When the first two seasons of HBO’s teen drama “Euphoria” aired on Sunday nights, 25-year-old actor and singer Al-akhir Fletcher remembers racing online the second each episode ended, toggling between X (then Twitter) and FaceTime just to keep up with the collective reaction.
“I felt like I had to watch because I didn’t want any spoilers,” he recalled. “I didn’t want anyone to tell me about it. There was maybe one week I tried to wait to binge-watch it, and I couldn’t. Everybody was talking about it.”
That anticipation for Season 3, premiering Sunday, still lingers for Fletcher, though it’s tempered now by doubt and distance, thanks to a four-year gap between seasons. Nevertheless, Fletcher said he’ll finish the show.
“Only because I feel like I’ve invested so much already into the show and into the characters and in their stories,” he said. “So I do want to see it through. I want to know what happens, but there is a little bit of hesitation, especially with hearing about all of the politics and the behind-the-scenes drama of what’s happened with the show.”
When Euphoria last aired in 2022, it turned Maddy Perez’s cutout dresses into a going-out uniform, transformed Cassie Howard’s unraveling into a meme with a saying that everyone understood (“I have never, ever been happier”), and sent Labrinth’s score ricocheting across TikTok in slow-motion edits and tear-streaked montages. It also made bona fide stars out of its cast: Zendaya became an Emmy winner, in-demand actor and fashion icon; similarly, Sydney Sweeney has become an onscreen mainstay, and Jacob Elordi, an Oscar nominee this year.
And, crucially, for a stretch, “Euphoria” made HBO feel like a destination again, with episodes that demanded to be seen in real time and dissected instantly before the night was over.
In the four years since its previous season, though, Hollywood has endured dual labor strikes, streamers have tightened budgets and audiences have fractured into increasingly niche viewing habits. The monoculture that once lifted “Euphoria” has thinned, if it even exists at all.
So as the show returns after an unusually long hiatus, the question isn’t just what happens next for Rue and the gang, but whether “Euphoria” can still hit the way it once did. What we do know is the series isn’t picking up where it left off. Season 3 leaps forward five years, aging its characters out of high school and into a much murkier version of adulthood. Maddy (Alexa Demie) is working for a talent agent and navigating the blurry line between managing actors, influencers and potentially sex work-adjacent clients. Cassie (Sweeney) and Nate (Elordi) are set to marry, all while Cassie is attempting to start an OnlyFans account. And then there’s Rue (Zendaya), whose story can’t outrun the looming debt she owes a drug dealer.
“Euphoria’s” Season 3 returning cast, clockwise from left: Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie and Sydney Sweeney.(Partick Wymore / HBO)(Jeremy Colegrove / HBO)(HBO)
Can a series disappear for four years and reclaim its choke hold on the culture?
Interviews with fans and media experts suggest there’s no consensus on whether viewers will flock back like before. Some see “Euphoria” as too big to fail, a brand with enough residual heat to dominate conversation on arrival. Others aren’t so sure, pointing to the long hiatus, the off-screen turmoil and a television landscape that no longer moves in lockstep.
What made the show a breakout hit
Part of what makes questions around the show so difficult to answer is how singular “Euphoria” felt when it first arrived in 2019. At the time, HBO wasn’t in the business of teen dramas. The network had long built its identity on adult prestige — crime sagas, antiheroes and sprawling family epics — not stories centered on high schoolers. “Euphoria” marked a strategic shift, one that aimed to pull in younger viewers without diluting the network’s edge.
“I think this was supposed to be their first foray into quote-unquote young adult programming,” said Michel Ghanem, who writes about television. “They were interested in capturing a younger viewership who maybe hadn’t watched that much HBO up until then.”
What emerged didn’t resemble the traditional teen drama playbook. “Euphoria” was moodier and leaned into storylines rooted in addiction, sex and emotional volatility. HBO began experimenting more broadly with shows like “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and “Generation,” but “Euphoria” stood apart in both tone and ambition. The risk paid off.
“It grabbed on to an audience that loved the cast and the performances and the soundtrack and the cinematography,” Ghanem said. “So I think all of those elements together sort of made it into appointment television.”
