'Euphoria' Season 3 Review
- Lara Kretler
- Apr 14
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 24
Season Three. [Premiere]
Aired On: HBO Max.
Release Date: 04/12/26.
Genre: Drama.
The Verdict: A Maybe
I was a big fan of Euphoria's first season and hung in there through the second season as well. After watching the premiere of season three, however, I don’t know if I’ll be sticking with the series for long.
The Euphoria season 3 premiere, coming a full four years after the last season, reveals a completely different show than its prior versions. While still well made and even more generously budgeted, the season 3 premiere lacks the charm and ethereal qualities that pulled audiences in, retaining only a dark, edgy and soulless side that left me feeling a bit nauseous.
It’s wild to think that Euphoria started out as a coming of age show about high schoolers, since season three’s premiere shows us that it’s now about drug mules, aspiring porn stars and cynical young people trying to make their mark in Hollywood.
Sam Levinson was quoted in The New York Times as saying “You don’t often see a girl that beautiful be that desperate,” referring to Sydney Sweeney’s character Cassie. But actually, in Euphoria’s season 3 premiere, you get to see all the female characters be that desperate. Perhaps that’s what I find so nauseating; the male characters never seem to fare quite as badly.
On the plus side, the show does still have the incredibly talented Zendaya as central character Rue Bennett. Rue remains as endearing and likeable as ever, despite having been dragged even further into the underworld by the unlikely yet terrifying drug lord Laurie, chillingly played by Martha Kelly.
Alas, two of the show’s other bright lights are no longer with us: Eric Dane who played the despised dad Cal Jacobs, and Angus Cloud who played the beloved drug dealer Fezco. My understanding is that Cal will be in a few early episodes this season, filmed before Eric Dane’s death, while Fezco remains alive but imprisoned for 30 years after the sudden and heartbreaking loss of Angus Cloud.
I used to be a fan of Quentin Tarantino’s films, so I can handle hardcore - but what Levinson does to these characters (and those on his other HBO show, The Idol) are just not things I care to watch anymore. Euphoria feels more like a Tarantino film than the last few Tarantino films have.
I guess I view things through the lens of being a mom. I still think of these characters as being in high school and having some hope left. I was simply not ready for the utter hopelessness of season 3.
If you’re able to stomach it, go for it - but Euphoria is not for me anymore.
Where to Watch:
