# Euphoria season 1

The first season of the American teen drama television series Euphoria, based on the Israeli television series of the same name, premiered on June 16, 2019, on HBO. Series creator Sam Levinson serves as the showrunner for the season, and wrote all episodes. The series follows Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a troubled teenage drug addict who struggles to get sober, find her place in the world, and adjust to her relationships after rehab. The season features an ensemble cast of Zendaya, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith, and Sydney Sweeney in main roles.
Levinson and HBO had begun developing an American adaptation of the 2012 Israeli television series of the same name by June 2017. In March 2018, the series was given a pilot order, and was greenlit for a full season order in July 2018. The season consists of eight episode, and received critical acclaim. It was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards, and received three wins, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Zendaya, Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) and Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Zendaya as Ruby "Rue" Bennett
* Maude Apatow as Alexis "Lexi" Howard
* Angus Cloud as Fezco "Fez" O'Neill
* Eric Dane as Cal Jacobs
* Alexa Demie as Madeleine "Maddy" Perez
* Jacob Elordi as Nathaniel "Nate" Jacobs
* Barbie Ferreira as Katherine "Kat" Hernandez
* Nika King as Leslie Bennett
* Storm Reid as Georgia "Gia" Bennett
* Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn
* Algee Smith as Christopher "Chris" McKay
* Sydney Sweeney as Cassandra "Cassie" Howard

### Recurring

* Javon "Wanna" Walton as Ashtray
* Austin Abrams as Ethan Daley
* Colman Domingo as Ali Muhammad
* Alanna Ubach as Suze Howard
* Lukas Gage as Tyler Clarkson
* John Ales as David Vaughn
* Keean Johnson as Daniel Dimarco
* Paula Marshall as Marsha Jacobs
* Zak Steiner as Aaron Jacobs
* Mercedes Colon as Kat's mom
* Tyler Chase as Custer
* Tyler Timmons as Troy McKay
* Tristan Timmons as Roy McKay
* Sophia Rose Wilson as Barbara "BB" Brooks
* Bruce Wexler as Robert Bennett
* Meeko as Mouse
* Marsha Gambles as Miss Marsha