Hunter Schafer, left, and Zendaya in Season 1 of “Euphoria.” The show premiered in 2019, becoming a hit for HBO.
(Eddy Chen / HBO)
Beneath the glitter and surreal visuals, some viewers saw versions of people and situations they already knew.
“I found a lot of familiarity in it because of being from L.A.,” said Darryl McCrary, a creative artist who is based here. “I felt like I knew the teenagers. I knew the secret drug addict and the out drug addict and the drug dealers. It felt very familiar. It felt like home in a way.”
Aspiring actor and “Euphoria” fan Cheyenne Washington, who grew up in a small town in Connecticut, also recognized the characters. “I went to high school with people like this. My high school isn’t like how it is on Disney Channel. My high school was ‘Euphoria.’”
By its second season, “Euphoria” had become one of HBO’s most-watched series, with episodes drawing millions of viewers. The Season 2 finale pulled in more than 6 million viewers across platforms, cementing the show as a crossover hit.
“That was the show that my students were talking about,” said Jason Mittell, professor of film and media culture at Middlebury College. “‘Euphoria’ is the buzz show amongst younger people, amongst people who were sort of hyper-online, amongst critics; it was something that was really talked about. That’s the thing that sort of raises it up.”
Why production stalled
While the dual Hollywood strikes were one factor in the delay in production, “Euphoria” was also affected by the sudden deaths of actor Angus Cloud, who played Fezco, and executive producer Kevin Turen, who was considered a key force in the show. There were reports of creative tension between Zendaya and Levinson. At the same time, its young cast had transformed into a roster of in-demand movie stars, with schedules and expectations that look very different from when the show began.
“This new season has to kind of do something new and really break new ground to gain the buzz,” Mittell said. “There is a scenario, depending on how they market it, that it actually could get pretty good viewership. But I think that it’s also just ripe for disappointment. Can you just imagine all the takes that are being written right now? Like, ‘Why “Euphoria” shouldn’t have come back.’ There’s so many people eager to write that.”
And yet, the show’s scale and the fame of the people in it may insulate it from outright failure. “Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney — these are some of the biggest actors on the planet now,” Ghanem said. “Even if the show ends up being a creative flop, I think we’re all going to tune in because we want to see those actors together again and see what storyline Sam Levinson will come up with. There’s no possible world where this third season isn’t a massive hit. There’s just no way.”
Angus Cloud, who played Fezco in “Euphoria,” died in 2023 after an overdose. (Evan Agostini / Invision / AP)
“Euphoria” executive producer Kevin Turen also died in 2023. (Jack Plunkett / Invision / Associated Press)
What has shifted more dramatically is how the show and its creator are perceived, experts and fans said. Since “Euphoria” first aired in 2019, Levinson’s profile has evolved, particularly following the backlash to his HBO series “The Idol,” which was widely panned by critics and plagued by reports of behind-the-scenes turmoil. That scrutiny has extended back to “Euphoria,” with renewed criticism around its portrayal of sex, nudity and teenage characters.
“Since 2019, when the first season aired, there have been a lot of conversations around what Gen Z really wants to see on screen,” Ghanem said. “The show’s reputation isn’t unscathed. And I think people are more critical of Sam Levinson’s work.”
That shift may be especially pronounced among younger viewers, who may have been turned off by “The Idol’s” gratuitousness.
“We’ve had all of these recent studies about younger people who don’t necessarily want to see sexually explicit material anymore,” said Brandy Monk-Payton, assistant professor at Fordham University. “They want to see more development of platonic relationships and asexual connections.”
Can a time gap still lead to success?
Long breaks aren’t unheard of on TV, but they’re rarely this long for a show that’s still trying to hold on to cultural urgency. And history suggests that returning is one thing, but recapturing the same intensity of viewership and fandom is another.
Several recent dramas have tested that gap. “Stranger Things” stretched years between seasons as its young cast aged into adulthood, returning to massive viewership, but, some critics and fans argued, with an ending that felt obligatory.
“They weren’t reckless enough with their characters,” McCrary said.
