''Euphoria'' is an American

teen drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

television series created and principally written by Sam Levinson for

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

. It is based on the Israeli miniseries of the same name created by

Ron Leshem Ron Leshem () is an Israeli screenwriter, producer, and author. He is an executive producer of ''Euphoria'', which was based on the Israeli television series he co-created and co-wrote in 2012. His first film as a screenwriter, '' Beaufort,'' ...

and Daphna Levin. The series stars

Zendaya Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. List of awards and nominations received by Zendaya, Her accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award. I ...

as Rue Bennett—a troubled teenage drug addict who struggles to get sober, find her place in the world, and adjust to her relationships after rehab—along with an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

including

Maude Apatow Maude Annabelle Apatow (born December 15, 1997) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Lexi Howard in the HBO drama series ''Euphoria'' (2019–present). The elder daughter of filmmaker Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, ...

Angus Cloud Conor Angus Cloud Hickey (July 10, 1998 – July 31, 2023) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Fezco in the HBO drama series ''Euphoria'' (2019–2022), and had roles in the films ''North Hollywood'' (2021), '' The Line ...

Eric Dane Eric William Dane (born November 9, 1972) is an American actor. After multiple television roles in the 1990s and 2000s, which included his recurring role as Jason Dean in ''Charmed'', Dane was cast as Mark Sloan (Grey's Anatomy), Mark Sloan on ' ...

, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King,

Storm Reid Storm Reid (born July 1, 2003) is an American actress. After early roles in the television show '' A Cross to Bear'' (2012), the drama film ''12 Years a Slave'' (2013), and the superhero film '' Sleight'' (2016), she played the lead role of Meg ...

, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith,

Sydney Sweeney Sydney Bernice Sweeney (born September 12, 1997) is an American actress. She first gained attention in 2018 for appearing in the television series '' Everything Sucks!'' and ''The Handmaid's Tale'', and in the limited series '' Sharp Objects'' ...

Colman Domingo Colman Jason Domingo (born November 28, 1969) is an American actor, playwright, and director. Prominent Colman Domingo on screen and stage, on both screen and stage since the 2010s, Domingo has received List of awards and nominations received by ...

, Javon "Wanna" Walton,

Austin Abrams Austin Noah Abrams (born September 2, 1996) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as List of The Walking Dead (TV series) characters#Alexandria Safe-Zone, Ron Anderson in the fifth and sixth seasons of the horror television series ''Th ...

, and

Dominic Fike Dominic David Fike (born December 30, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and actor. Fike first received recognition after releasing several popular songs to the website SoundCloud. Following the release of his debut extended play, ' ...

. Though Rue is the central focus of the show, the beginning of most episodes provides backstories for the rest of the main characters. ''Euphoria''s executive producers include Levinson, Canadian rapper and singer

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

, Zendaya, Ron Leshem, and

Gary Lennon Gary Lennon is an American playwright, television writer and executive producer. Lennon is currently the showrunner of '' Power Book IV: Force'' on Starz, and he is credited with elevating the series to critical acclaim after he stepped into the ...

. The series is both set and filmed in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

; filming locations include at Ulysses S. Grant High School in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

Sony Pictures Studios Sony Pictures Studios is an American television and film studio complex located in Culver City, California, at 10202 West Washington Boulevard and bounded by Culver Boulevard (south), Washington Boulevard (north), Overland Avenue (west) and ...

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

. The series has received generally positive reviews, with praise for its cinematography, score, performances of the cast, and approach to its mature subject matter. Some critics found the nudity and sexual content excessive due to the high school setting and its teenage characters. It is the fourth most-watched series in HBO history, behind ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'', ''

The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States ...

'', and ''

House of the Dragon ''House of the Dragon'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), it is the second television series in Martin's ''A Song of Ice and F ...

