Euphoria shocked viewers by killing off a main character in a brutal scene ahead of the series finale.
During the Sunday, May 24, episode of the show, Nate’s (Jacob Elordi) debt caught up to him. His wife, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), was forced to pay up while he was locked underground for 72 hours. As Cassie found a way to get him out, a snake was able to get into the box that Nate was trapped in.
Cassie and Maddy (Alexa Demie) got Alamo to help them dig Nate out — but he was already dead after suffering numerous rattlesnake bites. This marked a major twist for the show ahead of its presumed series finale.
Based on the Israeli series of the same name, Euphoria follows troubled high school student Rue (Zendaya) as she struggles to remain sober after rehab. The series also explores topics including mental illness, toxic relationships, sexuality and more. After its premiere in 2019, the show’s ensemble cast, which includes Hunter Schafer, Demie, Elordi, Sweeney, Maude Apatow, Colman Domingo quickly skyrocketed to fame.
The HBO series was quickly renewed for a second season, but it took nearly three years for the episodes to air, with the network ordering two individual specials about the aftermath of Rue and Jules’ (Schafer) breakup in the meantime.
Euphoria’s third season was originally set to air on HBO in 2025 before it faced several delays, including creator Sam Levinson’s commitment to his short-lived series The Idol. The delay was extended during the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which took place in late 2023.
Since season 2 concluded, the cast went through a loss when Angus Cloud died at age 25 in July 2023 following an accidental overdose. The show addressed the fate of his character, Fezco, while Eric Dane‘s Cal made an appearance in two episodes after the actor’s death following a battle with ALS. He was 53.
Before the show returned, Elordi teased a different version of Nate.
“I finished filming a new season just recently, and it’s a completely different thing,” he shared on a December 2025 episode of Variety’s Actors on Actors interview. “I really do think [he will be nicer].”
Elordi continued: “Whether it works or not — I don’t know. There’s a chance that what I’ve done is not good.”
Euphoria airs Sundays on HBO.
