First Euphoria Season 3 Reactions Are Mostly Negative, But Critics Agree On One Thing

Critics are weighing in on the third (and perhaps final?) season of "Euphoria," the high-stakes drama created and engineered by Sam Levinson. So is the series that won Zendaya not one but two Emmy awards for playing young addict Rue still worth watching after a long wait, a time jump, and a disconcerting final trailer that left fans in suspense about their favorite characters? Nobody's ... sure.

To call critics "split" over "Euphoria" season 3 is an understatement. Writing for the BBC, Caryn James gave the season a rating of 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "It is a strained attempt to make the closed circle of friends it follows, now in their early 20s, somehow the same only different." Daniel Fienberg agreed and built upon that point for The Hollywood Reporter: "The show has become increasingly busy, without necessarily becoming increasingly involving and, especially in the second episode, I was intellectually checked out much more than was ideal." Over at The Wrap, Hunter Ingram continued that train of thought, writing, "It's hard to root for people who aren't interested in rooting for themselves, and too few of these characters have been given the capacity for it."

So are there any positive critical reviews of "Euphoria" season 3? Yes, actually ... though they were somewhat measured, like Meghan O'Keefe for Decider. "After watching the first three episodes of Euphoria season 3, it's unclear whether there's hope for Rue and her friends, but there's definitely a chance this polarizing HBO show might end its run on an incandescent high note," she wrote. There's one clear winner in this whole situation, though, and that's Zendaya.

A handful of critics who had mixed feelings about the three episodes of "Euphoria" season 3 provided to them did zero in on one success, and it won't surprise you ... because it's Zendaya. The youngest Emmy winner for leading actress in a drama and first Black woman to win it twice is an immensely talented performer who just wowed moviegoers with her performance in "The Drama" (a movie in which Zendaya's character Emma is not the villain). Tyler Doster at AwardsWatch pinpointed her specifically, writing in his review, "Zendaya is still giving one of the finest performances on television, but it might be time [for the show] to call it quits." Milo Pope, for Metro.co.uk., agreed: "Zendaya's performance revealing Rue's struggles is a shining light in this disappointing return," he said.

Still, Roxana Hadidi, who identified "a clear Emmy-submission scene" for Zendaya in her review for Vulture, still clarified that even this blockbuster scene rings hollow because of the show's overall quality. "It's a powerful sequence, but it's memorable less for Zendaya's individual strength as an actress and more because it's the only time in these three episodes when a female character is given any glimpse of a hidden life," she concludes.

There were even some critics that unabashedly enjoyed season 3 of "Euphoria," like Nick Schager at The Daily Beast. "After four years, 'Euphoria' is back, as tawdry and titillating as ever. And yet also, somehow, better," he mused. Liz Miller agreed over at Consequence. "Age has mellowed out both the show and the chaotic adolescents it was once about," she wrote. "The result: A sprawling crime tale with dashes of Hollywood glamour. People still have big feelings and make bad decisions. But it sure beats high school."

Since I found even the "positive" reviews of "Euphoria" season 3 to be tempered in one way or another, I think we can conclude that critics just didn't like this season very much. Brian Tallerico certainly didn't at RogerEbert.com. "There are individual beats, scenes, and performances in these 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," he said in his review. Over at TV Guide, Lyvie Scott couldn't figure out how to empathize with the characters, which is understandable: "Watching this fractured friend group reassemble, you're left wondering what, if anything, there is left for them to say to each other."

At IndieWire, Ben Travers got right to the point in his review ("[Sam] Levinson's series was never this spiritually hollow, and it was always more active, insistent, and ambitious") and Lauren Samer drew a similar conclusion at the New York Post, writing, "If you want narrative coherence and character consistency, Season 3 leaves you wanting." 

It's an oversimplification to say that "Euphoria" is divisive, and this season — which, again, has taken forever to make and involves a time jump that brings its characters out of high school — was always going to make significant waves. Still, some people are along for the ride with Levinson, Zendaya, and the rest of the crew no matter what ... including Alison Herman at Variety. "'Euphoria' is never not entertaining," she wrote. Well, at least there's that.

"Euphoria" returns with its long-awaited third season on Sunday, April 12, 2026.