''. The show additionally shares the same universe as Levinson's 2023 television series '' The Idol''. The first season of ''Euphoria'' premiered on June 16, 2019 and concluded on August 4, consisting of eight episodes. Two one-hour specials were broadcast in December 2020 and January 2021. The eight-episode second season premiered on January 9, 2022 and concluded on February 27. That month, the series was renewed for a third season. The third season was initially expected to enter production in December 2023, but was halted due to the

2023 Hollywood labor disputes From May 2 to November 9, 2023, a series of long labor disputes within the Cinema of the United States, film and Television in the United States, television industries of the United States took place, mainly focused on the strikes of the 2023 W ...

and the unexpected deaths of Cloud and executive producer

Kevin Turen Kevin Turen (August 16, 1979 – November 12, 2023) was an American film and television producer. His film credits included the '' X'' film series (2022–2024), '' Those Who Wish Me Dead'' (2021), '' The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'' (2 ...

. Filming began in January 2025. The series has received numerous accolades, including a nomination for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series is an award presented since 1951 by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). The award goes to the producers of the series. The award is often cited as one of the "main awards" at th ...

. For her performance, Zendaya has won two

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

, a

Critics' Choice Television Award The Critics' Choice Television Awards were accolades that were presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fou ...

, and a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

for Best Actress. Sweeney, Domingo, and Martha Kelly have also received Emmy nominations for their acting, with Domingo winning Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Ali.

Premise

''Euphoria'' follows high schoolers in the fictional town of East Highland, California, who seek hope while balancing the strains of love, loss, sex, and addiction. Topics explored during the series include

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...

drug abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...

toxic relationship Psychological abuse, often known as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another person to a behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, ...

toxic positivity Toxic positivity (excessive positivity or positive toxicity) is dysfunctional emotional management without the full acknowledgment of negative emotions, particularly anger and sadness. Socially, it is the act of dismissing another person's nega ...

hookup culture Hookup culture is one that accepts and encourages casual sex encounters, including one-night stands and other related activity, without necessarily including emotional intimacy, bonding or a committed relationship. It is generally associated with ...

revenge porn Revenge porn is the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of individuals without their consent, with the punitive intention to create public humiliation or character assassination out of revenge against the victim. The material ma ...

blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

codependency In psychology, codependency is a theory that attempts to explain imbalanced relationships where one person enables another person's self-destructive behavior, such as addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, irresponsibility, or under-ach ...

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include non-consensual non-monogamy, cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, se ...

relapsing In internal medicine, relapse or recidivism is a recurrence of a past (typically medical) condition. For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or r ...

gender transition Gender transition is the process of affirming and expressing one's internal sense of gender, rather than the sex assigned to them at birth. It is a recommended course of treatment for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria, providing impro ...

, repressed

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

sobriety Sobriety is the condition of not having any effects from alcohol (drug), alcohol and other psychoactive drug, drugs. Sobriety is also considered to be the natural state of a human being at Childbirth, birth. A person in a state of sobriety is ...

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

self-harm Self-harm refers to intentional behaviors that cause harm to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues, usually without suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-abuse, self-injury, and s ...

toxic masculinity The concept of toxic masculinity is used in academic and media discussions to refer to those aspects of hegemonic masculinity that are socially destructive, such as misogyny, homophobia, and violent domination. These traits are considered "toxi ...

drug dealing The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types ...

dating violence Dating abuse or dating violence is the perpetration or threat of an act of violence by at least one member of an unmarried couple on the other member in the context of dating or courtship. It also arises when one partner tries to maintain powe ...

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

, anger issues, depression, temper tantrum,

hallucination A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...

theft Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shor ...

attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seve ...

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

, and

grief Grief is the response to the loss of something deemed important, particularly to the death of a person to whom or animal to which a Human bonding, bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, ...

Cast and characters

as Ruby "Rue" Bennett, a

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

teenage drug addict who returned from rehab and struggles to become sober while finding her place in the world. She has an on-and-off relationship with Jules, whom she often lies to in her struggle to stay clean during their relationship. Rue serves as the series narrator and knows intimate details about various characters. *

as Alexis "Lexi" Howard, Rue's childhood best friend and Cassie's younger sister who has trouble finding her confidence. She tries to help Rue beat her addictions with limited success. *

as Fezco "Fez" O'Neill (seasons 1–2), a local drug dealer who has a close relationship with Rue and his adopted brother Ashtray. *

as Cal Jacobs, Nate's closeted bisexual real-estate venturing father who has a dangerous double life and hidden past. * Alexa Demie as Madeleine "Maddy" Perez, a popular cheerleader and Cassie's best friend. She is Nate's on-and-off girlfriend. * Jacob Elordi as Nathaniel "Nate" Jacobs, a star high school football player and Maddy's on-and-off abusive boyfriend, whose severe anger issues mask his sexual insecurities. * Barbie Ferreira as Katherine "Kat" Hernandez (seasons 1–2), a girl fighting for

body positivity Body positivity is a social movement that promotes a positive view of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities. Proponents focus on the appreciation of the functionality and health of the human body instea ...

