Season two of Euphoria, which debuted on January 9, caught the attention of around 16.3 million viewers for each episode, according to HBO, which is a surprising and a remarkable increase of over 100 percent from season one. HBO also announced that Euphoria is now the second most watched series on their site, behind the beloved series, Game of Thrones that brought in a shocking 46 million viewers for the finale episode.
Sam Levinson, the creator of Euphoria, has had some common critiques of this season, which is expected. One frequent judgment of fans involved the lack of each character’s screen time and dialogue in comparison to season one.
After season one, fans, including myself, were quickly drawn to the compelling character of Kat Hernandez who is played by 25-year-old actress, Barbie Ferreira. According to screenrant.com, Ferreira allegedly walked off the set during filming due to creative differences dealing with her character’s development. The creative differences were with Levinson, who has the power to strip people of their screen time and dialogue.
According to ew.com, D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) has brought up the possibility of Euphoria glorifying drug use and abuse that is portrayed specifically in episode four. This episode embodies the climax of the drug abuse by character Rue Bennett who is played by 25-year-old actress Zendaya, who also serves the role of executive producer. The use of drugs is a persistent theme of Euphoria, yet there is no encouraging attitude portrayed by any of the characters that take part in the drug use that would encourage children to engage in such activities.
Euphoria is rated MA, for mature audiences on the HBO Max website, meaning the series is not suitable for children under the age of seventeen, and Zendaya stands by that strictly. Zendaya told Entertainment Weekly after receiving the backlash about drug glorification with the statement, “Our show is in no way a moral tale to teach people how to live their life or what they should be doing.”
On January 9, the day of the season two debut, Zendaya released another friendly reminder for fans and media spectators. On her Instagram page, Zendaya wrote, “I know I’ve said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences. 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 it if you feel comfortable…”
After the season finale on February 27, I have already missed the excitement behind the release of a new episode each week. This series, and specifically this season, was enticing and heart-wrenching. The acting was impeccable by the cast including Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Angus Cloud, Maude Apatow, Barbie Ferreira, and more.
Euphoria season three has been rumored to release in 2024, but that has not been confirmed by the cast or producers.
