# Euphoria (2019) Review: Teenage Anguish in Neon > Euphoria is Sam Levinson's hyper-stylised HBO drama about teenage addiction and identity, powered by Zendaya's extraordinary lead performance and a dazzling look. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/euphoria-review/ Published: 2026-07-25 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 4/5 ## Verdict Yes, for adult viewers who can handle it. Zendaya makes it essential, but its graphic content and style-first storytelling will alienate as many people as it thrills. ## Is Euphoria worth watching? **Yes, with caveats. Euphoria is one of the most visually daring dramas on television, and Zendaya's performance as a teenager fighting addiction is among the best of her generation.** At its best the show captures the chaos and intensity of adolescence with a force few series have matched. The reservation is that its style often outruns its storytelling, and its graphic treatment of sex, drugs and violence can feel more provocative than insightful. ## What is Euphoria about? Rue Bennett ([Zendaya](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/americas/united-states/zendaya/)) is 17 and has just come home from rehab after an overdose, with no real intention of staying clean. She narrates the lives of the students around her at a suburban high school, a group navigating love, friendship and identity in a world of drugs, sex, trauma and social media. Her life shifts when she meets Jules (Hunter Schafer), a new girl in town whose own search for belonging draws Rue in. Around them orbit Cassie ([Sydney Sweeney](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/americas/united-states/sydney-sweeney/)), whose need for approval shapes her choices, the volatile jock Nate (Jacob Elordi), the fierce Maddy (Alexa Demie) and Cassie's watchful younger sister Lexi (Maude Apatow). [Euphoria](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/euphoria/) was created by Sam Levinson, loosely based on an Israeli series of the same name, and is an American production in English. This review covers the full run of three seasons and 24 episodes, plus two stand-alone special episodes released between the first and second seasons. ## Zendaya holds it all together Whatever its excesses, Euphoria works because of its centre. Zendaya plays Rue's addiction without vanity: the charm, the manipulation, the self-loathing and the fleeting moments of clarity all feel true. She won Emmys for the role, and the recognition was earned by scenes in which Rue's desperation turns physical and frightening. Her voiceover narration, sardonic and wounded, gives the show a personal filter that holds its many storylines together. Hunter Schafer gives Jules a dreamy, restless quality, and the pair's relationship is the show's emotional core. Among the wider cast, Sydney Sweeney makes Cassie's hunger for love both painful and sympathetic, and Maude Apatow brings a welcome observational wit as Lexi. ## Style as the whole point Euphoria looks like nothing else on television. Its camera glides through parties, spins around rooms and bathes faces in purple and gold light, and the soundtrack, including Labrinth's hypnotic score, turns ordinary moments into something closer to music video. Makeup, costume and lighting are used as psychological shorthand, and the series inspired a generation of imitators. That aesthetic often expresses exactly what the characters feel: the rush of a high, the dread of a comedown, the dizziness of being seen. The two special episodes, stripped back and built around long conversations, show that Levinson can also work quietly, and they are among the show's finest hours. ## Where the excess undermines it The show's weaknesses are hard to ignore. Levinson's writing can be scattershot, with characters introduced and abandoned, and storylines resolved by mood rather than logic. The camera's fascination with young bodies has drawn fair criticism, and the violence and nudity sometimes feel designed to shock rather than to illuminate. Some supporting characters are defined more by their looks than their inner lives, and the long gaps between seasons leave the show's momentum feeling fractured. ## Who should watch Euphoria? This is strictly for adult audiences. It is rated for mature viewers across most regions and contains graphic drug use, overdoses, explicit sexual content, nudity, domestic violence and self-harm. Viewers with personal experience of addiction may find it powerful or distressing. At 24 episodes plus two specials, it is a manageable watch. Worth pairing with: - [The Wire](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/the-wire-review/) for a broader, more sober look at how drugs shape lives, including those of teenagers. - [Breaking Bad](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/breaking-bad/) for another portrait of addiction's pull, told from the supply side. - [Arcane](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/arcane/), an animated drama with a similarly neon-soaked, emotionally raw story of damaged young people. ## The verdict Euphoria is a flawed but unforgettable series, a sensory assault that often lands as art and occasionally as provocation. Zendaya's performance and the show's striking visual language make it essential viewing for adults interested in modern television, even when its storytelling wobbles. **Rating: 4/5** ## Related title - [Euphoria (2019)](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/euphoria/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)