while exploring her sexuality and self-confidence. * Nika King as Leslie Bennett (seasons 1–2), Rue and Gia's mother who struggles living with her daughter's addiction. *

as Georgia "Gia" Bennett (seasons 1–2), Rue's younger sister who became traumatized after finding her following an overdose. * Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn, a transgender girl who enters into a turbulent relationship with Rue after moving to East Highland with her dad. She later becomes Rue's on-and-off girlfriend and explores her sexuality and personal identity as a transgender teen. * Algee Smith as Christopher "Chris" McKay (seasons 1–2), a young football player and Cassie's ex-boyfriend who has difficulties adjusting to college. *

as Cassandra "Cassie" Howard, Lexi's older sister, Maddy's best friend, and McKay's ex-girlfriend with an infamous sexual history that continues to haunt her. *

as Ali Muhammed (b. Martin) ("Trouble Don't Last Always"; recurring season 1–present), a man in recovery from drug addiction who often speaks at Rue's

Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953, describes itself as a "nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem." Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied subs ...

meetings and eventually becomes her sponsor and mentor. * Javon "Wanna" Walton as Ashtray (season 2; recurring season 1), Fez's unofficially adopted "little brother" and a drug dealer. *

as Ethan Daley (season 2; recurring season 1), Kat's boyfriend who later stars as the lead in Lexi's play. *

as Elliot (season 2–present), a new friend of Rue's, who begins to come between her and Jules' budding romantic relationship. * Martha Kelly as Laurie (season 3; recurring season 2), a former school teacher turned drug dealer. * Chloe Cherry as Faye (season 3; recurring season 2), a drug addict who befriends Fezco and Ashtray after she is wanted by the police. *

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (; ; born 22 August 1967) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Simon Adebisi in '' Oz'', Mr. Eko in '' Lost'', Lock-Nah in '' The Mummy Returns'', Nykwana Wombosi in '' The Bourne Identity'', Heavy Duty ...

(season 3) * Toby Wallace (season 3)

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Specials (2020–2021)

Season 2 (2022)

Production

Conception

In 2006, Sam Levinson began drafting different versions of what eventually became ''Euphoria'', based on his experience with drugs as a teenager. He was invited to a meeting with

about an adaptation of the 2012 Israeli television series ''

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

'' created by

, Daphna Levin, and Tamira Yardeni. In 2019, Levinson said HBO's head of drama, Francesca Orsi, liked the "raw and honest" portrayal of drug use and other teenage problems in the Israeli series. In a press release, Orsi described the series as " ''Kids'' meets ''Trainspotting''" with no parental supervision. The concept for ''Euphoria'' was based on Levinson's personal experiences as a teenager and his struggles with

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...

, depression, and

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

. In a meeting with Orsi, he recalled: "We just had a conversation about just life and her life and my life and various struggles that, you know, we've been through and things and she said, 'Great, you know, well go and write that' and I said 'What?' and she goes 'Everything we just talked about'". Levinson has also cited teenage anxiety as a whole as an influence for the series: "There is this consistent anxiety that I think exists in this generation that I think informed the whole filmmaking process." In June 2017, it was reported that the series was in development at HBO.

Production team

''Euphoria'' is a co-production of The Reasonable Bunch,

A24 A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan. The company ...

