After the season 3 finale, HBO finally confirmed that Euphoria will not return for season 4 and has officially concluded. It’s Rue-lly over, everyone.
Spoilers for the Euphoria series finale: How can the show go on with both Rue and Nate dead? Especially Rue, who was the main character and the narrator and experienced a fatal overdose in the final episode. Sure, ensemble shows have attempted soft reboots after killing off major players before. But there’s no Euphoria without Rue. It’s maybe a little surprising that HBO waited so long to admit that season 3 was the last season, but it’s probably for the best that the show is not continuing past this tragic point.
Creator Sam Levinson told the New York Times via its podcast Popcast that “in terms of the story that we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me.” Oh! While he also told Esquire that he was open to continuing the series, the network confirmed that this is the end.
Was the Euphoria season 3 ending planned from the beginning?
Levinson additionally told Popcast that the finale was a tribute to Angus Cloud’s real-life fentanyl overdose and death. “Saying a prayer for the future,” in his words on Popcast. He told the NYT that he had originally written “a different trajectory” for Rue and changed course.
“Once he passed away,” Levinson continued, “I had to reconceive the script and I thought you can’t tell a story about addiction today without the very real consequences. Most people don’t get a second chance. Fentanyl can just take you out in an instant. It wasn’t like when I was growing up; you could literally take pills off the street and you might have a bad trip or something, but you’d be fine. This is something that hits close to home for a lot of people in this country. So it felt like the responsible thing to do.”
It’s a tragic ending, he said, “but it’s also the truth. If you are experimenting or taking drugs today, it’s very possible it’ll kill you.”
Has Zendaya said anything about the ending?
Not yet! Sydney Sweeney posted some BTS content to her IG Story and grid. Her onscreen sister, Maude Apatow, did as well. Alexa Demie opened up in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter about her journey to and on the show but not so much the ending. Jessica Treska, who bookended the series as Daisy Miller, talked to Elle about joining the show in the final season and her role in Rue’s story despite the tragic end. But Zendaya—and Jacob Elordi for that matter—have yet to comment.
