“Euphoria” is no stranger to controversy, it’s practically baked into the show. Over the past two seasons, the highly acclaimed series — which was created, produced, written, and directed by Sam Levinson — hasn’t shied away from the taboo, with storylines of addiction, teen pregnancy, and different forms of abuse. The newest and likely last season of the series began airing on Sunday, April 12, 2026, and follows the main characters five years after the last season left off. This new adult setting sheds concerns around having controversial things happen to high schoolers, but there are plenty of new concerns to take their place. A lot has changed in the four years of production. The musician who gave the show its iconic sound quit, and it’s possible that the dreamy hyper-stylized visual aesthetic that defined “Euphoria” has been lost. The cast has experienced both loss as well as controversies of their own.
The new season has so far been compared to fanfiction, with unfit “Breaking Bad” vibes, and suggestions of style over substance. Rotten Tomatoes scores have fallen each season; “Euphoria” was given a rating of 80 percent for season one, 78 percent for season two, and by season three, it’s at 45 percent and dropping.
Dubbed a “film noir” by creator Levinson, the third season dives into life for the characters outside of highschool, which for the main character Rue, played by Zendaya, means that things will be getting even more turbulent. No longer in a fictional California suburb, she starts the season off in Mexico, having been coerced into becoming a drug mule for drug dealer Laurie in order to make back the ten thousand dollars dollars she owed her in season two. What’s more, her debt has gained interest — now it’s one hundred thousand dollars. Fan favorite Maddy Perez, played by Alexa Demie, is also in debt, but lives a more glamorous life. She’s become a talent manager for Hollywood and social media stars. Sydney Sweeney’s controversial character Cassie Howard is engaged to Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi. Cassie is fully prepared to go into debt in order to pay for the fifty thousand dollar flower arrangement of her dreams for the couple’s upcoming wedding, and plans to offset this steep cost by joining OnlyFans.
Between Cassie’s messy behavior in the previous season and Sweeney’s numerous controversies outside of the show, her character is a hot topic. In only one episode, the show has created numerous now-infamous and at times disgusting scenes. Sex work becoming central to the plot and certain undertones can make the portrayal feel degrading.
In the four years between the release of season two and three of “Euphoria,” Levinson worked on another controversial HBO Max series, “The Idol,” which starred the Weeknd. The show received similar complaints to the third season of “Euphoria” — that it’s oversexualized, caters to the male gaze, likely plays off of Levinson’s own fantasies, and that Levinson stole from or wronged other creators. In the case of “The Idol,” Levinson took over the show in the middle of production after filmmaker Amy Seimetz left it and made significant changes to the work. Reports alleged that the “creative differences” that made Seimetz leave the show were The Weeknd’s unhappiness with the show’s female-focused perspective. Levinson certainly took the show away from that direction. In the case of “Euphoria,” photographer and director Petra Collins was originally intended to direct the show, and Levinson said he’d written the story with Collins’ photography work in mind. Collins was later dropped from the project entirely and was told it was due to her age. However, her artistic aesthetic remained, without her knowledge or control. Creative disputes and mistreatment in the production of “Euphoria” don’t end there.
This latest season sounded different, and that’s because of the departure of its Emmy-winning composer, Labrinth, who denounced both his record label and the show. While the details are unclear, Labrinth cites mistreatment and lying as his reasons for distancing himself from the project. While these may seem like isolated incidents, put together they become a pattern — one that stems from Levinson.
Even with the concerts about the third season flopping, the premiere drew in 8.5 million viewers in its first three days. This number is made even more impressive in the face of the show’s four year hiatus, heaps of controversies, and questionable creators. Nevertheless, the first episode of the third season of “Euphoria” undeniably sets up a number of intriguing new storylines, and with the suspense of once-weekly episode drops, the hype is only building.