Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Wall-to-wall sexual violence, drugs, language in dark drama.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Euphoria: Seasons 1 and 2
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 72 parent reviews
Parents say this show presents a stark and intense depiction of contemporary teenage life, grappling with issues like addiction, sexuality, and mental health. While some find it relatable and a conversation starter for important topics, many criticize its graphic content as unsuitable for younger audiences and express concern over its potential negative influence on impressionable viewers.
- graphic content
- mature themes
- parental caution
- intense depiction
- not for younger audiences
- conversation starter
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 371 kid reviews
Kids say that this show offers a brutal and eye-opening portrayal of teenage life, tackling heavy themes like addiction, violence, and sexuality. Many reviewers underscore the necessity of maturity over age when considering who should watch due to its graphic content and complex subjects, recommending it primarily for audiences aged 15 and older.
- maturity over age
- graphic content
- heavy themes
- relatable messages
- explicit portrayals
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
The teens in EUPHORIA are feeling anything but. Fresh out of rehab, Rue (Zendaya) doesn't even make it a week before she's back buying drugs from Fezco (Angus Cloud) and making a new best friend in Jules (Hunter Schafer), who's new in town but quickly runs afoul of Nate (Jacob Elordi), the alpha-male football player who's more dangerous than anyone realizes. Meanwhile Kat (Barbie Ferreira) suffers from a lack of love and the lack of regard she gets from other people who don't appreciate her body type, Maddy (Alexa Demie) is blithely unaware of how scary her longtime boyfriend is, and Chris (Algee Smith) can't figure out how to be close to a woman that's not a moving image on a screen. High school was never easy, but surely this is a new low.
Is It Any Good?
People say youth is wasted on the young, and it certainly seems that way in this compelling but ugly series in which teens exist in hells often of their own making. Damaged by her father's early death, the casual cruelty she sees around her, and her own (labeled by an expert) faulty brain chemistry, Euphoria's lead character Rue snorts, smokes, and drinks everything she can get her hands on. Her terrified mom tries both sending her to rehab and giving her over-the-counter drug tests, which Rue foils by racing across town to procure her former best friend's fresh, clean urine. And yet Rue is one of the characters who's (mostly) just abusing herself; the way others treat Jules, Kat, and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) is far worse.
Both the camera and these girls' peers leer at them endlessly, evaluating them from a distance. How do they look? Are they hot? More importantly, what will they do sexually? Sex becomes something that boys try to trick or shame girls into, and when Cassie genuinely responds to Chris at a party, his response is to pin her down and choke her, as he's seen done in pornography. (He thought she would like it.) Kat definitely doesn't like the boys who surreptitiously filmed her losing her virginity at a party and posted it on a "slut page" for the whole school to laugh at. And, as we soon learn, the boys who treat their classmates and neighbors so terribly are themselves abused -- by parents who don't care, by parents who aren't there, by parents who themselves do terrible things. Some characters get more of a redemptive arc than others, but most just struggle, fail, and struggle again. It's a miserable cycle, and though Euphoria is hard to watch, it's equally hard to stop.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether it's OK to show teen sex, drinking, and drug use on television. Do shows like Euphoria present a realistic view of teen life, or is anything exaggerated for entertainment? What would the real-life consequences of the characters' behavior be?
Euphoria contains an extensive amount of nudity, particularly male full-frontal nudity, which is very rare in American movies and TV shows. Why? Why are women shown nude more frequently than men? How often is the nudity in Euphoria related to sex and how often is it nonsexual -- e.g., people bathing or changing? Does it matter?
Does this show make being a teen look like fun? Is it realistic? Do the teens you know look and act like this? Do they have these types of problems? Does a show have to be hyperrealistic to be enjoyable?
Do you know anyone who is struggling with drug abuse or addiction? What are the challenges they might face? What are some resources you know of that could be helpful?
TV Details
- Premiere date : June 16, 2019
- Cast : Zendaya , Sydney Sweeney , Maude Apatow
- Network : HBO
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : April 24, 2026
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