The wait for the third season of HBO’s hit drama Euphoria is almost over, and star Zendaya is finally sharing her thoughts on bringing the show back to life. The 28-year-old actress, who plays Rue Bennett, spoke publicly about the intense filming process and her hopes for the upcoming episodes during the premiere of her new movie The Drama in Los Angeles on March 17, 2026.
Euphoria Season 3 is scheduled to premiere on April 12, 2026, on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. That is more than four years after the second season ended in February 2022. The new season will have eight episodes, airing weekly on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
For global audiences, the show will be available on HBO’s regular cable channels and streaming platforms. In the UK, it will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW. Viewers in Canada can watch on Crave, while Australian fans can find it on Binge and Foxtel. Indian audiences can stream the series on Disney+ Hotstar, which carries HBO content.
Zendaya Calls Filming a Whirlwind Due to Packed Schedule
Zendaya described the experience of filming the third season as incredibly fast-paced and intense. With a schedule that also includes major movie releases this year, the actress had to compress her work on the show into a much shorter time frame.
“Gosh, it was a whirlwind,” Zendaya told Variety at the premiere event. “I did what I do in eight months in, like, four months. It was like trying to get eight episodes in at once. It just flew by me.”
The star is having a busy 2026 with several high-profile projects. Besides Euphoria, she will appear in The Drama, Dune: Part Three, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Christopher Nolan’s epic film The Odyssey. This packed schedule meant long days and quick turnarounds on the set of the HBO series.
Despite the rush, Zendaya remains positive about the final product. She revealed that she has gotten a small preview of what is to come.
“I’ve seen a little bit, but gosh, it was a whirlwind. I’m excited. I hope it turns out beautifully.”
Her words reflect a sense of cautious optimism as the show prepares to return after such a long break. She did not share specific plot details but made it clear she is proud of the work the cast and crew put in under tight deadlines.
What to Expect From the New Episodes
Euphoria Season 3 takes place five years after the events of the second season. Creator Sam Levinson revealed that the time jump moves the characters well beyond their high school years.
Rue is now living in Mexico, still dealing with the debt she owes to drug dealer Laurie. She is trying to find creative ways to pay off what she owes while navigating her sobriety journey. Other characters have also moved on to completely new lives.
Sydney Sweeney returns as Cassie Howard, and Levinson shared some interesting details about her storyline. Cassie and Jacob Elordi’s character, Nate Jacobs, are now married and living in the suburbs. Cassie is described as being very focused on social media and feeling envious of the lives her former classmates appear to be living online.
Hunter Schafer is back as Jules Vaughn, who is now in art school. Alexa Demie plays Maddy Perez, who works at a talent agency in Hollywood. Maude Apatow’s Lexi Howard is working as an assistant to a television showrunner.
Jacob Elordi also teased his experience working on the new season back in October 2025. He called the process liberating and hinted at big changes for his character.
“It was incredible, man. It was incredibly liberating. I got to play something so sort of far out from what I’ve done before. Sam constructed something that’s incredibly clever and cinematic. I think people are really going to like it.”
Elordi also explained that the cast filmed their scenes separately, meaning many of them do not know the full story yet.
“Everybody shoots at different storylines. I don’t know what anyone else is doing. I had a really singular storyline. You don’t know what the other story lines are. It’s like FBI files. So it’s great because I’ll get to consume the show the same way that everybody else does as a fan, which I haven’t been able to do before. I’m really excited.”
Who Is Coming Back and Who Is New
The cast for Euphoria Season 3 brings back most of the main players while also introducing a long list of new faces. Returning series regulars include Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow, Eric Dane, Martha Kelly, and Chloe Cherry. Colman Domingo will return as a guest star. Dominic Fike is also back as Elliot, and Nika King returns as Rue’s mother, Leslie.
The show had to deal with the tragic loss of Angus Cloud, who played Fezco. He passed away in July 2023 at the age of 25. His character will not be part of the new season. Barbie Ferreira, who played Kat Hernandez, also will not return.
The list of new cast members joining the show is long and includes some surprising names. Sharon Stone, Natasha Lyonne, Rosalía, Trisha Paytas, Danielle Deadwyler, Eli Roth, and Sam Trammell are among the 18 new actors added to the ensemble. Other newcomers include Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Toby Wallace, Marshawn Lynch, Gideon Adlon, Colleen Camp, and Rebecca Pidgeon.
This large group of new cast members suggests the show will expand its world significantly, introducing new characters for the main cast to interact with in their post-high school lives.
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The Long Road to Season 3
Getting Euphoria Season 3 to the screen took much longer than anyone expected. The show faced multiple delays, including the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023. Cast availability also became a major challenge as the young actors from the show became huge stars with crowded schedules.
Filming finally began in Los Angeles on February 10, 2025, and wrapped up in November 2025. The production was kept under wraps for most of the year, with only occasional updates from the cast and crew. The first trailer dropped in January 2026, giving fans their first real look at what the new episodes would look like.
Francesca Orsi, the Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, expressed excitement when production started. She said in a statement, “I am thrilled that we are ready to begin production on Euphoria in January. We could not be happier with our creative partnership with Sam and this incredible cast. We look forward to bringing this new season of Euphoria to life for the fans.”
Zendaya previously spoke about what she wanted to explore in the new season during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. She said, “I think it’ll be exciting to explore the characters out of high school. I want to see what Rue looks like in her sobriety journey, how chaotic that might look. But also with all the characters, in the sense where they’re trying to figure out what to do with their lives when high school is over and what kind of people they want to be.”
The show remains one of HBO’s biggest hits, and the network is banking on a strong return. The first two seasons earned 25 Emmy nominations and nine wins, including two Lead Actress awards for Zendaya.
With the premiere now just weeks away, fans will finally get to see if the long wait was worth it. The first episode of Euphoria Season 3 airs on April 12, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max.
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