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” once a defining show of the late 2010s, continued after extended pauses but struggled to maintain the cultural grip it once held.
“I think because of the social and political climate of that show, the interest in it waned,” Monk-Payton said. “We didn’t want to be in the world of Gilead anymore. So do fans want to reenter the world that is ‘Euphoria,’ that sensational world of drug addiction and sex and violence?”
Even “Severance,” which earned critical acclaim and awards recognition after its long-awaited second season, sparked debate among viewers about whether it matched the precision and novelty of its first. The pattern, experts say, is less about whether the audience comes back and more about what they come back expecting.
For Monk-Payton, that expectation functions almost like an unwritten agreement between a show and its viewers.
“It has to retain its contract with the audience,” she said, pointing to the balance between continuity and change. “There has to be some kind of familiarity in the characters and relationships, but also growth — something new that justifies coming back.”
That balance, she argues, is where many returning shows falter. Monk-Payton said in the case of “Severance,” what began as a sharply observed workplace sci-fi story expanded into denser mythology in its second season. Though Apple TV announced that “Severance” had become its No. 1 series, she said the show’s evolution didn’t land the same way for all viewers.
“When shows come back after a gap, they can misread what audiences connected to in the first place,” she said.
The risk for “Euphoria” is similar. If its return leans too far away from the emotional core that defined it, or reshapes its characters beyond recognition, it could strain the connection.
“If we don’t recognize Rue or the others in some fundamental way, that’s risky,” Monk-Payton said. “Some viewers will keep watching to see how it ends because they’re completionists. But others may feel that disconnect.”
Key dates for next year’s awards season — and the one after that — are already on the calendar.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday announced the dates for the 2027 and 2028 Oscars ceremonies, on March 14, 2027, and March 5, 2028, respectively. The awards show’s 99th and 100th iterations will be its last hurrahs with longtime distributor ABC before a move to YouTube.
In another nod to streaming, the Actor Awards (formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards) also set the dates for their next two shows, which like this year’s ceremony will stream live on Netflix. Presented by SAG-AFTRA, the 33rd Actor Awards are slated for Feb. 28, 2027, and its successor for Feb. 20, 2028.
The Producers Guild of America also announced its 2027 ceremony will take place on Feb. 27, 2027, and its 2028 iteration, on Feb. 19, 2028.
The 2027 and 2028 Oscars will also be the last two ceremonies held at the Dolby Theatre after more than a quarter century at the Hollywood mainstay. Beginning in 2029, the Academy Awards will move to L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater, which is expected to be renamed before the Oscars arrive. The new agreement runs through 2039.
Anchoring the ceremony at the sprawling L.A. Live campus rather than in the heart of Hollywood is expected to allow the academy greater control over crowd flow and event programming, and provide better means for hosting visitors. Similarly, the Oscars’ move to YouTube is aimed at expanding the show’s reach in a streaming-dominant era.
This year’s ABC telecast averaged 17.9 million viewers, a 9% drop from last year’s 19.7 million viewers on ABC and Hulu. The dip ended a four-year streak of ratings bumps.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” led this year’s Oscars with six wins including best picture, director and adapted screenplay. “Sinners,” which earned a record 16 nominations, followed behind with four awards.
“Sinners” also won big at the Actor Awards, with television categories dominated by “The Studio” and “The Pitt.”
Times staff writers Josh Rottenberg and Stephen Battaglio contributed to this report.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Vito Coppola sparked a mixed reaction from viewers following his stint on Saturday Kitchen.
The popular BBC programme returned to our screens on Saturday morning (March 28), with Matt Tebbutt once again taking the reins.
Joining Matt on the show were culinary experts Theo Randall, Samin Nosrat and drinks connoisseur Helen McGinn. Strictly star Vito also popped in to whip up a dish, while singer Self Esteem, also known as Rebecca Lucy Taylor, made an appearance – with viewers voting on whether she would experience her version of food heaven or food hell.
However, it’s safe to say that Vito was the one who got tongues wagging, as some viewers seemed divided over the dancer’s presence on the show, with a few taking issue with his loud speaking.