, Little Lamb, DreamCrew, and HBO Entertainment. It has 16 executive producers, including Levinson, Leshem, Levin, Yardeni, Hadas Mozes Lichtenstein, Mirit Toovi, Yoram Mokadi,

, Canadian rapper

, Future the Prince, Ravi Nandan, and

. The pilot episode was directed by Augustine Frizzell. Levinson has served as ''Euphoria''s

showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...

since its premiere, and has written every episode. He has directed every episode except the pilot and the season one episodes "03 Bonnie and Clyde" and "The Next Episode", which were respectively directed by

Jennifer Morrison Jennifer Marie Morrison (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress and director. She is most known for her roles as Dr. Allison Cameron in the medical-drama series ''House'' (2004–2012) and Emma Swan in the ABC adventure-fantasy series '' ...

and Pippa Bianco. The production was given a pilot order on March 13, 2018, and on July 30, it was announced that HBO had given the production a series order. The series was renewed for a second season on July 11, 2019. Out of respect for the actors and extras involved, filming of nudity was conducted on a closed set, and for sex scenes, an intimacy coordinator was used. Production for the second season was scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2020, with the first

table read The read-through, table-read, or table work is a stage of film, television, radio, and theatre production when an organized reading of the screenplay or script is conducted around a table by the actors with speaking parts. In addition to the c ...

on March 11, but the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

delayed the production. Production resumed in March 2021, with filming from April to November. HBO defended the series against allegations of a toxic work environment during the production of the second season, writing: "The well-being of cast and crew on our productions is always a top priority. The production was in full compliance with all safety guidelines and guild protocols. It's not uncommon for drama series to have complex shoots, and COVID protocols add an additional layer. We maintain an open line of communication with all the guilds, including

SAG-AFTRA The Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

. There were never any formal inquiries raised." Before the series' second season, HBO ordered two specials. The first, "Trouble Don't Last Always", premiered on December 6, 2020, and follows Rue as she deals with the aftermath of leaving Jules at the train station and relapsing. The second, "Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob", premiered on January 24, 2021, and follows Jules's side of the story. The second episode was co-written and executive produced by Levinson and Hunter Schafer. HBO announced that the special episodes would air two days early on

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

. On February 4, 2022, HBO renewed the series for a third season. In September 2022, HBO's CEO Casey Bloys said the series could go beyond four seasons, and would not end after the third season. Production of the third season was set to start in February 2023, aiming for a late 2023 release, but according to a ''Vogue'' interview with Apatow, filming was set to start in the second half of 2023. On a podcast, series costume designer Heidi Bivens said that preparations would begin in May 2023, with filming starting in June 2023. The third season production was disrupted by the

2023 Writers Guild of America strike From May 2 to September 27, 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA)—representing 11,500 screenwriters—went on Strike action, strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Lasting 148 days, ...

, with

Jeremy O. Harris Jeremy O. Harris (born June 2, 1989) is an American playwright, actor and screenwriter. Harris gained prominence for his 2018 ''Slave Play'', which received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Play. Harris is also known for his work in film ...

calling out to

David Zaslav David Zaslav (born January 15, 1960) is an American media executive who is the current CEO and president of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Zaslav became CEO and president of Discovery, Inc. in 2006, and oversaw the company as it went public in ...

, saying, "He's not a scab. David Zaslav, make a deal. That's what I'll say about Season 3 of Euphoria''.' Make a deal, David. It's easy. Just come to that table." In May 2023, HBO confirmed the season would premiere by 2025. The production for season three started in December 2023. On March 12, 2024,

revealed in an

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

interview with Josh Horowitz that filming for the third season was due to "start soon". However, on March 25, 2024, it was reported shooting was postponed indefinitely amidst speculation that the series would not return. HBO announced on July 12, 2024, that cast members had signed on for a third season which would aim for a January 2025 start date. In August 2024, while appearing on an episode of '' Call Her Daddy'' with Alex Cooper, Schafer stated, "The real tea is I have no f-king idea what's going on" with production on the series' third season. While Zendaya stated she did not "really have much of an answer" for the future of ''Euphoria'' other than it was set to start filming in January 2025, Domingo stated that Levinson had "told me some of it, and it's going to be groundbreaking."

Casting

In June 2018, it was announced that the pilot would star

Astro Astro may refer to: Entertainment and media * Astro (South Korean band), a South Korean boy band * Astro (UB40) (born Terence Wilson) (1957–2021), rapper and member of the British reggae band UB40 * Astro (Chilean band), a Chilean indie ro ...

, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Hunter Schafer, and

. In October, Algee Smith was cast to replace Astro as McKay, and

had also been cast. Astro reportedly quit the series after shooting the pilot as he was uncomfortable with the sexual content involving his character. In April 2020, Kelvin Harrison Jr. joined the cast, but by May 2021, he had dropped out due to scheduling conflicts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In August,

, Minka Kelly, and Demetrius "Lil Meech" Flenory Jr. were added to the cast. On August 24, 2022, Ferreira announced via

Instagram story Instagram is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags, and be associated with a location via ...

that she had decided to leave the series. On April 5, 2023, she stated: "I just felt like, maybe it's like I overstayed my welcome a little bit. So for me, I actually felt good to be like, 'Okay, I get to not worry about this, and we both don't get too worried about this', because it's exhausting." In July 2024,

confirmed that he would be reprising his role as Ali Muhammad in the third season. In November 2024, Reid announced she would not be returning for the third season. In February 2025, it was reported that series regulars, Smith, King, Abrams and Javon "Wanna" Walton would also not be returning. Martha Kelly and Chloe Cherry were reported to be promoted to series regulars for the third season, with

and Toby Wallace also set to join the main cast.

Rosalía Rosalia Vila Tobella (born 25 September 1992), known mononymously as Rosalía (, ), is a Spanish Pop music, pop and flamenco singer. She has been described as an "atypical pop star" due to her genre-bending musical styles. After being enthral ...

Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American actor and former professional American football, football player who was a running back for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majori ...

Kadeem Hardison Kadeem Hardison (born July 24, 1965) is an American actor. The son of fashion model Bethann Hardison, he rose to prominence after landing the role of Dwayne Wayne on the television series ''A Different World'', a spin-off of the NBC sitcom ''T ...

Darrell Britt-Gibson Darrell Hadari Britt-Gibson is an American actor, known for his role as Darius "O-Dog" Hill on the HBO series ''The Wire''. He has also appeared on the Showtime series '' Californication'', the Starz series '' Power'', the FX series ''You're t ...

, Priscilla Delgado, James Landry Hébert, Anna Van Patten,

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...

and Asante Blackk are set to join in the cast in guest roles.

Filming

Primary photography takes place in

. Grant High School in

stands in for the fictional East Highland High School. The exterior of the Bennett family house that appears in the pilot episode is located a
5611 Shenandoah Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90056, USA
According to the California Film Commission, the first season of ''Euphoria'' received $8,378,000 in incentive tax credits. The first season was filmed over a combined total of 104 days; the second season's production costs totaled $96,685,000 after a total of 176 filming days. Subsequently, the second season received a $19,406,000 tax credit for employing over 15,000 people in California. Zendaya received $500,000 per episode in the first two seasons and will receive $1,000,000 per episode in the third season. For the third season, regarding Rue's

journey, Zendaya stated that she wanted to explore characters outside the high school setting, with the filming locations of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, and Warner Bros. Studios lots in

Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

and Leavesden. Filming began in February 2025 with Zendaya on set. Jacob Elordi and Eric Dane started shooting in April 2025.

Genres

''Euphoria'' has been described as a

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, as well as a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

tragicomedy Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragedy, tragic and comedy, comic forms. Most often seen in drama, dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the ov ...

. Some of its aspects stem from

surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

because of its visual style, hallucinogenic visuals, the emotional exaggerations, the absurd juxtapositions, etc. Critics have also described it as a very

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

, and some moments in the series fall into the thriller genre.

Visual style

The visual style of Euphoria is heavily inspired by the work of Petra Collins. ''Euphoria'' employs hyper-stylized cinematography, set design, costume design, and editing, which presents an "emotional realism" that captures the inner perspectives of the series's adolescent characters. The first season was shot digitally using the Arri Alexa 65 camera. The two special episodes and second season were shot on

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

35mm film stock, primarily Ektachrome, which cinematographer Marcell Rév attributed to a desire to invoke "some sort of memory of high school".

Use of color and lighting

The series often utilizes saturated colors, notably of purple and blue, to communicate the emotional state of its characters. Shades of green and yellow regularly symbolize distress, while purple and blue convey an elated, feverish atmosphere. In shooting both day and night exteriors, cinematographer Marcell Rév relied on an exaggerated orange-blue color scheme, translated in the use of backlights and tungsten lights, to create visuals that feel "almost dreamlike".

