Written by Liv Wilks
From fan backlash to creative clashes, euphoria’s iconic soundscape became the centre of a debate over artistry, ownership, and influence in television.
Euphoria’s season three is finally here after a 4-year hiatus, and it’s got people talking, for all the wrong reasons.
Euphoria is a well-known name in the TV show space, making its original debut in 2019. A series that dives into difficult issues such as addiction, loss, and sexuality, it has already won Emmys for its first and second seasons. With powerhouses of actors such as Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Colman Domingo taking centre stage, expectations were high for season three.
Since it was rumoured to be the show’s final season, audiences had the bar set high as the second season finished on a cliffhanger, with a stellar score and soundtrack created by British artist Labrinth.
Around the time of Season Three’s release, it was rumoured that Labrinth would no longer be doing the score and soundtrack. His soundtrack/score for season one won him an Emmy for outstanding music and lyrics, while original singles from season two got him a Grammy nomination, also. For season three, the legendary Hans Zimmer has taken over. There has been no official statement as to why this is the case, but the general consensus from the audience was a positive one – or at least at first.
Labrinth posted an out-of-context Instagram story before the third season’s release that read:
‘IM DONE WITH THIS INDUSTRY
F**K COLUMBIA
DOUBLE F**K EUPHORIA
IM OUT
THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT X’
This sent the internet into quite a spiral, with people speculating that he had fallen out with director Sam Levinson, who is notoriously known for on-set conflicts, to the point where he had had to write characters out of the show. It mostly had people wondering: what on earth would Euphoria sound like without Labrinth?
In seasons one and two, he had perfectly crafted a sonic masterpiece that left its mark on the euphoria community, and the viewers were terribly disappointed when he informally announced his departure from the series.
If we look at this loss now from a reviews and ratings point of view – it’s a completely different story.
To say people are disappointed about this new season is an understatement. And in all honesty, the storylines, soundtrack and acting chemistry are shoddy to say the least.
As mentioned, people had very high expectations and were quite frankly appalled by the soundtrack. It feels nothing like euphoria. Granted, the storyline is more mature as there’s a slight time jump, but it feels like a completely different show altogether.
The ambience is lost, and the (pardon the pun) euphoric feeling has been completely drained from all 6 episodes of season three so far.
To conclude, it’s upsetting that the final season of a TV show that had such a cultural impact must swirl down the drain like this, but sometimes, it’s best not to change things that aren’t broken.