On X, one viewer remarked: “Can’t stand the screeching at this time of the morning.” Another jested: “Can you speak a bit louder please – they can’t quite hear you in Naples…”, reports the Express.
A third wrote: “Vito should stick to dancing and you just know the miserable blonde guest is getting hell.”
Nevertheless, not all feedback was negative as other viewers rallied behind Vito, with one person commenting: “Such happy, bubbly chefs on today. Especially the lovely @Vito__Coppola Food looks delicious too.”
Another fan wrote: “Love Vito.” A third enthused: “Vito seems like such a lovely, upbeat fella.”
This follows Matt Tebbutt’s return to Saturday Kitchen this month after spending some time in Australia. Earlier in March, audiences saw The One Show’sAlex Jones take the presenter’s chair as she was accompanied by Mike Reid, Adejoké Bakare, Bryn Williams and special guest Phil Wang.
While Matt appeared on the programme the previous week, the BBC star confirmed it was a pre-recorded episode as he posted updates from Australia with his Instagram followers.
Nevertheless, the 52 year old presenter was back in charge once more in March as he paused to commend Alex for stepping in.
He remarked: “Before we go on with our usual nonsense, we should say how well Alex did last week. Well done, Alex Jones.”
Saturday Kitchen airs every Saturday at 10am on BBC One.
Perhaps it was predictable that reality TV would become a pipeline into American politics. After all, political theater was the ultimate unscripted spectacle before reality TV became a genre unto itself.
Consider the raw drama of the first televised presidential debate, where a sweaty Richard Nixon and confident John F. Kennedy traded barbs. Or Anita Hill’s should-have-been-damning testimony against then-Supreme Court justice candidate Clarence Thomas during Senate Judiciary Committee hearings in 1991. Or President George W. Bush’s 2003 “mission accomplished” speech from a carrier off the coast of California, mere weeks into a war in Iraq that lasted years.
Modern programmed reality TV isn’t political theater, but it has become a springboard into modern politics for some stars of the genre. From President Trump to Dr. Oz, Caitlyn Jenner to Sean Duffy, campaigns and political offices are littered with the names of former cast members from reality series. Here’s a list of the most memorable jumps from trash TV to the smoldering dumpster of 21st century politics.
Donald Trump, president of the United States, ’The Apprentice’
Before he was a two-time president of the United States, Trump was one of America’s most recognizable make-believe bosses thanks to his 14-season run on NBC’s reality competition “The Apprentice,” created by reality TV kingmaker Mark Burnett. With his practiced executive scowl and scripted boardroom catchphrase, “You’re fired!,” the show burnished his image as a decisive billionaire dealmaker, even as his real-life business results were far less impressive. Off camera, Trump’s businesses filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection six times between 1991 and 2014. Never mind. It was his knack for showmanship, and his undying need for attention, that proved the perfect entry into post-decorum politics. How does pretending to be in charge on a middling reality competition qualify anyone to safely and successfully run the most powerful nation on Earth? It doesn’t. Sleep tight.
Sean Duffy, Transportation secretary, ’The Real World’ and ‘Road Rules: All Stars’
Sean Duffy first appeared on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston,” where he was introduced as a flirtatious, conservative lumberjack/student hybrid. In short, he was a casting director’s dream. He later joined “Road Rules: All Stars,” where he met his future wife Rachel Campos-Duffy. Trading hot tub confessionals for courtrooms, Duffy became a Wisconsin district attorney and then a congressman. By 2025, he’d risen to secretary of Transportation under Trump, completing a career arc from staged arguments with pretend roommates to heated exchanges with the press about the effects of a government shutdown on airport safety. Dude.
After a fiery confirmation hearing, Mullin is now Trump’s second secretary of Homeland Security in the 2.0 administration, following the disastrous tenure of wannabe reality show star Kristi Noem. Mullin was not a reality star per se, but in his role as a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter he performed in cages for live, streaming and pay-per-view cable audiences. As an early 2000s champ in the sport, Mullin boasted an undefeated 5-0 record and the Oklahoma chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted him in 2016. How do these MMA skills, or his former life running the family plumbing business qualify him to protect the national security of this great nation? It’s unclear, but his fighting instincts have already resulted in a viral moment out of a 2023 Senate hearing, when he challenged Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to a physical fight, offering to “finish it here.” Now he’ll be running the DHS. What could go wrong?
