Look, we all knew HBO prides itself on its prestige-era edge, but watching the Zendaya-led Euphoria feels a bit like bathing yourself in debauchery, punched up and made pretty via glitter. There are traumatized kids reeling through the post-9/11 era with a jaw-dropping menu of cheap drugs and designer drugs, regular porn and revenge porn, self-harm and self-sabotage, but they’re all so gorgeous it’s hard to decide whether you’re meant to pity or envy them. And while it’s true Euphoria might dig its own shock value with a callousness that borders on self-indulgent, that doesn’t mean it’s a program that eschews investment. You will care about Rue, Zendaya’s recovering teenage drug addict; Jules (Hunter Schaefer), a trans girl who’s new to town; and Kat (Barbie Ferreira), yet another young woman trying to make sense of her own body; and the rest of their crew, even if director and creator Sam Levinson doesn’t always make it clear how you’re supposed to care.
Which makes the confirmation of a season 2 an even more heady rush. Might the series finally find its narrative rhythm? Will we get more of the heart-wrenching dialogue between Rue and her sponsor, Ali, or more set dressing soaked in neon? If you’re desperate to know how Jules and Rue’s slippery romance plays out, here’s everything we know about the next chapter of the East Highland students’ stories.
When will Euphoria return?
On Oct. 19, 2020, HBO announced that two new Euphoria episodes would bridge the gap between seasons 1 and 2. The first premiered in early December and focused on the dynamic between Rue (Zendaya) and her sponsor Ali (Colman Domingo), while the second honed in on Jules (Hunter Schafer).
As for when season 2 will properly return, Levinson told GQ that it had been “pushed until 2021,” likely mid-to-late 2021. He said of the delay, “I suppose one of the few beneficial side effects of this fucked-up year is the distance between season 1 and season 2. It’s really difficult to insulate yourself from the response and write from the same place of creative freedom, because you know what people liked, or didn’t like. I just hope we can continue to explore and stay curious and experiment, so the show can grow in whatever way it does.”
HBO originally announced the show had been renewed in July 2019.
Following the news, Zendaya reacted: “Literally just got the call. Can’t say thank you enough for the support we’ve seen, wow.”
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Has the show started filming?
A first taste of season 2 came on March 11, 2020, when the official Euphoria Twitter account shared a photo of Zendaya and Angus Cloud (Fez) sitting side by side at a table read. The photo was captioned, “here we go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!” suggesting work on the new season was in full swing.
But Zendaya later confirmed that production on the second season halted mere days before filming was set to start. “We were supposed to go back to work, I believe, on March 16, [2020],” she told Pose‘s Mj Rodriguez during a virtual Variety conversation. “And, literally, three or four days before that, they were shut down. I was like, ‘I was so close.’ We did camera tests and hair and makeup tests, and we got to see everybody and we had the sets built.”
She added, “I mean the scripts were written and I was just so excited—just to go back home is really what it feels like. But of course, this has all happened and I’m just grateful that I’m in the position I’m in. I can’t complain. I’m very lucky to be safe and healthy and still know that I have a job, Euphoria, that will be there.”
Then, in her November 2020 cover story for ELLE, Zendaya told Timothée Chalamet that production would resume “after I get back from filming the next Spider-Man movie, which is pretty soon.”
As of May 5, 2021, the cast is officially back on set; Zendaya released images to her Instagram Stories revealing production was amping back up.
Is there a trailer?
Not a full one, no. But, on June 17, we did get a tiny teaser that depicts Rue and Jules gazing at each other down what appears to be their high school hallway. Watch the full clip below.
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What will season 2 be about?
Season 1 introduced us to Rue, the troubled 17-year-old and unreliable narrator who grapples with drug addiction after an overdose. Then comes her new best friend Jules, with whom Rue falls in love. Even by the time the finale aired and the special episodes dropped, we were still left with a laundry list of questions.
- Does Jules really love Rue?
- Why isn’t Nate in jail already?
- What will happen to Fez following his robbery?
- What’s next for Cassie after having an abortion?
- When will Maddy realize her worth and leave Nate alone for good?
- Again, why the hell isn’t Nate in jail?
In late February, Storm Reid, who plays Gia, Rue’s little sister, told Entertainment Tonight, “I have no information, other than my character is supposed to be developing and becoming her own. So I am very excited about that.”
She later told ELLE.com that the scripts she had seen for the show “are pretty incredible.” As for where Gia and Rue’s relationship heads in the second season, Reid said Rue has turned Gia’s life “upside down.” “I feel like this season we’ll really get to see who she is outside of just being Rue’s little sister,” Reid explained of Gia’s arc. “She will really become her own person and her own character and she really is growing up in the show, which I love.”
And in an interview with Stylecaster in late April, Sydney Sweeney (who plays Cassie) revealed her character will also get a dramatic storyline. “I can tease that, when you ask about season 2, my heart drops,” she said. “In a you-guys-have-no-idea-what-you’re-going-to-watch way. Cassie really needs to get her shit together. I can’t say anything else. Cassie has a crazy storyline in season 2 that I did not expect. Every time I read a new episode that Sam writes, my jaw is on the ground and I can’t believe this is something coming out of someone’s mind.”
Will Euphoria address the pandemic?
The dark subject matter at the center of the show often mirrors real-life conversations surrounding sexuality, identity, gender, and drug use. But will season 2 tackle COVID-19? According to Reid, not as far as she knows. “None of the scripts I read have the elements of being smaller or relating to the pandemic,” she told ELLE.com. “I think we’re just all waiting to see what’s going to happen. I know that Sam [Levinson] is the only one who writes the scripts, so he’s very involved and puts his heart and his all into everything that goes into Euphoria. I can’t speak for everybody, but I think our hope right now is to get over this and be able to go back into production like we planned and do it safely.”
Who’s returning for season 2?
The actor Kelvin Harrison Jr. confirmed he’s signed on for season 2.
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All the cast members from season 1 seem poised to return, with one confirmed new face joining the series: Waves star Kelvin Harrison Jr. He confirmed his rumored casting in a recent appearance on Complex’s Watch Less podcast. “I wasn’t talking about it for a while but we’re in quarantine, YOLO. Yes, I’m doing Euphoria. I’m excited,” Harrison said. “You know, right before quarantine we were about to start our first day, and then we got locked down, but the camera tests were sick, the fittings were sick, the table reads have been amazing. The scripts are so great and everyone is really excited for it. [Levinson is] a great writer and a brilliant storyteller, and the aesthetic and world-building they do in that show is so unique and he really pushes boundaries, as well. So I’m excited to step into that space and do my part.”
“I’ve never seen a character like this, period… I don’t think a character like this… I can almost argue that it has not been done,” he also said when asked about his secretive role. “It’s interesting, it is definitely a character of the time and that’s all I got. He’s interesting.”
Stream season 1 of Euphoria now
Lauren Puckett-Pope
Associate Editor
Lauren Puckett-Pope is an associate editor at ELLE, where she covers news and culture.
Nerisha Penrose
Assistant Editor
Nerisha is the assistant editor at ELLE.com, covering all things beauty and fashion.
Savannah Walsh
Editorial Fellow
Savannah Walsh is an Editorial Fellow at ELLE.com.
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