HBO Renews Euphoria For Season 3, Time To Stock Up On Glitter And Trauma

No surprises here: HBO's phenomenon "Euphoria" has been renewed for a third season. The intense and stylish teen series is currently midway through its eight-episode second season.

The renewal comes in the wake of an extremely successful sophomore season. Despite over two years of downtime between its first and second seasons, "Euphoria" broke HBO Max records with its second season premiere, and has only continued to gain momentum since. The series, which is led by Zendaya, has all but taken over social media on Sunday nights in a way few HBO shows have since "Game of Thrones" ended. HBO reports that the premiere episode was "the #1 most social premium cable episode" since the "Thrones" finale in 2019.

Francesca Orsi, who is the Executive Vice President of HBO programming, shared her excitement about the renewal:

"Sam, Zendaya, and the entire cast and crew of EUPHORIA have taken Season 2 to extraordinary heights, challenging narrative convention and form, while maintaining its heart. We couldn't be more honored to work with this gifted, wildly talented team or more excited to continue our journey with them into Season 3."

There's still plenty of drama to get through before the show's third season. When viewers last saw the teens of "Euphoria," nearly all of them were at a series low point. Cassie (Sydney Sweenie) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) are conducting what may be the world's messiest and most ill-advised affair, all while maintaining relationships with his ex and her best friend, Maddy (Alexa Demie).

Rue (Zendaya) is pulling away from her relationship with Jules (Hunter Schafer) in favor of her drug habit, while newcomer Elliot (Dominic Fike) grows closer to both characters. Meanwhile, hilariously normal-by-comparison teen Lexi (Maude Apatow) is writing a play about it all. Barbie Ferreira, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Nika King, Algee Smith, Javon Walton, Storm Reid, and Austin Abrams round out the talented main cast. "Euphoria" is created by Sam Levinson, who also writes, directs, and executive produces.

It's too early to tell what the "Euphoria" season 3 timeline will look like, but the season 2 finale is set to air on February 27, 2022. Fans' season 3 wishlists will likely be long, but one common — and fair — refrain is a wish for Levinson to take on a co-writer to handle complex and diverse teen experiences. Some series regulars, like Ferreira and Smith, have also had bizarrely minimal screen time this season, so it remains to be seen if they'll get more air time as the show moves forward. Regardless, "Euphoria" is a dramatic freight train that's going full speed ahead. It can't be stopped, so the best thing we can do is brace ourselves and try to enjoy the thrill ride.