Omarosa Manigault Newman, former assistant to Trump and director of communications for the office of public liaison, ‘The Apprentice’
Newman became one of reality television’s more memorable villains thanks to her run on “The Apprentice,” where her Machiavellian ways and unapologetic ambition revolted viewers and impressed her fake boss. She would eventually parlay that dubious notoriety into more than one role in the first Trump White House. Her tenure was brief, ending in a high-profile departure and her accusation that Trump is a “racist, a bigot and a misogynist.” She then wrote a book, “Unhinged: An Insider‘s Account of the Trump White House.” Perhaps she’ll adapt her written account into a reality show, only to reignite her fame and win the White House. From there? She’d hire Trump, of course, then swiftly end his run on the show with two simple words: “You’re Fired!”
Spencer Pratt, Los Angeles mayoral candidate, ‘The Hills’
Best known as one-half of reality TV’s most polarizing couple on “The Hills,” Pratt built a reputation as a needling instigator, often leaning into the role of villain with annoying enthusiasm. After stints on other reality shows such as “Big Brother U.K.,” he began speaking out about local California issues, including wildfire recovery and environmental policy. Earlier this year Pratt, a Republican, announced that he would be running for mayor of Los Angeles in the upcoming mayoral election, challenging incumbent Karen Bass. Does he really want to govern the Left Coast, or is his candidacy a ploy for a new reality show? Let’s hope it’s the latter.
Caitlyn Jenner, California gubernatorial candidate, ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’
An Olympic gold medalist long before reality TV fame, Jenner reentered public consciousness through a show about nothing. The hit series relaunched her into the spotlight as a member of one of America’s most visible families. Using that fame, she ran as a Republican in 2021 in California’s gubernatorial recall election, positioning herself as a political outsider. Her campaign leaned heavily on her life story — from her athletic achievement to her personal reinvention — but she failed to keep up with the competition.
Clay Aiken, U.S. congressional candidate, ‘American Idol’
Aiken rose to fame as the earnest, vocally gifted runner-up on “American Idol” circa 2003. His polite demeanor, impressive vocal range and dramatic rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” earned him a devoted fanbase known as the “Claymates.” Aiken went on to have a semi-successful music career before running for Congress in North Carolina as a Democrat in 2014. Aiken made the mistake of leaning into his strengths as a thoughtful, policy-oriented candidate rather than relying on his past achievement as a vapid reality show contestant. He lost, of course.
Jim Bob Duggar, Arkansas state House representative and state Senate candidate, ’19 Kids and Counting’
As the patriarch of TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” Jim Bob Duggar became synonymous with a conservative Christian lifestyle when the show aired in 2008; it garnered high ratings and ran for 10 seasons. He espoused many of the same ideals as an elected official in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003, before leaving the political stage for reality TV. But the show was canceled in 2015 when the Duggars’ eldest son, Josh, admitted to molesting several girls, some of whom were his sisters. A conviction on child pornography charges followed. (More recently, his brother Joseph was charged with child sex abuse.) Jim Bob Duggar attempted a political comeback in 2021 when he ran for a vacated seat in the Arkansas state Senate, leaning on what he believed was his reputation as an upstanding family man. Reality bit back, and he lost.
