The reaction to the third and final season of Euphoria has been anything but euphoric among both critics and fans. HBO’s soapy but zeitgeisty Gen Z drama, back after a four-year hiatus for one last go, arrived to much fanfare and Emmy hopes last week.
But then everything went up in smoke. The series takes a five-year time jump, resetting the storylines for the characters, and critics were less than thrilled. Euphoria dropped to series-low scores: a “rotten” 44% on Rotten Tomatoes (down from 80% in Season 1 and 78% in Season 2) and only a slightly better 56 “mixed or average” rating on Metacritic (down from Season 1’s 68 and Season 2’s 74).
Fans weren’t euphoric either. While slightly kinder than the critical notices, the viewer scores also bottomed out across the board, with a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to Season 1’s 84% and Season 2’s 80%) and a 4.5/10 on Metacritic (where both previous seasons registered 7.1); over on IMDb, the third-season premiere, titled “Ándale,” managed just a 6.8/10, by far the lowest user score of any installment.
That impact has been immediate on the show’s Emmy odds. A close examination of the Gold Derby data reveals how much it has drastically shifted over the past week, jeopardizing the series’ shot at a nomination for Best Drama Series and impacting the chances of key cast members. Here, in five graphs, we see how quickly Euphoria’s fortunes have fallen.
Best Drama Series
Reigning champ The Pitt opened atop the leaderboard for the 2026 Emmy season, with a 98% chance of a nomination, along with returning contenders The Diplomat, Paradise, and Slow Horses poised to land repeat bids. That quartet established itself as the upper echelon, joined by HBO’s prestige play Task, all comfortably with 85% or better odds at a nomination. That left two slots open in the eight-show field, with two HBO entries — Euphoria and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — emerging at the start of April as the most likely to earn the final nods. As the buzz built towards the premiere, Euphoria was locked into the No. 7 slot, hovering around 65%. The show’s odds peaked at 67.4% on April 6, the day before its starry Hollywood premiere.
Once the initial wave of reviews arrived on April 8, the odds began to plummet, dropping 14 points. On April 14, one week after the premiere, Euphoria’s chances had fallen to 50%, putting it in eighth place, ahead of another HBO series, The Gilded Age, whose odds have climbed 4 points in the past week, giving the costume drama a 33% chance at a series nomination.
Emmy Awards Nominations 2026
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The Last Thing He Told Me
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Your Friends and Neighbors
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Best Drama Actress
After going 2-for-2 at the Emmys for the initial two seasons, Zendaya is the closest to a sure thing for Euphoria. But with the show down across the board — and fans and critics disappointed with her character Rue’s storyline now that she’s no longer in the grips of addiction — Zendaya has dipped about 3 points, from a high of 95% on April 8 (just before the reviews hit) to her current 92%. She’s still in the safe zone for a nomination, though, with only Pluribus‘ Rhea Seehorn and The Diplomat‘s Keri Russell ranking higher.
Emmy Awards Nominations 2026
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Best Drama Supporting Actress
On shakier ground is Sydney Sweeney. The actress scored a surprise bid for Season 2 but had yet to gain traction in a crowded field before Season 3 debuted, topping out at 12.4% on April 8. Critics and fans are not on board with her character Cassie’s OnlyFans-style fetish-influencer storyline, sending Sweeney’s chances for a nomination tumbling to 9%, putting her on the bubble at No. 13 in what will be a six-person category.
