The wait is (almost) over. Season 2 of HBO’s highly acclaimed, Euphoria finally has a release date and a trailer to boot. Based on the Israeli series of the same name, Euphoria is a teen drama that follows a group of American high schoolers as they struggle with love, drugs, and their identity. At the heart of the series is Rue, a troubled 17-year-old struggling with drug addiction played by actress, Zendaya who received several awards for this role including a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series; 24 at the time, she is the youngest ever woman to win such an accolade.
Among Zendaya’s wins, Euphoria also won an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (awarded to composer, Labyrinth), and Outstanding Contemporary Makeup. Praise from critics and audiences alike focused on the series' empathetic handling of difficult topics, stellar cast, and gorgeous cinematography. And as it stands, Euphoria has an impressive 8.4 IMDb rating and 90% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Season 1 premiered in June 2019 and fans have been eagerly awaiting season 2 ever since. With its planned 2020 release halted due to Coronavirus, fans were happy to learn on Wednesday (23rd) that they won’t be waiting much longer. As the trailer above reveals Euphoria season 2 will debut on January 9th, 2022. Following the usual schedule, these episodes will air weekly on HBO, and will also be available to watch on the streaming platform, HBO Max.
The teaser trailer also confirms the return of many main characters. Besides Zendaya this includes Storm Reid as Gia, Rue’s younger sister; Hunter Schafer as Jules, a trans girl who begins a relationship with Rue in season 1; Jacob Elordi as Nate, a hyper-masculine quarterback, and his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Maddy, played by Alexa Demie; Sydney Sweeney as Cassie, a slut-shamed girl who dates one of Nate’s more decent friends; Maude Apatow as Lexi, Cassie’s younger sister and Rue’s childhood friend; Barbie Ferreira as Kat, an unapologetic cam girl; Angus Cloud as Fezco, Rue’s drug dealer, and Colman Domingo as Ali, her sponsor. As confirmed by Deadline, joining them in season 2 is singer-songwriter, Dominic Fike (“3 Nights”), as well as actors, Demetrius ‘Lil Meech’ Flenory Jr. (Black Mafia Family) and Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights).
Season 2’s storyline remains uncertain, though viewers can expect it to pick up from where the first left off. Season 1’s finale sees Rue and Jules planning to leave town together and Rue backing out last minute, leaving Jules to go alone and their future unclear. It ends with a devastated Rue relapsing after 3 months of sobriety. Elsewhere Ethan (Austin Abrams) and Kat reconcile at the winter formal, Cassie has an abortion, and Maddy and Nate break up after acknowledging that their relationship is toxic. In the same episode, Maddy steals a DVD from Nate’s room and is shocked by what she sees. Though viewers are spared the same horror, it’s implied the video shows Nate’s closeted father (Eric Dane) having sex with Jules. Another cliffhanger involves Fezco who, after paying off his boss, Mouse (Meeko Gattuso) with stolen bills, has a gun pulled on him.
To bridge the long gap between seasons 1 and 2, Euphoria released two one-off special episodes on December 2020 and January 2021. The first, “Trouble Don’t Last Always,” follows Rue post-relapse as she seeks guidance from sponsor, Ali, whilst the second, “Fuck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob,” focuses on Jules who discusses her relationship with Rue and her own addict mother in therapy. Both episodes are heartbreaking and viewers can expect similar from season 2, as Zendaya shared with Teen Vogue, “It’s a challenging season. It’s gonna be hard and it's gonna be devastating sometimes.” This is hinted at in the trailer which shows police raids and violence (amongst a lot of partying).
Euphoria’s Domingo Coleman also shared some information about season 2, telling Digital Spy, “It’s fantastic … But also, [showrunner] Sam [Levinson] is also truly of the moment, so I question whether or not the scripts will still be the same because he wants to respond to the moment that we’re actually living in.” According to Domingo, Levinson might want to explore the pandemic and/or the Black Lives Matter movement in the upcoming season — two undeniably huge events that shaped 2020 and continue to shape television in 2021.
Recently, Sam Levinson wrote, produced and directed the film, Malcolm & Marie which stars John David Washington and Euphoria’s own, Zendaya as the titular characters. Shot in quarantine, the film explores the struggling romantic relationship between a writer-director and the woman who made his career. Filmed in black and white, it offers a beautifully raw portrait of toxic relationships, and with its themes of love, addiction, and (emotional) abuse, fans of Euphoria are sure to love it. Good news for those who can’t wait for season 2.
Euphoria is available to stream on HBO Max.