Euphoria creator teases new storylines for the show's third season

Sam Levinson has given updates on what is in store for characters in the third season of popular drama Euphoria, which will air in April next year, after more than four years off our screens.

The HBO show follows a group of young adults going through a number of issues including drug and sex addiction, crime and betrayal and includes a star-studded cast of Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi and Hunter Schafe.

Also joining for this season are singer Rosalía and media personality Trisha Paytas, who will slot into a timeline that sees the main characters wrestling with adult life for the first time.

Levinson shared a sneak peak of the new series at an event in London, explaining that "five years felt like a natural place because if they'd gone to college they'd be out of college at that time".

He said that Rue, played by Zendaya is "south of the [US] border in Mexico, in debt to Laurie (played by Martha Kelly), trying to come up with some very innovative ways to pay it off".

Levinson also gave updates on Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi's characters Cassie and Nate.

"Cassie is living in the suburbs with Nate, they're engaged and she's very addicted to social media and envious of what appears to be the big lives that all of her high school classmates are living at this point in time," he also said.

Levinson, who also created HBO series The Idol, which got some of the worst reviews of 2023 and was cancelled after one series, said Cassie and Nate's wedding will be "unforgettable" for viewers.

He also shared that Hunter Schafer's character Jules will be "in art school" trying to make it as a painter, while Alexa Demie's character Maddy will be working in "Hollywood at a talent agency".

Maude Apatow's character Lexi "is an assistant to a show runner played by Sharon Stone".

Levinson added: "I feel strongly this is our best season yet."

Austin Abrams, Algee Smith and Storm Reed are not returning for series three, while Barbie Ferreira, who played Kat, left at the end of season two.

Angus Cloud, who played Fezco, died in July 2023 at the age of 25.

Cloud's death and Hollywood strikes halted production of the show's third season, which was due to start in December 2023.

It's not yet known how Cloud's absence will affect storylines in the season.

Colman Domingo, who plays Ali on the show, told Vanity Fair in 2024 that Fezco's character was originally going to feature strongly in the series.

"I'm sure it affected not only the creation of season three, because [Angus] was going to be a very strong part of it... We came together as a cast many times to grieve, to mourn, to laugh and enjoy all the things we know about Angus," he said.

Euphoria is one of HBO's biggest hits and is its fourth most-watched show behind Game of Thrones, The Last of Us and House of the Dragon.

Zendaya has won two Emmys and a Golden Globe for her performance as the lead, with Domingo winning a guest actor Emmy for the series.