The first reviews for Euphoria Season 3 are coming in, and critics aren’t loving the return of the HBO show with Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney.
The third season of Euphoria premieres on HBO Max this Sunday. Created by Sam Levinson, the show stars Zendaya as Rue Bennett, Sweeney as Cassie Howard, Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn, Jacob Elordi as Nate Jacobs, Colman Domingo as Ali Muhammed, Alexa Demie as Maddy Perez, and Maude Apatow as Lexi Howard.
“A group of childhood friends wrestle with the virtue of faith, the possibility of redemption, and the problem of evil,” reads the official logline.
What are critics saying about Euphoria Season 3?
At the time of this article’s publication, the Rotten Tomatoes‘ Tomatometer score for Euphoria Season 3 is 53 percent with 19 reviews. This means that nearly half the critics who have seen episodes of Euphoria Season 3 dislike the way the show continues.
Some of the big criticisms are that the show now feels spiritually hollow, it has an inconsistent narrative, and it’s unsure what to do with its characters now that they’re all outside of high school.
Ben Travers wrote for IndieWire“Most characters aren’t changing, nor are their motivations to change clear to them or novel to us. The result is a start to the supposedly final season that grows old instead of up, while evoking a once-unthinkable question: How could Euphoria become boring?”
Brian Tallerico also said for RogerEbert.com“There are individual beats, scenes, and performances in these [first] three episodes that spark with that energy that the show found at its best, but 2026 Euphoria feels more uncertain of what it’s doing or saying than ever before. If the goal is to reflect a lack of direction or focus in the quarter-life crises of its characters through a show that also can’t maintain a train of thought, then mission accomplished.”
One positive aspect that many are in agreement on, however, is the performances. Milo Pope called Elordi, Sweeney, and Schafer “absolute superstars” for Metrowhile The Independent‘s Nick Hilton specifically praised Zendaya and Sweeney, though Hilton also says there’s “scarcely a bum performance” from anyone.
Euphoria Season 3 premieres on April 12, 2026. New episodes will continue to be released weekly, with there being eight episodes in total.
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