LED light An LED lamp or LED light is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more Electrical efficiency, energy-efficient than equivalent Incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamps and f ...

s and SkyPanels were used in several interior shoots to display bright and vivid colors of purple and blue. The second season of Euphoria was shot on

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, specifically in Kodak's Ektachrome and Vision3 500T, which distorted how set lighting looked on camera.

Camera movement

"For camera movements, we really wanted it to have a certain energy that ties the different storylines together. So, I would say the camera movement is the glue in the show, that glues it together" said Rév on using an energized design element that stands out. Extensive

whip pan A whip pan is a type of pan shot in which the camera pans so quickly that the picture blurs into indistinct streaks. It is commonly used as a transition between shots, and can indicate the passage of time or a frenetic pace of action. Much like t ...

s and tracking shots were employed to portray intimacy, growth, and interrelationship. In the fourth episode of first season "Shook Ones Pt. II", a 2-minute tracking shot, achieved through the use of a dolly, a technocrane, and four camera stitches, was "to introduce a space where all hecharacters were present, and somehow connect them in one shot".

Costume design

The costume design of ''Euphoria'' is arguably the series' most notable and influential hallmark. The characters of the series are regularly shown in chic, flamboyant outfits that serve as "plot devices and psychological profiles" to represent their personalities and character arcs. For example, in the first season, costume designer Heidi Bivens dressed Jules, a transgender woman, in a wardrobe consisting of bright pastels and tennis skirts, inspired by the character's interest in

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

and fantasy, to embody "the youthful

optimism Optimism is the Attitude (psychology), attitude or mindset of expecting events to lead to particularly positive, favorable, desirable, and hopeful outcomes. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is Is the glass half empty ...

that comes with a fresh start" and her journey to "conquer"

femininity Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and Gender roles, roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there is also s ...

, but as the character explores her

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...

and becomes more disillusioned between the first and second seasons, she "slips into a slightly muted, darker and more

androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in humans, it often r ...

" wardrobe.

Music

''Euphoria''s score was composed by English singer, songwriter, and record producer

Labrinth Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Labrinth signed as a recording artist with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Music in 2010, ini ...

. The song " All for Us", performed by Labrinth and Zendaya, is hinted at throughout season 1 before being performed as a large musical number at the end of the season finale. Labrinth makes an appearance in the series alongside

to perform their song "I'm Tired". The series also makes extensive use of popular music, including

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

, trap, R&B,

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

and

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

, with some episodes featuring over 20 songs. For their work on ''Euphoria''s first season, music supervisors Jen Malone (who also supervises the FX series ''

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

'') and Adam Leber won the 2020 Guild of Music Supervisors Award for Best Music Supervision in a Television Drama.

Scores

The score album for the first season was released by Sony Masterworks through

Milan Records Milan Records is a record label located in Los Angeles, California specializing in film scores and soundtrack albums. In addition, Milan has an electronic catalog which features down-tempo, chillout, and eclectic electronic releases. In July 2 ...

on October 4, 2019, for digital download. The album was also released on vinyl on January 10, 2020. The score has been described as "the holy lilt of gospel, orchestral and electronic" and was favorably reviewed by ''Variety''. The score album for the second season was released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

on April 22, 2022, in digital and physical formats. Like the previous one, it was composed and produced by Labrinth.

Soundtracks

Season 1 soundtrack

A soundtrack album featuring a selection of songs from the first season and specials was released by

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

digitally on May 14, 2021, with

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

copies released on September 3, 2021.

Season 2 soundtrack

The soundtrack to season 2 was released digitally by

on March 4, 2022, with CDs releasing on May 13, 2022, and vinyl on July 29, 2022. The album's release was preceded by seven singles, "Watercolor Eyes" by

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...

, " How Long" by

Tove Lo Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born 29 October 1987), known professionally as Tove Lo (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take on pop music. Referring to her autobiographical lyrics, ''Out (magazine), O ...

