Euphoria formally ends after seven years with controversial massacre finale that kills three characters
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson has officially confirmed that the controversial HBO show is well and truly over, following a bloody season three finale that saw the deaths of three major characters.
The series, which made stars out of Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney among others, aired its season three finale last night, with troubled protagonist Rue (Zendaya) dying after taking Percocet that had been intentionally laced with Fentanyl by drug boss Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje).
Now, Levinson has announced that the series has officially ended after seven years, confirming to The New York Times’ Popcast: “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.”
Zendaya had also said that she thought Euphoria was coming to an end in recent interviews, with the in-demand actor saying on The Drew Barrymore Show in April that “closure is coming”.
Speaking about the show’s heartbreaking ending, Levinson continued: “It was such a fulfilling journey in terms of this cast, the crew, what we were able to accomplish. There are thousands of things that have to go right in order to make something like this and I’m just immensely proud of the work we did and the story we told.”
He also said that Rue’s demise was a way of paying tribute to Angus Cloud, who played Fez on the show before his death aged 25 in 2023 from a drug overdose.
“It’s a tragic one in the end but it’s also the truth. If you are experimenting or taking drugs today, it’s very possible it will kill you and I think it was a way of honouring Angus and saying a prayer for the future,” he said.
Rue wasn’t the only character to be killed off in the bloodbath finale, with monotone drug boss Laurie (Martha Kelly) dying by suicide to avoid arrest, while her rival Alamo was shot dead by Rue’s sponsor Ali (Colman Domingo) to avenge her murder.
Fans have suspected that this could be the end of Euphoria for a while, with the show’s latest season taking four years to make it to our screens. During that time, the careers of its stars have reached new heights (partly thanks to the show), with Cassie’s Sydney Sweeney starring in box office hit Anyone But You, Nate’s Jacob Elordi receiving an Oscar nomination for his role in Frankenstein and entering the Bond rumour mill, and Zendaya starring in the Dune franchise, more Spider-Man films and the forthcoming Shrek 5.
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The show has also been plagued by drama and heartbreak over the past few years – with lead composer Labrinth suddenly quitting ahead of season three, rumours of a rift between Zendaya and Levinson over Rue’s storyline, Storm Reid and other actors being cut from the cast and the tragic death of Cloud.
Ahead of the finale, Alexa Demie – who played Maddy Perez on the show – shut down rumours that she plans to retire from acting with Euphoria now over. “People really take the authority out of your hands. What happened to my ability to choose? I like my life like this, and I wouldn’t change it,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
“There are goals, and things that I want, but I’m choosing to keep that private,” she said.
The season three finale of Euphoria is available to stream on Sky, NOW and HBO in the UK.
