Whether Euphoria will return for a fourth season remains genuinely uncertain, but the signals from its biggest star suggest the show may have run its course.
Zendaya, who plays Rue Bennett and serves as an executive producer on the HBO drama, was asked directly on The Drew Barrymore Show in April whether season three would be the last.
“I think so, yeah,” she replied. “That closure is coming.” She was reflective about what the show has meant to her personally.
“It cracked my heart open. Rue taught me so much about empathy and about redemption. She taught me a lot, and I’m very grateful for all of it.”
Show creator Sam Levinson has said he has “no plans” for a fourth season, though he acknowledged that he writes “every season like it’s the last season”, leaving the door fractionally ajar.
HBO is taking a similarly wait-and-see approach.
CEO Casey Bloys told Deadline in January that the network needs to understand what Levinson wants to do next before any decisions can be made.
“I don’t know exactly what he wants to do next, so that’ll be a conversation with him,” Bloys said.
Several cast members are deferring entirely to Levinson.
Sydney Sweeney told Variety in October that she would return “if there are more stories to tell within our characters’ worlds,” adding simply: “I love Cassie.”
Jessica Blair Herman, who joined the season three cast, expressed the same sentiment.
“It’s up to Sam. He has this vision and wherever it takes him, it takes him. And if you’re lucky to be a part of it, then it’s a dream come true.”
One cast member, however, won’t be returning regardless of what happens.
Jacob Elordi’s character Nate was killed off in the penultimate episode of season three, bringing his run on the show to a close.
Calling the ending “bittersweet,” Elordi said: “This show is a massive part of, not just my career, but my life. It’s been amazing and I’m so proud of being a part of it.”
The extended gap between seasons two and three was partly due to the 2023 writers and actors strikes, but also reflected something more personal.
The show lost Angus Cloud to an accidental overdose in 2023, and Eric Dane passed away from ALS shortly before the season three premiere.
Levinson said he wanted to “deliver a f–king slam dunk” of a final season in their honour, adding: “I want to finish this as strong as I can.”
Whether that finish is truly final remains to be seen. But for now, the question of Euphoria’s future rests entirely with one man.