, "(Pick Me Up) Euphoria" by James Blake featuring Labrinth, "Sad4Whattt" by EricDoa, "Yeh I Fuckin' Did it" by Labrinth, " I'm Tired" by Labrinth and Zendaya, and " Elliot's Song" by Dominic Fike and Zendaya. In an interview with IndieWire, Labrinth stated of the soundtrack's religious undertones: "We spoke about using organs because of a lot of the religious influences in the show, especially with Rue. We wanted a lot of the sounds edging towards a religious sound. And because I love both Pentecostal and Catholic sounds, I kind of was like trying to merge them both together."

Episode titles

Many of the episode titles for season one are references to late-1990s and early-2000s song titles that correlate to the episode itself. For instance, "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" is a reference to the 2002

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

and

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

song of the same name. The loyal relationship between Nate Jacobs and Maddy Perez in the episode mirrors that between Jay-Z and Beyoncé in the song.

Release

The series premiered on June 16, 2019, on HBO. In Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, it premiered on June 17, 2019, through

HBO Asia HBO Asia is the Asian division of HBO, headquartered in Singapore. Originally launched on 1 May 1992 as MovieVision, it was rebranded on 1 June 1995 to its current name upon Home Box Office, Inc. purchase. The Singapore-based broadcast networ ...

. In Australia, it premiered on June 17, 2019, through

Foxtel NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...

. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, it premiered on August 6, 2019, through

Sky Atlantic Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group, Sky Group Limited that launched in 2011 and broadcasts in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel airs original British-produced dramas like ''Fortitude (TV series), F ...

. The specials were released on December 6, 2020 (as "Part 1: Rue") and January 24, 2021 (as "Part 2: Jules"). The second season premiered on January 9, 2022. A third season is expected to premiere in 2026. Like many HBO series, ''Euphoria'' is extensively

pirated Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, ...

in the United Kingdom.

Home media

The first and second seasons (including the two special episodes) were released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

on November 1, 2022, by

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...

. This is the first

series not to be released from

Lionsgate Home Entertainment Lionsgate Studios Corp. (simply known as Lionsgate Studios) is a Canadian-American film and television production and distribution conglomerate, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, and primarily based in Santa Monica, California. It was f ...

. A

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

and 4K

Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray supports 4K UHD (3840 × 2160 pixel resolution) video at frame rates up to 60 progre ...

are not yet announced.

Reception

Critical response

Season 1

''Euphoria''s first season was met with a positive response from critics, with praise for its acting (in particular of Zendaya), storyline, visuals, and approach to mature subject matter. However, it met with controversy for the amount of drug use and nudity throughout the show. On the review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the first season has an approval rating of 80%, with an average rating of 7.4/10 based on 100 critical reviews. The site's critical consensus summary states, "a uniquely challenging and illuminating series, held together by a powerfully understated performance from Zendaya". The review aggregator website

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100, based on 26 critics. Ben Travers of '' IndieWire'' praised the show's authenticity, how HBO "grounds itself in stark reality", and Zendaya's performance and narration. Tim Goodman of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' noted Zendaya's performance and the handling of the subject matter. Pilot Viruet of ''Observer'' called the show "visually stunning" and praised the ensemble's performance, but criticized the writing as "shaky, filled with clunky lines", and recommended that the show "keep its focus narrow". Jamila Stewart of ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' stated that ''Euphoria'' still has a palpable impact on where fashion trends fall today.

Specials

The first of the series's two special episodes, "Trouble Don't Last Always", received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, performances, and shift in tone and content from the first season. On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has a score of 97%, with an average rating of 8.44/10 based on 23 critical reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Euphoria'' slows down the tempo without losing the beat in a special episode that pairs a raw Zendaya with a steady Colman Domingo to create small screen magic." On Metacritic, the episode has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 10 reviews. The second of the two special episodes, "Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob", also received critical acclaim, with particular praise for Schafer's performance and writing, as well as the episode's distinctive directorial approach, emotional resonance, and exploration of trans identity. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 96%, with an average rating of 7.9/10 based on 22 critical reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "By centering on Jules' journey, ''Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob'' adds welcome depth to her character and gives Hunter Schafer plenty of room to shine." On Metacritic, the episode has an average weighted score of 78 out of 100, based on 10 reviews.

