The third season of Euphoria begins on a deeply emotional note, with creator Sam Levinson weaving grief into the fabric of the show both on and off screen. The premiere episode is punctuated by tributes to cast and crew members the series has lost, including actors Angus Cloud and Eric Dane, as well as executive producer Kevin Turen.
Speaking at a recent screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre, Levinson reflected on the delay between seasons, revealing that the creative process was shaped by personal loss as much as logistical hurdles. “Some people ask why it took so long between seasons two and three,” he said. “There were obvious factors — the strikes, trying to make a schedule work with our very in-demand cast, but the real time was in trying to figure out how to find a way to pay respect to those who we lost.”
The episode closes with in memoriam cards honouring Dane, Cloud and Turen. Dane, best known for Grey’s Anatomy, had completed scenes for the new season before his death in February due to respiratory failure, with ALS cited as a contributing factor. Cloud, who played fan-favourite Fezco, died in 2023 at 25 from acute intoxication, while Turen passed away unexpectedly at 44 just weeks later.
Although Dane’s character Cal does not appear in the premiere, he is expected to feature later in the season. Levinson revealed that he subtly adapted scenes to accommodate the actor’s health during filming. “He showed up, and I could tell he had a slight slur in his voice, and he told me that,” Levinson recalled. “I said, ‘Don’t worry. We’ll just put, like, five beer bottles in front of you, and you’ve been drinking all night.’ He was like, ‘Perfect, perfect.’ And his character, it was such a gift.”
The show also addresses the fate of Fezco, offering closure to one of its most beloved characters. In a scene set in Los Angeles, Rue (Zendaya) encourages Lexi (Maude Apatow) to reconnect with Fez, hinting at their unfinished relationship from the previous season. Within the storyline, Fez is revealed to be serving a 30-year prison sentence, still holding onto memories of Lexi despite years of silence.
Levinson shared that keeping the character alive in the narrative was a deliberate choice following Cloud’s death. “I fought very hard to keep him clean when he was alive, and losing him was really tough,” he said. “I felt like if I couldn’t keep him alive in life, then I could in the show.”
