--- title: HBO's Drama 'Euphoria' Is a Bleak Look at Gen Z description: Euphoria,' an extremely TV-MA series that premieres June 16 on HBO and stars Zendaya, fully exploits a Xanax-numbed aesthetic of Gen Z.' canonical: https://time.com/5606243/euphoria-zendaya-tv-show-review/ author: Judy Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-06-13T09:50:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T23:44:09.486Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: "Review: In HBO’s Bleak Gen Z Drama, 'Euphoria' Is the Opposite of Happiness " og:description: Zendaya stars as troubled teen Rue in "Euphoria" og:url: https://time.com/5606243/euphoria-zendaya-tv-show-review/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt236e8a8c47ddbf37/69894b2122fb85a7b6e28638/euphoria-zendaya-tv-show-review-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: euphoria-zendaya-tv-show-review og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: "Review: In HBO’s Bleak Gen Z Drama, 'Euphoria' Is the Opposite of Happiness " twitter:description: Zendaya stars as troubled teen Rue in "Euphoria" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt236e8a8c47ddbf37/69894b2122fb85a7b6e28638/euphoria-zendaya-tv-show-review-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # In HBO’s Bleak Gen Z Drama, _Euphoria_ Is the Opposite of Happiness > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Judy Berman](https://time.com/author/judy-berman/)  ## Judy Berman TV Critic Jun 13, 2019 9:50 AM UTC  Zendaya in a scene from the HBO show Euphoria. Zendaya in a scene from the HBO show Euphoria.Eddy Chen—HBO  by [Judy Berman](https://time.com/author/judy-berman/)  ## Judy Berman TV Critic Jun 13, 2019 9:50 AM UTC Gen Z is sad–or so their elders have heard. And it isn’t just teen angst. Too young to remember 9/11, they had relatively peaceful childhoods that have given way to existential struggles on both political and environmental fronts. Adults haven’t been much help. We haven’t meaningfully addressed the sources of their stress–like school shootings–but we have capitalized on it with [moody Burger King commercials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjxRUEA0Tdo) and anhedonic hitmakers from Billie Eilish to Lil Uzi Vert. Teen TV these days can be dark too. _Riverdale_ and _Chilling Adventures of Sabrina_ are Archie Comics twisted by murder, organized crime and the occult. In an apt metaphor for kids fighting a generational war, Marvel’s _Runaways_ battle their own villainous parents. Netflix’s controversial _13 Reasons Why_ helped make teen suicide a YA talking point. But _Euphoria_, an extremely TV-MA series that premieres June 16 on HBO, may be the first teen drama to fully exploit the Xanax-numbed aesthetic that defines Gen Z in the popular consciousness. Its creator, writer and most frequent director is Sam Levinson, the filmmaker behind last year’s indie _Assassination Nation_, a tale of teen girls, social media and revenge. Similar elements suffuse the morose _Euphoria,_ which stars actor-singer-author-activist Zendaya as 17-year-old drug addict Rue Bennett. Fresh out of rehab, she has no intention of staying clean; years of depression have convinced her that chemically induced oblivion is her best-case scenario. Upon returning to school, where some of her peers are surprised she isn’t dead–and tell her so–Rue finds a kindred soul in new kid Jules (model and activist Hunter Schafer), an artsy trans girl with an equally sad backstory and dreams of becoming a fashion designer. As Rue numbs herself with drugs, Jules escapes into risky hookups with older men she meets on a queer dating app. So fierce is their attachment that they often sleep in the same bed. It’s a credit to both actors that the characters’ relationship feels so pure; I only wish we got less of diffident Rue’s solitary wanderings and more of the girls together. Around them, a constellation of classmates have destructive coping mechanisms of their own: Alpha jock Nate (_The Kissing Booth’s_ Jacob Elordi) channels his repression into cruelty. Outcast Kat (Barbie Ferreira, a model and body-positivity activist who starred in Vice’s _How to Behave_) finds a dangerous outlet for her sexuality online. Like _Riverdale_, this show inhabits a neon-lit permanent night; one episode takes place at the gloomiest carnival you’ve ever seen. If happiness is organic and long-lasting, euphoria is chemical and fleeting. (In a mixed message, drug trips look like a lovely violet haze, but the consequences of using any substance are always dire.) Lots of full-frontal nudity, often of the male variety, seems meant to capture how inured Gen Z characters and viewers are to porn. Teens love to think of themselves as tragic and jaded, so _Euphoria_ will surely find fans, particularly young ones. But the prevalence of politically active young women in its cast alone suggests it undersells kids’ optimism and engagement–traits teen hits such as _Sex Education_ and _Grown-ish_ embrace. In fact, aesthetics aside, _Euphoria_ reminds me of the bleak fare 30-somethings like Levinson and I grew up with: _Kids. Cruel Intentions. Thirteen._ The difference is that those stories’ writers weren’t much older than their characters. Though its heroine is informed by Levinson’s youth, _Euphoria’s_ nihilism feels as contrived as a Burger King ad. Rue sighs, at one point, over people seeking “something to make it all seem meaningful.” If only _Euphoria_ were wise enough to do the same. 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