Season 2

The series's second season received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the performances and visuals but criticizing the pace and characterization. On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season received a score of 80%, with an average rating of 7.05/10 based on 110 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "As willfully provocative as ever in its second season, ''Euphoria'' still isn't for all tastes—but when its addictive ingredients are mixed just right, the results remain intoxicating." Metacritic assigned the season a score of 74 out of 100 based on 19 reviews. IndieWire's Ben Travers criticized the sexual content but appreciated Zendaya's performance, writing, "After seven of the eight episodes, Season 2 is exactly what a drama seeking to spark conversation fears most: It's skippable." Rebecca Nicholson for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' gave the second season two out of five, writing, "this long-awaited second season has decided to lean into its crueller instincts".

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

's Patrick Ryan praised the performances of Zendaya, Schafer, and Fike, but wrote that "the new episodes are much less captivating when they shift their focus away from Rue and Jules".

Ratings

The series' premiere averaged 577,000 viewers in its time slot, a number that increased to one million after the same-night linear replay and preliminary viewing on

HBO Go HBO Go was an authenticated video-on-demand streaming service of the pay television network HBO. The service originally allowed subscribers to access HBO's on-demand programming via the HBO website, mobile apps, and digital media players, among ...

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Na ...

. The

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...

#EuphoriaHBO trended number one in the US and number three worldwide on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

after the premiere. The first season was the most watched of HBO's series in the 18–49 demographic with episodes averaging 6.6 million viewers. Season 2 premiere drew 2.4 million viewers across all HBO platforms, a series high. It also marked the strongest digital premiere night performance for any episode of an HBO series since

's launch, until it was dethroned by ''

''. At the end of its second season, it became the second-most-watched HBO series since 2004 (behind ''

''), with episodes averaging 16.3 million viewers until it was surpassed by ''House of the Dragon''. According to ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', ''Euphoria'' became the most tweeted television series of the decade in the US, with more than 30 million tweets related to the series during the second season, 51% more than during Season 1.

Season 1

Specials

Season 2

Accolades

Concerns over mature content

Some commentators and organizations have criticized the series's explicit content, including

, excessive drug use, and sexual material amongst its teenage characters, content present in other HBO series, including '' Big Little Lies'', ''

'', '' Girls'', ''

Luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at a ...

'', and ''

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction dystopia media franchise that began with the Westworld (film), 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild West, Wild-West-th ...

''. The conservative media advocacy group Parents Television and Media Council called the series "dark, depraved, degenerate and nihilistic", and asked HBO and

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

to end it.

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

, which provides information on media's suitability for children, also noted the strong adult themes and advised against teenage viewership. One scene involving more than 30 shots of penises was criticized by both critics and supporters, with ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'' calling it "pointlessly gratuitous". ''The Guardian'' wrote that writers and producers should find new and different ways to shock audiences. In 2022, Minka Kelly said she felt discomfort at the quantity of nude scenes in the series.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., is an American education program aimed to prevent the use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 as a joint initiative of then-LAPD chief ...

criticized the series's depiction of drug use, saying that it "chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use addiction ... and other destructive behaviors as common in today's world". Samuel Getachew wrote in a ''Culture'' piece for ''Vogue'' that the series' depictions of trauma aestheticize it in a way that his "generation is particularly vulnerable to". In 2023, Colman Domingo said that he felt the accusations by other series actors of a toxic workplace due to lengthy shoots and the alleged mistreatment of actors, as well as onset chaos during the second season, are overblown.

Responses

Levinson acknowledged the controversies over the series's content, saying that some parents will be "totally fucking freaked out". Augustine Frizzell, who directed the pilot episode, said that the explicit content should help foster a conversation between parents and teenagers. Levinson also said that he hopes the series "opens up a dialogue" due to the "disconnect between parents and teenagers". Zendaya issued a warning both before the series and season 2 premiere about its "deeply emotional subject matter". HBO voiced objections to some sexually graphic scenes, but said it would not interfere with the series' "creative process". The series includes viewer discretion warnings and a website for mental health and other

support group In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping str ...

resources. The series has reportedly been censored for sexual or violent content in countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Official screenplay for "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird"
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