“Euphoria” season 3 is here – but the reviews are devastating. What Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney deliver, and why the HBO series fails.
Fans have waited four years for the return of “Euphoria”. Four years in which Zendaya finally became a global star, Jacob Elordi played his way towards the Oscar radar and Sydney Sweeney became the permanent face of the new Hollywood. Now the third season is here – and the critics are surprisingly unanimous in their disillusionment. According to initial reviews, what seemed like a triumphant comeback turns out to be a high-level crash.
Series hit at the time
“Euphoria” was once electrifying. When the series premiered on the US broadcaster HBO in 2019, it was a shock for many in the best sense of the word: provocative, fearless, an unexpectedly precise mirror of a generation. Drugs, sex, the search for identity – everything without a moral finger, staged in a visual language somewhere between a music video and a coming-of-age drama. Season two caused similarly strong waves. Then: silence.
A break that was far too long
The long break was not a voluntary luxury. Behind the scenes, tragedies piled up: cast member Angus Cloud died in 2023, and Eric Dane succumbed to the effects of ALS in February shortly after filming was completed. Barbie Ferreira left the series after season two, producer Kevin Turen died in autumn 2023. In March 2026, composer Labrinth also explained his exit briefly and unequivocally via Instagram: “Fuck Columbia. Double fuck Euphoria. I’m out.” Added to this were Hollywood strikes and the tight schedules of the now in-demand stars. The result: A series originally anchored in high school had to make a five-year time jump in order to keep up with the reality of its actors.
Several well-known media outlets are now criticizing the fact that this jump in time does not support the series in terms of content. The characters are in their early 20s, the high school chapter is over – and with it the framework that once held “Euphoria” together. The “BBC” judges that the show has lost its zeitgeist character and now has “very little to say”. The attempt to make the close circle of friends appear “somehow the same and yet different” seems “forced”.
Critics say: “Lazy writing”
Rue, played by Zendaya, once the emotional center of the series, has become a drug mule. Her debts to dealer Laurie, played by Martha Kelly, have escalated into a serious criminal involvement. The web magazine “Mashable” is not convinced: A series with so much potential and so much talent in front of and behind the camera repeatedly opts for cheap shock moments instead of real depth. “Lazy writing,” writes the New York Post.
Too many stars, too little material
A central problem that several reviews point out is that the stars have outgrown their roles – and the script doesn’t have a convincing answer to this. Jacob Elordi, who has had a remarkable film career since his first “Euphoria” season, now plays a Nate who seems so “out of character” that the New York Post asks why he even sacrificed his film schedule for this return.
The trade magazine “Variety” also diagnoses a fundamental identity crisis: While Rue’s addiction story used to be the focus, it is now increasingly about exchanging intimacy for money – a topic that visibly preoccupies showrunner Sam Levinson, without it being clear what he wants to say. “Variety” asks whether there is social criticism behind it – or just the desire to portray Sydney Sweeney in skimpy clothing.
Also available in Germany from April 13th
Despite the sometimes devastating initial reactions, one thing remains clear: So far, critics have only seen three episodes. The remaining consequences could change the story – or further increase the doubts. Even critical voices admit that the series has not lost its technical brilliance. Imagery, performances, sound – everything remains at a high level.
The viewers will now decide whether that is enough. In Germany, the third season of “Euphoria” starts on April 13, 2026 on Sky, WOW and HBO Max.