### Guest

* Nick Blood as Gus Howard
* Pell James as Amy Vaughn

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featured character(s) | Original air date | US viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Augustine Frizzell | Teleplay by : Sam Levinson | Rue Bennett | June 16, 2019 (2019-06-16) | 0.577 |
| As a child, Ruby Bennett struggled with mental disorders and her father's death from cancer, which led to a drug addiction. Now 16, "Rue" returns home from rehab and immediately goes to her dealer Fezco ("Fez") for drugs. Jules, a new trans girl in town, is invited by her classmate, Kat, to a party hosted by popular college freshman Christopher McKay. Before the party, Jules hooks up at a motel with an older man from a hookup app after lying about her age. At the party, Kat loses her virginity. McKay's high school girlfriend Cassie gets upset when he chokes her during sex, but he stops and they discuss it. Maddy, who recently broke up with star quarterback Nate, has public revenge sex with Tyler, who she just met at the party. Angered by this, Nate drunkenly harasses Jules, and she threatens him with a knife before cutting her arm. Rue introduces herself to Jules and goes home with her. Nate returns home and encounters his father, Cal, who was Jules's hookup. ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | Nate Jacobs | June 23, 2019 (2019-06-23) | 0.574 |
| An 11-year-old Nathaniel Jacobs discovers his father's porn collection of homemade videos featuring him having sex with young gay men and transgender women. Nate becomes a successful quarterback who struggles with anger issues and sexual insecurities. In the present, Nate breaks into Tyler's house and severely beats him, accusing him of raping underage Maddy at McKay's party after Maddy falsely told him she blacked out. On the first day of school, Rue breaks down in front of the class after being asked to talk about her summer. Afterwards, Cassie's sister Lexi attempts to comfort her, but she lashes out. Rue reminisces about trying oxycodone for the first time at 13, stealing from her dying father's prescription. Kat discovers that the amateur video of her having sex at McKay's party is popular online and realizes she can make money as a camgirl. Jules starts messaging on the dating app with Nate, who catfishes her by adopting the name "Tyler" and the username "shyguy118". McKay spends time with Cassie and accuses her of being too sexual. Mouse, Fezco's intimidating supplier, coerces Rue into trying fentanyl. The title of this episode is a reference to the 2006 Birdman and Lil Wayne song "Stuntin' Like My Daddy". ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Made You Look" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | Kat Hernandez | June 30, 2019 (2019-06-30) | 0.493 |
| A young Katherine Hernandez abruptly gains weight on a family vacation. Her middle-school boyfriend, Daniel, breaks up with her. She retreats into the world of romance and becomes a popular online fan fiction writer. In the present, Kat starts to work as a camgirl, catering to a series of submissive men with financial domination fetishes. Jules tells Rue she will stop being friends with her if she keeps using drugs. At her Narcotics Anonymous meeting, Rue says she is 60 days sober; another attendee, Ali, tells her he knows she is lying. Rue helps Jules take nude photos of herself after Nate sends her a "dick pic", and she steals pills from Jules's kitchen. Maddy is shocked to find pictures of penises on Nate's phone. Rue and Jules argue after Jules reveals her plans to meet "Tyler" alone at night. Shortly thereafter, Rue goes to Jules's house to apologize and ends up kissing her. Panicked at the thought of alienating Jules, Rue visits Fez to get drugs, but, afraid for her well-being, he refuses to sell her any and locks her out of his house. Upset, Rue blames Fez for her addiction. She calls Ali for help. The title of this episode is a reference to the 2002 Nas song "Made You Look". ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Shook Ones Pt. II" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | Jules Vaughn | July 7, 2019 (2019-07-07) | 0.609 |
| An 11-year-old Jules Vaughn is admitted to a psychiatric hospital by her mother because of her depression and problems with self-harming. Later, her parents separate and she begins transitioning to deal with her gender dysphoria. In the present day, at a carnival, Nate and Maddy have an argument, and Nate grabs her by the throat after she insults his family. McKay upsets Cassie by refusing to acknowledge her as his girlfriend. Cassie and Maddy take MDMA, and Cassie flirts with a classmate, Kat's childhood sweetheart Daniel. Jules recognizes Cal as her hookup. Kat hangs out with a classmate, Ethan (who has a crush on her), but becomes jealous when she incorrectly assumes he is flirting with another girl and ends up having sex with an older boy. Rue looks for her sister, Gia, and finds her high on marijuana. Cal confronts Jules, begging her not to reveal their secret; she assures him that she will not tell anyone. After the carnival, Jules meets up with "Tyler" and discovers he is Nate. Nate blackmails her, threatening to report the nude pictures Jules has sent him as child pornography unless she keeps quiet about her relationship with his father. Jules goes to Rue's house and they kiss. The title of this episode is a reference to the 1995 Mobb Deep song "Shook Ones (Part II)". ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" | Jennifer Morrison | Sam Levinson | Maddy Perez | July 14, 2019 (2019-07-14) | 0.579 |
| As a child, Madeleine Perez lost interest in the idea of working after her mother stopped her from participating in beauty pageants. She eventually found herself in a toxic relationship with Nate, culminating in his attack on her at the carnival. In the present day, Rue tells her mother that she is dating Jules. Maddy tries to hide the injuries on her neck, but they are discovered after she passes out at school and a police investigation begins; Maddy's mother presses charges against Nate. Jules gets frustrated when Rue dismisses her situation with Cal. Ali does not believe that Rue's and Jules's relationship will last, scaring Rue. Cassie reconciles with McKay, who apologizes for his behavior at the carnival. Kat is cold toward Ethan, who does not understand why. Kat has a sexual encounter with a clothing store clerk about whom she had previously fantasized. Rue apologizes to Lexi for having been a bad friend and invites her to go roller skating with her and Jules. Cal questions the effects his secret sexuality has had on his children. Maddy meets Nate at a motel. After rollerskating, Jules takes Rue home with her, but cannot sleep. The title of this episode is a reference to the 2002 Jay-Z and Beyoncé song "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Next Episode" | Pippa Bianco | Sam Levinson | Chris McKay | July 21, 2019 (2019-07-21) | 0.569 |
| Growing up, Christopher McKay is coached by his father to become a successful football player. When he reaches college, he realizes he has little chance of being recruited by a professional team. In the present day, Nate is suspended from school and socially ostracized. Nate breaks into Tyler's apartment and coerces him into confessing to choking Maddy. He also blackmails Jules into telling the police that she saw Tyler attack Maddy. Cassie attends a Halloween party with McKay, where he is violently hazed and dry humped by his fraternity brothers. He then has aggressive sex with Cassie, which leaves her in tears. The next night, Daniel hosts a party. Rue worries about Jules, who is drinking heavily and expresses uncertainty about her relationship. Rue apologizes to Fez for lashing out at him. Kat hooks up with Ethan but ditches him when he visits the bathroom. When Cassie refuses to have sex with Daniel, he insults her. At home, Cassie realizes her period is late. Nate and Maddy arrive at Daniel's party and are applauded by the partygoers. Rue becomes suspicious when she sees Jules's reaction. The title of this episode is a reference to the 1999 Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg song "The Next Episode". ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | Cassie Howard | July 28, 2019 (2019-07-28) | 0.549 |
| Cassandra Howard's parents get divorced when she is in her early teens. After a car crash, her father descends into drug addiction and poverty and abandons their family. She frequently enters exploitative sexual relationships with her peers until she meets McKay. In the present, Rue falls into a depression after Jules grows distant, causing her bladder to shut down. After she and Lexi figure out what Nate did to Jules, Rue asks Fez to intimidate him. He does so, but Nate retaliates by anonymously reporting Fez to the police, forcing Fez and Ashtray to dispose of their stash when the police come to their home. Maddy confronts Kat over her new, assertive persona. Kat ends a cam session with a high-paying client when it makes her uncomfortable. Cassie tells McKay she is pregnant. He is overwhelmed and suggests she get an abortion. Jules visits TC, a friend from her old town, and meets TC's roommate, Anna. Jules and Anna go clubbing, take psychedelics, and share a sexual experience, during which Jules hallucinates about both Nate and Rue. She texts Rue the next morning to tell her that she misses her. ||||||||
| 8 | 8 | "And Salt the Earth Behind You" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | - | August 4, 2019 (2019-08-04) | 0.530 |
| Rue and Jules reconcile as Rue recovers in the hospital after a kidney infection. Nate is unable to sexually perform with Maddy, who confronts him about his sexuality, after which Nate attacks her. Maddy steals the video of Cal and Jules that Nate has in his possession, later watching it in shock. Nate wins his final high-school football game, but Cal criticizes his performance. Nate attempts to fight him but after being subdued, begins to hit himself, leaving Cal shaken. Cassie terminates her pregnancy with her family's support. Fez breaks into Mouse's supplier's house and robs him in order to pay Mouse. At their school's winter formal, Kat seeks out Ethan and apologizes for her behavior. Rue confronts Nate, threatening to expose Cal. Nate taunts her about Jules's loyalty. After spending the night trying to make each other jealous, Nate and Maddy decide to peacefully end their relationship. Jules tells Rue that she is in love with both her and Anna. Rue and Jules decide to run away from their town together, but Rue backs out at the last minute and Jules leaves on a train alone. A heartbroken Rue returns home and relapses, experiencing a vivid, musical hallucination. The title of this episode references "Salting the earth", to ruin a conquered land. ||||||||

