Euphoria

Rue Bennett is a teenager trying to stay sober after a long struggle with drug addiction, and she narrates the chaotic world around her. At school she watches friendships mutate, romances flare and break, and rivalries get ugly, while many characters wrestle with their own wounds and risky behavior. The series follows how these young people cope with desire, shame, family pressure, and the constant glare of social media, often showing moments of tenderness alongside scenes that feel raw and unsettling. The tone is intimate and intense, and it focuses on character moments rather than a tidy plot resolution.

The HBO series premiered in 2019, developed for American TV by Sam Levinson and based in part on an Israeli series by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin. Levinson served as creator and directed multiple episodes, giving the show a consistent visual and narrative voice across seasons.

Zendaya received wide recognition for her lead performance, winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2020. The show has also been nominated for multiple Emmy and industry awards across acting, makeup, and technical categories, reflecting attention to both performances and production craft.

Euphoria quickly influenced fashion and beauty trends, especially through its bold makeup looks and neon-lit cinematography, which appeared across social media platforms. Its soundtrack and visual style have been widely imitated, and conversations around the show often spill into online debates about youth culture, representation, and media responsibility.

Critics have praised the acting, particularly Zendaya and Hunter Schafer, and many reviewers highlighted the series' striking cinematography and sound design. At the same time some critics and viewers have raised concerns about the explicit depictions of sex and drug use among teenagers. The show keeps returning to themes of addiction, identity, intimacy, and the pressures of being visible online, asking how people try to connect while coping with trauma and self-doubt.