After a painfully long 2-year break, HBO's hit Drama series Euphoria has made one of the most epic comebacks to date. According to the network, Euphoria season 2 set a new viewership record upon its premiere.
Euphoria follows a “group of high-school students through their experiences of identity, trauma, drugs, friendships, love, and sex.” The show was an instantaneous success, breaking records back in 2020 when leading star Zendaya won an Emmy for her role as Rue in the series. Zendaya single-handedly became the youngest star to ever win the award, despite being up against seasoned actresses such as Jennifer Aniston and Laura Linney.
However, despite the incredible achievements already under Euphoria's belt from season 1, the series and cast continues to keep breaking and setting new records. Deadline reports the network revealed that the Euphoria season 2 premiere reached 2.4 million viewers in total, equating it to being the largest digital premiere for an HBO show on HBO Max since the streamer launched in May of 2020. Furthermore, the Euphoria season 1 premiere and the episodes that followed claimed eight of the top 10 ranks among HBO Max's series airing on Sunday night.
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So what is it exactly about Euphoria that makes it connect so profoundly with viewers and critics alike? Teen drama shows have been done a thousand times over before, with the usual stereotypes and classic tropes attached to the characters like a jersey number. Euphoria is breaking many more records than just reaching the highest number of viewers. The series provides representation for many marginalized communities where their struggles or identity have very rarely been shown on television in a way that allowed them to just exist.
The characters are allowed to be multi-dimensional and interrogate their identity as they grow into themselves without having to exist solely within suffocating labels - that’s record breaking enough. The series is able to navigate experiences of the queer/trans identity, substance abuse, and mental illness without glamorizing it. Knowing the way Euphoria interrogates and analyzes the much darker aspects of life, Zendaya sent a heartfelt trigger warning for fans before the season 2 premiere.
She shared a photo of the poster for Euphoria season 2 to her Instagram. The caption reads, “this season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch. Please only watch if you feel comfortable. Take care of yourself and know that either way, you are still loved and I can still feel your support.”
Euphoria season 2 episode 1 is now available for streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Deadline