Sam Levinson's hit HBO series, Euphoria, is returning for a third season with another star-studded cast.
Since premiering in 2019, Euphoria's popularity sky-rocketed for HBO during its first two seasons. That is in part due to a young, talented group of performers including Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, and Sydney Sweeney.
Season 3 was quickly greenlit for another set of episodes following Season 2 and was mentioned as one of the top priorities for HBO following the writers' strike.
All the Characters Expected for Euphoria Season 3
The cast of Euphoria through its first two seasons has accelerated to stardom, stirred up controversy, and been involved in some tragedy. Here's a look at who's returning for Season 3.
Zendaya - Rue Bennet
International superstar Zendaya is set to reprise her role as Rue, a teenage drug addict with a complicated love life.
When discussing Rue's future after a grim second season, including Episode 5 which saw Zendaya running through the streets following a drug relapse, the actress wants to see “a little bit of happiness and a little bit of joy" in Season 3, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Hunter Schafer - Jules Vaughn
Kicking off her acting career with Euphoria Season 1, Hunter Schafer is now set to star in the upcoming The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes prequel film.
Schafer, a 24-year-old transgender woman, plays Jules in Euphoria who is also trans and has a complicated romantic relationship with Rue. Her role in Season 3 will most likely be pivotal once again as she could be the key to Rue's sobriety.
Maude Apatow - Lexi Howard
Lexi will return to Season 3 of Euphoria and is portrayed by Maude Apatow, the daughter of filmmaker Judd Apatow.
Euphoria has been a defining role for Apatow, and her character's expansive storyline in Season 2 was boosted by her strong performance. Her play in the series, titled "Our Life," was the culminating moment in the second season and ruffled many feathers, including her sister, Cassie.
Sydney Sweeney - Cassie Howard
Cassie is Lexi's older sister who has been wonderfully (and emotionally) portrayed by Sydney Sweeney. The actress's career is ascending, starring in Sony's Madame Web film next year and the rom-com Anyone But You alongside Geln Powell this year, but the expectation is that she'll return for Season 3.
On the future of Cassie, via E! News, Sweeney addressed the fans knowing Cassie needs "to get her s--t together:"
"I know that the fans need her to somehow figure out how to get her s--t together. but I really hope for a while that I can enjoy crazy Cassie."
Alexa Demie - Maddy Perez
"Wait, is this f***ing play about us?" - Maddy Perez
Alexa Demie owns the role of Maddy, the popular high school girl who isn't afraid of telling anyone what's on her mind. Her toxic relationship with Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) has been well-documented in the first two seasons, and it will be interesting to see where the character heads in Season 3.
Jacob Elordi - Nate Jacobs
Possibly the most infamous Euphoria character is Nate Jacobs, who has a shattered home life and expresses himself usually in all the wrong ways.
Jacob Elordi's career has quickly taken off since starring in Euphoria. The actor is in four different 2023 films, including portraying Elvis Presley in the Priscilla movie.
Elordi spoke about Nate's direction in Season 3, via Deadline, saying he's "happy to see [his character] go anywhere:"
“I don’t know he’s so unpredictable and Sam (Levinson) is so unpredictable but I’m happy to see it go anywhere. I trust Sam and he’s a bit of a mad genius so wherever he takes it I’m happy to go.”
In addition, pictures were released back in April of Elordi and Barry Keoghan training for their upcoming projects, respectively. The two also are co-starring in the upcoming MGM film, Saltburn.
Dominic Fike - Elliot
It was confirmed by Teen Vogue that Dominic Fike would be returning for Euphoria Season 3. Before breaking out in his role as Elliot, Fike was mainly known as a singer-songwriter who created the song "3 Nights" in 2019.
Since then, his music career has continued to be a success, releasing a new album this year and having his song "Mona Lisa" featured in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
There's a theory that Elliot is actually Nate's estranged brother, which Fike himself admitted he "looked at it for a while" online:
“I'm not even going to lie. I saw this one online. I looked at it for a while, and there were so many things connecting. So many people were talking about it all through these Reddit threads. And at the end of it, I was like, ‘Am I Nate's brother?’”
Eric Dane - Cal Jacobs
One of Euphoria's most broken and abusive characters is Nate's dad Cal, played by Eric Dane. After diving deeper into his backstory in Season 2, Cal will once again be returning for Season 3.
Dane revealed while participating in a Q&A with Variety that he expected "redemption" from Cal in Season 3 after his arrest in Season 2:
"There’s gonna be redemption. I mean, that’s the trajectory he’s on. I can’t imagine Cal’s life from solitary confinement. It’s tough to work Cal into the storyline when he’s behind bars."
Algee Smith - Chris McKay
Chris McKay's character was greatly reduced in Season 2 of Euphoria. The former football star and ex-boyfriend of Cassie, he's struggling with identity issues and trauma from an assault and had only two brief appearances in the second season.
Actor Algee Smith expressed uncertainty about the character's future, raising questions about his trajectory and unresolved storylines.
Storm Reid - Gia Bennett
Gia is Rue's little sister that any viewer would feel bad for due to the incredibly poor example that is being set for her. Gia will likely play another vital role in Season 3 in an effort to help Rue find a purpose in her life.
Storm Reid has been an active actress, this year having key roles in The Last of Us, Missing, and The Nun II.
Nika King - Leslie Bennett
Another victim of Rue's poor decision-making is her mom, Leslie. Portrayed by Nika King, some of the most heartbreaking scenes are between Leslie and Rue.
Trying to keep her daughter alive and family together, Leslie will be back in Season 3 playing the linchpin role.
Austin Abrams - Ethan Daley
Ethan, played by Austin Abrams, is best known for being Kat's boyfriend in Euphoria. In Season 2, they officially became a couple, but Kat was unhappy and tried to manipulate Ethan into breaking up by pretending to be sick. This eventually led to their breakup, leaving Ethan distraught.
Finding a narrative thread for Ethan in Season 3 will be interesting as Kat (Barbie Ferreira) isn't expected to return.
Colman Domingo - Ali Muhammed
During a Euphoria Special Episode, Ali and Rue have a candid conversation about addiction and personal struggles, with Ali sharing his own experiences and expressing faith in Rue's ability to overcome her challenges.
This mentor role portrayed by Colman Domingo was well received and added an interesting character to the show that's not directly tied into the dramatic plot.
Seasons 1 and 2 of Euphoria are streaming now on Max.
