Euphoria is officially over after seven years, three seasons and 26 episodes. Sam Levinson, the creator, writer and director of the show, announced it on Popcast, the New York Times’ music podcast, and HBO later confirmed the news to Variety.
The Season 3 closer “In God We Trust,” was its series finale, Levinson said. “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.”
The drama concludes on HBO with the death of Zendaya’s Rue from an accidental overdose. In a behind-the-scenes feature that played after the finale, Levinson said, “It felt like an honest ending. The honest ending is people like Rue don’t make it. … I think in the end, I wanted to tell an honest story about addiction. I also wanted to tell a story about grief and the emotional turmoil that it can create.”
An Honest Ending
After Jacob Elordi’s Nate Jacobs dies in the second-to-last episode, Rue follows him in the finale. That cause of death ached at how Angus Cloud, who portrayed Rue’s best friend on the show, had also died in real life during the writing process for Season 3. Levinson told the New York Times the finale was tailored as a tribute, saying, “It was a way of honoring Angus and saying a prayer for the future.”
As Rue’s vision shows Fezco, Cloud’s character, intercut with footage of the two actors before his 2023 death, Levinson said, “I wanted to tell the story for Angus and for people who weren’t granted a second chance.”
People had long suspected it would be the last with a four-year wait between Seasons 2 and 3 and destructive rumors of behind-the-scenes feuding. In that time, Sydney Sweeney and Elordi—both of whom came on board after catching notice—had both secured big film projects.
Euphoria is Ending but Fans Carry On
Euphoria will end with three eight-episode seasons throughout seven years, and two specials made during the pandemic that linked Seasons 1 and 2. Zendaya won two Emmys for Seasons 1 and 2, and is once again a powerhouse to watch this year.
The series became HBO’s second-most-watched program ever, after Game of Thrones. Levinson told the Times before this season began, he write “every season like it’s the last,” admitting he was at a loss for words when asked about a Season 4. That is the word.
