Ranking Every HBO Drama Series From Worst To Best
9. Euphoria
The show that made the mononymous Zendaya a star, Euphoria is one season deep and already a contender for one of the best teen shows ever made. A series that speaks directly to its adolescent audience without condescending or voyaging too wildly beyond the realm of believability, this is a zeitgeist-grabbing programme that lives up to the hype.
The now-ubiquitous Zendaya is wise beyond her years in the lead role of Rue Bennett, a teenage girl struggling with mental health and addiction issues. Euphoria deals with a wide gamut of often provocative topics, but does so without ever either glamorising or stigmatising the matter with a deftness and sensitivity that Skins could only dream of.
Beyond that, it’s an outrageously entertaining piece of TV, racy and exciting but (mostly) steering clear of being outright lurid. It hits all the right beats for its target audience in particular, but it’s by no means inaccessible for an older crowd.
The dramatic elements and strong characterisation are all in place, and a show of this calibre for a young audience proves that HBO has a bright future.