For fans of the hit HBO drama “Euphoria,” the wait for Season 3 has been endless. Season 2 of the Zendaya-led series aired its finale in February 2022. While there are outside factors to blame for the delay, it’s also being reported that some of the confusion came directly from the top.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Emmy-winning star has taken issue with creator Sam Levinson pushing “Euphoria” to the side for his other projects. Throughout the first two seasons of the teen drama, Zendaya and Levinson were “thick as thieves,” with the actress shadowing him so she could direct an episode in Season 3.
However, when he became much more involved with the polarizing HBO drama “The Idol,” their relationship began to change. In case you haven’t seen the bonkers drama, it stars Lily-Rose Depp as a has-been pop star who becomes ensnared in the world of cult leader Tedros, played by The Weeknd. It’s widely considered one of the worst TV shows in recent history.
Levinson was initially supposed to just be a producer for “The Idol,” but when it became the subject of behind-the-scenes drama, he had to take over the project, which left “Euphoria” Season 3 in limbo.
The outlet’s sources say Zendaya became so frustrated that she met with HBO Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys, as well as EVP and head of drama Francesca Orsi to find out why Levinson was allowed to make “The Idol” a top priority at the expense of “Euphoria.”
Things got worse when “The Idol” became the subject of a scathing Rolling Stone article, which detailed claims of a “toxic work environment.” Due to her previous collaborations with Levinson, the “Challengers” star found herself included in the intense backlash to “The Idol,” and she wasn’t happy about it.
With their relationship becoming increasingly strained, there was another meeting with Zendaya, Levinson, Bloys and Orsi, in which the execs tried to repair things, but it didn’t work out. “They went from being so close, and they couldn’t fix it,” a source told The Hollywood Reporter.
Another sticking point between the two is Levinson’s wife Ashley taking over as an executive producer on “Euphoria.” After Levinson split from his late producing partner Kevin Turen, she stepped into the role, butting heads with cast and crew because she’s “more sharp-elbowed than conciliatory.” Zendaya has made it clear that “she doesn’t want Ashley Levinson as the only executive producer on Season 3.”
As the delay drags on, the series’ young cast have not only aged further away from their high school characters, many of them have developed successful movie careers. The show is currently scheduled to finally begin production on Season 3 in January. Of course, there’s still five months until that possible start, which is plenty of time for more issues to pop up.
Backstage drama on hit series is nothing new, but HBO’s execs can only put up with the extended delay of one of its most popular and acclaimed dramas for so long before the network has to make hard decisions.
After all this chaos, “Euphoria” Season 3 better be worth the wait. In the meantime, you can stream Seasons 1 and 2 on Max.