Mehmet Oz, U.S. Senate candidate and administrator of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, ‘The Dr. Oz Show’
Like so many questionable figures Americans came to trust in the 2000s, Dr. Oz got his start as a frequent guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” He went on to launch “The Dr. Oz Show,” where he dispensed health advice to millions of viewers. His blend of seemingly measured medical guidance and on-camera charisma appealed to viewers who were tired of looking at egg-headed doctors, like the kind who practice real medicine off screen. He announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania as a Republican in 2021, focusing on an anti-establishment platform. He lost the general election to Democrat John Fetterman, but the doctor is still in. Trump appointed him administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and vice presidential nominee, ‘Sarah Palin’s Alaska’
File this under “Folks who tried to reinvent themselves on reality TV after tanking in politics.” Sarah Palin served as the ninth governor of Alaska before being selected as Sen. John McCain‘s running mate ahead of the 2008 presidential election. After losing to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, she veered away from politics, a decision that probably had nothing to do with an ethics scandal dubbed Troopergate that involved Palin. Burnett saw an opportunity, producing the 2010 TLC reality series “Sarah Palin’s Alaska.” It followed the Palin family engaging in activities such as fishing, prospecting for gold and camping in the region. In short, it looked like a tourism ad for Alaska and was canceled after one season. It also failed to kickstart her political career. She lost her 2022 bid for Alaska’s U.S. House seat, failing in both a special election and her general election comeback attempt. Apparently it isn’t Sarah Palin’s Alaska, after all.
ABC’s Sunday telecast of the 98th Oscars averaged 17.9 million viewers, ending a four-year streak of audience increases.
The figure from Nielsen is down 9% from the 19.7 million viewers who watched the telecast on ABC and Hulu in 2025.
After ratings for the Oscars cratered to an all-time low of 10.5 million viewers in 2021, the event’s audience levels ticked back up in recent years.
But the show has not topped 20 million viewers since 2019, as younger viewers are content to watch highlights of the ceremony on social media, rather than sit through a three-hour-plus telecast on traditional TV.
The awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood honored “One Battle After Another” for best picture, Michael B. Jordan for lead actor in “Sinners,” and Jessie Buckley for lead actress in “Hamnet.” Conan O’Brien was the host for the second straight year.
Critics said the ceremony was light on political statements about President Trump, whose name was not mentioned during the telecast. The show’s highlight was an extended “In Memoriam” segment that gave extra tribute to legendary actor and filmmaker Robert Redford and slain actor, director and producer Rob Reiner.
ABC had success in selling out the commercials for the Oscars, which is perennially the most watched non-sports telecast of the year. But the network will only have the event for two more years as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chose to take a better financial offer from YouTube for the rights to the telecast starting in 2029.
O’Brien poked fun at the YouTube move. He closed with a video that shows him being appointed Oscars “host for life.” As he takes in the honor, poison gas seeps into the office he is given. After O’Brien’s lifeless body is wheeled out, a name plaque with a new host is put on the door. His successor is YouTube star Mr. Beast.
NBCUniversal is cutting “Access Hollywood” and several other of its daytime talk shows, effectively ending its first-run syndication business as daytime television atrophies.
The company confirmed that “Access Hollywood,” and its counterpart “Access Live,” will be coming to an end in September. The shows, produced in Los Angeles, are currently hosted by Mario Lopez, Kit Hoover, Scott Evans and Zuri Hall.
Talk shows “Karamo” and “The Steve Wilkos Show,” produced out of NBC’s facility in Stamford, Conn., are also shutting down. The programs have already completed their production for the season and will run through the summer.
NBC previously announced that “The Kelly Clarkson Show” is also ending later this year after seven seasons.
“The Steve Wilkos Show” ran for 19 seasons. The host is a former bouncer for “The Jerry Springer Show.”
Francis Berwick, chairman of Bravo and Peacock unscripted, said in a statement that the company will continue to distribute library episodes of its talk programs and network shows such as “Law & Order.” But NBCU’s days of launching series for daytime and the hour before prime time are over.
“NBCUniversal is making changes to our first-run syndication division to better align with the programming preferences of local stations,” Berwick said. “The company will remain active in the distribution of our existing program library and other off-network titles, while winding down production of our first-run shows.”
“Access Hollywood” was first launched by NBC in 1996 as a competitor to CBS Media Ventures’ “Entertainment Tonight.”
First-run syndication allows producers to sell TV shows to stations on a market-by-market basis, instead of distributing them through a single network. This model was a major success for talk show staples such as Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.
But streaming has pulled viewers away from traditional television, as viewers can watch their favorite shows and movies anytime on demand. The audience levels needed to generate enough ad revenue to support first-run programming in daytime no longer exists.
Many TV stations are filling their hours with more local news as daytime talk goes away.
