Euphoria Season 3 Faces Critical Backlash as 'Unhinged Disaster'
Early press screenings of the first three episodes of HBO Max's Euphoria season three have yielded a damning verdict from critics, who describe the anticipated continuation as an 'unhinged disaster' yet simultaneously 'pretty uneventful.' This marks a stark departure from the first two seasons of Sam Levinson's drug-fuelled drama, which were widely celebrated by both audiences and reviewers.
Critical Consensus Plummets on Rotten Tomatoes
The third season, which is likely to be the show's final chapter, has garnered a dismal 53 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 19 reviews. This represents a significant decline from the previous acclaim, with many critics expressing disappointment in the narrative direction and character development.
Reviewers Highlight Narrative Flaws and Aesthetic Choices
New York Post critic Lauren Samer characterised the season, which features a five-year time jump, as 'Breaking Bad meets Looney Tunes.' She noted that while earlier seasons were anchored by deep human drama, the new instalment sees characters struggling due to random criminal plots rather than their inherent flaws.
TV Guide's Lyvie Scott offered a more nuanced perspective, praising the show's use of the American West as an aesthetic touchstone. 'It embraces how tacky and bleak this show has always been,' Scott wrote, drawing parallels between influencer culture and historical events like the California gold rush.
Widespread Criticism from Major Publications
The BBC's Caryn James awarded the season just two out of five stars, stating 'Euphoria has become a series with very little to say, none of it very audacious or compelling.' Similarly, Indiewire's Ben Travers gave it a C-, criticising its repetitive character arcs and contrived shock value.
Variety critic Alison Herman expressed concern over the oversexualisation of characters, many of whom are now involved in sex work or crime. 'It's still not clear what so compels Levinson about the exchange of intimacy for money,' Herman questioned.
Vulture's Roxana Hadadi described the season as 'completely airless,' with characters stuck in high-school thinking patterns, while The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg suggested the series was leaping toward 'flashy irrelevance.'
Context and Background on Showrunner Sam Levinson
The criticism comes after Levinson's previous project, HBO's The Idol, earned an abysmal 19 percent critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes in 2023. Some reviewers have noted Levinson's background as the son of director Barry Levinson, having co-written his father's HBO film The Wizard of Lies before launching Euphoria.
The eight-episode third season, premiering this Sunday, features a star-studded cast including:
- Zendaya
- Sydney Sweeney
- Jacob Elordi
- Hunter Schafer
- Maude Apatow
- Alexa Demie
- Sharon Stone
- Rosalía
- Marshawn Lynch
- Kadeem Hardison
- The late Eric Dane
Despite the impressive ensemble, early reviews suggest Euphoria's third season struggles to maintain the compelling drama that originally defined the series, instead opting for what many critics describe as derivative and kitschy storytelling.
