‘Euphoria’ Probably Won’t Be Back Until 2025
HBO’s head of drama cited conflicting schedules and the ongoing writers strike as the main reasons behind the delay
Zendaya in Season Two of 'Euphoria.' EDDY CHEN/HBO
The only thing that may give those interminable, seemingly never-ending four years of high school a run for their money is the extremely long wait times in between seasons of Euphoria. After a three-year gap between its first and second seasons, the show is expected to endure another long delay and possibly not return until 2025.
HBO’s head of drama, Francesca Orsi, revealed the likely timetable in a new interview with Deadline. She cited several factors for the delay, including the busy schedule of the show’s star Zendaya, creator Sam Levinson’s work on The Idol, and the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
“Euphoria is one of those that we had begun writing in tandem with post-production on Idol but at this point, we don’t have countless scripts,” Orsi said. “We can’t start shooting, so the delivery of that show — ideally in 2025 — will be determined on when we can pick back up with Sam, who at this point is all pencils down and just finishing posts on Idol.”
Euphoria premiered in the summer of 2019 and couldn’t return until winter 2022 because of the pandemic. In the interim, however, Levinson and co. were able to produce two pared-down special episodes, which aired in Dec. 2020 and Jan. 2021.
While Season Two of Euphoria was a major hit and saw Zendaya earn her second Emmy for Outstanding lead Actress in a Drama, the show was also plagued by alleged behind-the-scenes drama. Much of it centered around the diminished role of Barbie Ferreira’s fan-favorite character Kat, and it was eventually announced that Ferreira was leaving the show. Despite rumored tension between Ferreira and Levinson, and a claim that Ferreira walked off-set following a disagreement, the actress has repeatedly denied the claim and said her decision to leave the show was “mutual” with Levinson.
There were also reports about the allegedly toxic working conditions on Euphoria, mirroring claims later made about the conditions on The Idol, which Rolling Stone reported on earlier this year. HBO has rebuffed those allegations as they pertain to both shows.
From Rolling Stone US.
