Euphoria has a strong fan base. The teen drama show is based on the namesake Israeli show and premiered on HBO in 2019. The maiden season received critical acclaim, and its second season premiered in 2022. It remains one of the most-watched HBO shows of all time.
Then Season 3 was released, and things started to change.
Euphoria Season 3 Receives The Lowest Rating
Euphoria Season 3 premiered on April 12, 2026, nearly four years after the previous season. But all the excitement went out of the window after people saw the first episode. It landed the show's lowest rating on review aggregator sites. The first episode of this season received a 6.8/10IMDb rating, which is the lowest for the show. Rotten Tomatoes has a 42% audience score.
All this criticism is not in vain, as fans have pointed out the portrayal of Sydney Sweeney's character, Cassie. The character is shown posing nude for OnlyFans in order to afford her wedding flowers. This did not sit well with fans, as a writer from Slate has called this arc 'humiliating.'
Women Reduced To Props In The Narrative
Euphoria Season 3 features scenes of women gagging on fentanyl balls. This is shown to establish that the character is peddling drugs illegally. Another shows them defecating the same balls into utensils.
Season 3 also features a scene of a woman dying and choking on the bathroom floor. These are merely two of the scenes that showcase the slow descent of Euphoria into a different territory. Euphoria was known for its nuanced portrayal of troubled teens who are surrounded by drugs and sex as they try to navigate their lives. Season 3 goes through a time jump, and all of them are out in the field, trying to make a living. But some of them are going to extreme lengths for that, be it Rue or Cassie. Interestingly, both are women.
The show's behind-the-scenes history also depends on this misogyny. Euphoria is the brainchild of Sam Levinson, who serves as its writer, director, and showrunner. Levinson's previous show, The Idol, was heavily panned for its overt sexual content. HBO canceled it after the first season, according to EW.