{"id":599471,"date":"2026-04-12T16:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T16:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/599471\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T16:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T16:47:14","slug":"euphoria-has-outgrown-itself-on-screen-and-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/599471\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Euphoria\u2019 has outgrown itself, on screen and off"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Everything was different when \u201cEuphoria\u201d<\/a> premiered in 2019.\n <\/p>\n

\n Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi were newcomers to the scene, there was buzz about Zendaya taking on such a gritty role following her appearance in Marvel\u2019s family-friendly \u201cSpider-Man\u201d franchise, and beloved series regulars Eric Dane and Angus Cloud were still with us. People were also trying to make sense of the fact that rapper Drake was credited<\/a> as one of the show\u2019s executive producers.\n <\/p>\n

\n The critically acclaimed first season\u2019s daring, unnerving representation of troubled high school teens felt resonant and urgent, going on to win nine Primetime Emmys over the course of its two seasons, including two gongs for Zendaya\u2019s searing turn as central character Rue Bennett.\n <\/p>\n

\"Angus<\/p>\n

\n But it\u2019s been over four years since the second season of \u201cEuphoria\u201d and, well, a lot has happened.\n <\/p>\n

\n For starters, since 2022, \u201cEuphoria\u201d has been plagued by reports of chaos on set<\/a>, some of it spurred by delays following the dual writers and actors\u2019 strikes of 2023, and some of it reportedly due to rewrites and creative differences<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n

\n Now, as the series makes its long-awaited return Sunday, the third and suspected<\/a> final season of the Sam Levinson-created show is emerging into a drastically different world, both in terms of the story being told on screen and the generation of stars the show helped launch off screen.\n <\/p>\n

\n It all begs the question: has too much time passed?\n <\/p>\n

\"(From<\/p>\n

\n \u201cEuphoria\u201d \u2014 at least at its outset \u2014 followed a group of childhood friends who grapple with love, addiction and trauma through their high school years. Season 3, however, picks up five years since we last saw Rue, Nate and Cassie (played by Zendaya, Elordi and Sweeney, respectively), now firmly out of their teenage years as they wrestle with faith and redemption, according to an official synopsis<\/a>. The show also stars Colman Domingo, Alexa Demie, Hunter Schafer and Maude Apatow.\n <\/p>\n

\n As the creators hashed out how Season 3 would wrap up everyone\u2019s story, the show\u2019s breakout stars, particularly Sweeney and Elordi, saw meteoric rises in fame, with Zendaya continuing to ascend as well.\n <\/p>\n

\n Elordi returns this season as a newly minted Oscar nominee, earning recognition from Hollywood\u2019s most prestigious voting body for his performance in Guillermo Del Toro\u2019s \u201cFrankenstein\u201d last year, and Sweeney has become a mainstream star following buzzy roles including \u201cWhite Lotus,\u201d \u201cAnyone But You\u201d and last December\u2019s \u201cThe Housemaid,\u201d which will soon spawn a sequel. Sweeney also found herself at the center of several conversations<\/a> when she appeared in a controversial jeans ad last year.\n <\/p>\n

\"Sydney<\/p>\n

\n As for Zendaya, outside of starring in MCU movies and the Oscar-winning \u201cDune\u201d franchise, the former Disney performer has become a dominating, bankable Hollywood movie star, this year attached to \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d and the third and final \u201cDune\u201d installment, before she returns to Marvel in \u201cSpider-Man: Brand New Day\u201d this fall. And that\u2019s not to mention her film opposite Robert Pattinson, \u201cThe Drama,\u201d in theaters now.\n <\/p>\n

\n On top of that, \u201cEuphoria\u201d Season 3 is changing the vibe with a new sound. Prolific Hollywood film composer Hans Zimmer is credited for the season premiere episode\u2019s music instead of British artist Labrinth, who wrote the music for the first two seasons and was widely credited with giving the show a melodically unique identity.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cEuphoria\u201d has also endured some heartbreaking losses since last season.\n <\/p>\n

\n Cloud, who played lovable and earnest drug dealer Fezco in the show\u2019s first two seasons, died<\/a> at age 25 in 2023 due to an accidental overdose. And Dane, who portrayed Nate\u2019s repressed dad Cal Jacobs, died<\/a> in February following a battle with ALS, after filming scenes for the show\u2019s final season.\n <\/p>\n

\"Eric<\/p>\n

\n Despite Cloud\u2019s real-life death, Fezco is alive in Season 3, with Zendaya\u2019s Rue and Apatow\u2019s Lexi openly discussing him being in prison in the first episode.\n <\/p>\n

\n This was an intentional choice, according to Levinson, who said in a statement shared with CNN that this season became his way \u201cto honor Angus and all the kids who weren\u2019t offered a second chance.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Euphoria airs Sunday on HBO and streams on HBO Max, which, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Everything was different when \u201cEuphoria\u201d premiered in 2019. Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi were newcomers to the scene,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":599472,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[49,48,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-599471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}