited with giving the present a melodically distinctive id.
“Euphoria” has additionally endured some heartbreaking losses since final season.
Cloud, who performed lovable and earnest drug supplier Fezco within the present’s first two seasons, died at age 25 in 2023 on account of an unintended overdose. And Dane, who portrayed Nate’s repressed dad Cal Jacobs, died in February following a battle with ALS, after filming scenes for the present’s remaining season.
Despite Cloud’s real-life demise, Fezco is alive in Season 3, with Zendaya’s Rue and Apatow’s Lexi overtly discussing him being in jail within the first episode.
This was an intentional alternative, in response to Levinson, who mentioned in a press release shared with NCS that this season grew to become his means “to honor Angus and all the kids who weren’t offered a second chance.”
Euphoria airs Sunday on HBO and streams on HBO Max, which, like NCS, is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.