'Euphoria' TV Review

For those of you who don't know on June 16 HBO released its new teen series starring Disney channel star, Zendaya, as a drug addict named Rue. The show was written by Sam Levinson, and on the list of executive producers appears rapper and singer Drake. Before the release of the show I was already excited, because I've been a big fan of Zendaya since her debut in the Disney channel show Shake it Up. That was actually one of my favorite shows on Disney Channel as a child. So when Euphoria was released I wasn't hesitant to watch. So far I am all caught up, and I can say the show definitely wasn't what I expected in terms of how intense the content was. Because, as of today, the show has been renewed for a second season, I decided to do a review of the characters and situations, and later on I will continue with an episode to episode review. I'm only analyzing and giving my first impressions for characters I have something to say about.

The interpretation of teenagers

As a teenager In California, like the subjects in this TV show, I can tell you high school isn't like this—at least not for me. The parties aren't filled with red solo cups, and shirtless guys, instead they are, from what I've experienced, empty houses where the parents aren't there. I think the party scene in the first episode is more an interpretation of a frat party rather than high school party. Then again I'm not every single teen in California, and the subjects in this series are a little older than me. On another note, this is an HBO series, and the goal of course is to get people to watch, and in order to do that, you need to dramatize the characters and subjects. While I do think Euphoria has a certain rawness to it that makes people relate to the characters, it's definitely exaggerated. Yes us teens are walking souls spewing hormones, but only so many of us have fulfilling sex lives. I guess the pro of the exaggeration in the series is that it gives the viewers a chance to dig deeper, and find the real emotions.

Overall Review

The show does have some very explicit scenes, which was expected being that it is on HBO, but some of them you just have to turn away from. I will definitely be watching this show week by week, because what can I say is that I’m hooked. I do recommend you watch the show on your own, so you can form your own opinion about the characters and the overall themes of the show.