Emmy Awards Nominations 2026
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 18: Ali Ahn attends Netflix’s “The Diplomat” New York Premiere at Park Lane Hotel on April 18, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
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PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 05: Lana Parrilla attends the “Global Gift Gala” Photocall at Four Seasons Hotel George V on October 05, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 25: Sarah Shahi attends the 35th Annual Producers Guild Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom on February 25, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Elyse Jankowski/WireImage)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 27: Hayley Squires attends the London Q&A screening of “Beau is Afraid” at Picturehouse Central Cinema on April 27, 2023 in London, England. In UK cinemas 19 May 2023. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Releasing UK)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 06: Camila Morrone attends the 10th Annual LACMA ART+FILM GALA honoring Amy Sherald, Kehinde Wiley, and Steven Spielberg presented by Gucci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on November 06, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for LACMA)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 15: Kiersey Clemons attends Apple TV +’s Primetime Emmy Party at Mother Wolf on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 07: Leah Lewis arrives at CBS Fest 2025 at Paramount Studios on May 07, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Maya Dehlin Spach/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 13: Judy Reyes attends The Critics Choice Association’s 2nd Annual Celebration of Latino Cinema & Television, proudly supported by GreenSlate at Fairmont Century Plaza on November 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Natasha Campos/Getty Images for GreenSlate)
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SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 27: Mireille Enos attends the 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Barker Hangar on February 27, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 11: Rosalind Eleazar attends the FYC red carpet for Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses” season 2 at Harmony Gold on March 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 11: Saskia Reeves attend the FYC red carpet for Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses” season 2 at Harmony Gold on March 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 13: Park Gyuyoung arrives at the Gucci Cruise 2025 Fashion Show at Tate Modern on May 13, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Gucci)
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 23: Celia Rose Gooding visits the #IMDboat At San Diego Comic-Con 2022: Day Three on The IMDb Yacht on July 23, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for IMDb)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 11: Nicole Brydon Bloom attends Dexter: Original Sin Premiere at SVA on December 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Paramount+)
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Best Drama Supporting Actor
After winning the Emmy for Best Drama Guest Actor in Season 2, Colman Domingo was promoted to series regular for Euphoria‘s swan song and shot up Gold Derby’s Best Supporting Actor leaderboard. He has been tracking in fifth place among prospective nominees, and like Zendaya, while he has dipped since the show’s premiere, from a high of 75 on April 2 to his current low of 70, the two-time Oscar nominee still is trending towards a nod in the six-person field.
The same can’t be said for his castmate Jacob Elordi. Elordi had been looking to add an Emmy nomination to go along with his recent Best Supporting Oscar nod for Frankenstein, and had been positioned right on the cusp, ranking as high as No. 7 on April 6 with a 57% chance of a nomination. But of all the contending Euphoria actors, he has suffered the most from the critical and fan blowback, plummeting 13% over the past week and falling behind fast-rising The Pitt player Gerran Howell.
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 19: (L-R) Tomer Capone, Nathan Mitchell, Chace Crawford, Claudia Doumit, Karl Urban, Eric Kripke, Jessie T Usher and Karen Fukuhara speak to the media during the Prime Video Presents UK media event at at The Londoner Hotel on May 19, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Amazon Prime Video)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 05: Caleb McLaughlin attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Sony Pictures’ “The Book Of Clarence” at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on January 05, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)
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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – DECEMBER 09: Park Sung-hoon attends the global premiere of “Squid Game Season 2” on December 09, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 29: Michael Imperioli attends SCAD aTVfest 2020 – “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt For The Bone Collector” Press Junket on February 29, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 2020)
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MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – JUNE 17: Matthew Fox and Taylor Fay attend the opening ceremony during the 61st Monte Carlo TV Festival on June 17, 2022 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 24: Alex Lawther attends the “The French Dispatch” – Paris Gala Screening at Cinema UGC Normandie on October 24, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 13: Ashton Kutcher attends the 2025 Disney Upfront at Javits Center on May 13, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 13: Laz Alonso attends The Critics Choice Association’s 2nd Annual Celebration of Latino Cinema & Television, proudly supported by GreenSlate at Fairmont Century Plaza on November 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Natasha Campos/Getty Images for GreenSlate)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 22: Luke Newton attends the “Bridgerton” Series 2 World Premiere at Tate Modern on March 22, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Lia Toby/Getty Images)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 20: David Gyasi attends the Jameson Empire Awards 2016 at The Grosvenor House Hotel on March 20, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 23: Rory Kinnear attends the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on February 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 18: Actors Louisa Krause and Aaron Clifton Moten attend The 2013 Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards presented by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust at Lincoln Center Theater on November 18, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for The Harold And Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 15: Fionn O’Shea arrives at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2023 at The Royal Opera House on November 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 09: Finn Bennett attends the Los Angeles premiere of Warner Bros.’ “True Detective: Night Country” at Paramount Theatre on January 09, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
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PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau poses backstage prior to the “Le Defile Walk Your Worth” By L’Oreal Paris Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on October 02, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images for L’Oréal Paris)
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 06: Actor Sam Anderson (left) arrives to the Season 5 premiere of FX’s “Justified” at DGA Theater on January 6, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 29: Samuel Blenkin attends the “Alien: Earth” European Premiere at the Barbican Centre on July 29, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images)
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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 08: Ren Watabe attends Apple TV+ New Series “Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters” Photo Call at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills on December 08, 2023 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 12: Nestor Carbonell at PaleyFest LA 2024 – “The Morning Show” at Dolby Theatre on April 12, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 12: Simon Baker attends the “Limbo” premiere during the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival at Scotiabank Theatre on September 12, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Brian de Rivera Simon/Getty Images)
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