Euphoria, created by Sam Levinson (The Idol), aired its first season on HBO in 2019. In its two released seasons, the show has won number of Emmys, a Golden Globe, People’s Choice Awards, and a long list of others. Rue, played by Zendaya (Spider-Man Far From Home), is a recovering drug addict, and according to Levinson, who spoke with Elle, has some big changes coming in the new season. Via Screenrant, “The show’s creator, writer, and director says that he sees the next season as a film noir and, through Rue, he plans to explore what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world.”
Film noir is a cinematic term that was used in the 1940’s and 1950’s to describe thriller or detective films that gave a pessimistic, menacing, or fatalistic mood. Via Screenrant, “with so little information available about Euphoria season 3, Levinson’s tease is an intriguing one.” The show has been juxtaposed to neo-noir, which uses the visual style and themes of film noir but is more modern and contains more graphic illustrations of sexuality and violence. According to Screenrant, “this is more in line with how Levinson describes season 3. Rue, a person with principles such as vulnerability and resilience, will continue to find her place in an increasingly complex and challenging world.”
With delays to the third season, including scheduling conflicts, and now the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike, no additional information about filming or release dates has been announced. In addition to production stalls, Barbie Ferreira (Nope), who played Kat Hernandez, announced last year she would be leaving the show before its third season, and Angus Cloud (North Hollywood), who played Fezco, passed away last month. The second season of HBO’s Euphoria became the second-most watched show on the network, averaging 16.3 million viewers per episode.
Despite setbacks, Levinson has left a lot for fans to sit with and ponder about the next season.