Throughout 2021, I had been struggling to find a show that I was interested in. I tried watching True Detective on HBO Max and it wasn’t for me. I found myself gravitating to Critical Role because I was so invested in the characters and the story. While browsing through HBO Max, I stumbled upon Euphoria. All I knew about Euphoria was that Zendaya starred in the show and she won an Emmy. Euphoria was the best show to watch to get me out of my TV slump. Euphoria is a fascinating take on high school drama while also tackling the darkness of addiction.

Euphoria centers on Rue (played by Zendaya) as she’s a recovering addict. The summer before school, Rue suffers an overdose and is discovered by her younger sister Gia (played by Storm Reid). While Euphoria is clearly Rue’s story, there are several main characters who filter into Rue’s life. The first season centers on Rue’s friendship and love for Jules (played by Hunter Vaughn). Jules is someone who Rue uses as motivation to stay sober which puts a lot of pressure on Jules. Rue and Jules have their imperfections, yet they are a couple I root for.

In between Rue and Jule’s developing relationship, there are several side storylines interwoven through each episode. There’s Rue’s drug dealer Fezco (played by Angus Cloud). Fez may be Rue’s drug dealer, but he genuinely sees her as his little sister and avoids selling her harder drugs if he can. It’s a tough situation because Fez knows if he doesn’t sell Rue drugs, she will get them from someone else who may not be as kind as Fez. There’s also Nate (played by Jacob Elordi) who is the villain of the series. Nate is scary. Jacob plays Nate so well that if I ever met Jacob in real life, I would be a bit afraid. Nate is one of those guys in high school where he feels he can take what he wants especially from women. I could go on and on about the characters in Euphoria. Each character has its own backstory and it’s tough to pick a favorite. The show’s strength is being able to develop all of their characters and no one gets left behind without a back story.

Euphoria is one of those high school shows that clearly doesn’t portray what high school is actually like. There’s a trend on TikTok called “Euphoria High School” where people change into “Euphoria” like outfits to go to school in. It’s wild how each character in Euphoria dresses like they’re in their 20’s and in college. There’s no way high schoolers would wear any of the outfits that the actors in Euphoria are wearing. I think it’s funny because there are so many shows that portray high school as being this over-the-top experience in someone’s life.

Euphoria has quickly become a favorite TV show of mine. The first season is available on HBO Max and season #2 is currently airing each new episode on Sunday. It’s been a while where I have had to wait for a new episode of a show to air and it’s been tough to wait. If you watch Euphoria, let me know what your favorite character is in the comments below.