Sam Levinson’s controversial teen drama Euphoria returned to HBO for its third and likely final season on April 12th, a full four years after the release of its second season. The third season takes the absence into account, picking up with its primary cast of characters five years after the events of the season 2 finale. As a result, the show has left its high school setting behind in favor of showing how each member of the cast continued down their life’s path as adults. However, not all the primary cast returned for the third season of Euphoria.
While most of the now-major stars like Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, and Hunter Schafer are reprising their roles, others won’t return for various reasons. Barbie Ferreira elected not to return as fan-favorite Kat Hernandez after it was reportedly agreed that there was very little left to do with her character. As a result, there was little left to do for her boyfriend, Ethan (Austin Abrams). Storm Reid also won’t return to her role as Gia Bennett, although she is simply pursuing other opportunities.
Angus Cloud, the beloved actor behind Fezco O’Neill, the soft-spoken drug dealer who stole fans’ hearts in the first two seasons, tragically passed away in 2023. With the character of Fezco was left on a cliffhanger after an explosive season 2 finale, one of the most significant questions handing over the first episode of season 3 of Euphoria was how the show would handle his absence.
‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Reveals Fezco Is in Prison for 30 Years
The finale of season 2 saw Fezco’s house raided by the police after the drug dealer and his 12-year-old accomplice Ashtray were betrayed by their supplier. In the ultra-violent fray, Ashtray is killed by police gunfire while Fezco is shot and later arrested. That’s the last that anyone sees of Fezco as the rest of the character arcs come to close.
In the season three premiere, Zendaya’s Rue Bennett directly addresses Fezco in a conversation with Maude Apatow’s Lexi Howard. Rue encourages Lexi to call Fezco, who she had been in the process of developing one of the show’s few wholesome relationships with when he was arrested. Lexi mentions that their schedules don’t line up as she works in Hollywood, and it’s implied that the reason for her hesitance to reach out to him is actually that he’s in prison for the next 30 years following the police raid on his house and his arrest.
The ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Premiere Does Include a Brief Dedication to Angus Cloud
Angus Cloud’s tragic death in 2023 shocked Hollywood, as his career was just taking off following his star-making role in Euphoria. Naturally, fans questioned if Sam Levinson and the team behind Euphoria would find a way to honor his memory with the show’s return. Following the first episode’s credits, there is a very brief “In Memoriam” section that honors three departed members of the production: Angus Cloud, producer Kevin Turen, who also died in 2023, and actor Eric Dane (Cal Jacobs), who died in February 2026 from complications related to ALS. While it’s possible there is a more elaborate method of honoring his memory in future episodes or at the end of season 3, that brief credit is all that the premiere included.
- Release Date
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2019 – 2026-00-00
- Network
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HBO
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