## Production
### Development

Sam Levinson was commissioned by HBO to adapt the 2012 Israeli television series Euphoria created by Ron Leshem, Daphna Levin, and Tamira Yardeni. In June 2017, it was reported that the series was in development at HBO. The series was given a pilot order on March 13, 2018, and was greenlit for a full season order on July 30, 2018. Levinson directed all but three episodes in the season.

### Casting

In June 2018, it was announced that the pilot would star Zendaya, Storm Reid, Maude Apatow, Astro, Eric Dane, Angus Cloud, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Hunter Schafer, and Sydney Sweeney. Astro reportedly quit the series after shooting the pilot as he was uncomfortable with the sexual content involving his character. In October, Algee Smith was cast to replace Astro as McKay, and Austin Abrams had also been cast.

### Writing

Levinson serves as the showrunner for the season, and wrote every episode.

### Filming

The exterior of the Bennett family house that appears in the pilot episode located at 5611 Shenandoah Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90056, USA. According to the California Film Commission, the first season of Euphoria received $8,378,000 in incentive tax credits. The season was filmed over a combined total of 104 days. Zendaya received $500,000 per episode in the season.

### Music

The score album for the first season was released by Sony Masterworks through Milan Records on October 4, 2019, for digital download. The album was also released on vinyl on January 10, 2020. The score has been described as "the holy lilt of gospel, orchestral and electronic" and was favorably reviewed by Variety. A soundtrack album featuring a selection of songs from the first season and specials was released by Interscope Records digitally on May 14, 2021, with vinyl copies released on September 3, 2021.

## Release

The season premiered on June 16, 2019, on HBO. In Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, it premiered on June 17, 2019, through HBO Asia. In Australia, it premiered on June 17, 2019, through Foxtel. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, it premiered on August 6, 2019, through Sky Atlantic.

### Home media

HBO released the first season, along with the two special episodes and the second season, on DVD on November 1, 2022, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

## Reception
### Critical response

Euphoria's first season was met with a positive response from critics, with praise for its acting (specifically from Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Colman Domingo), storyline, visuals, and approach to mature subject matter. However, it met with controversy for the amount of drug use and nudity throughout the show. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 80%, with an average rating of 7.4/10 based on 100 critical reviews. The site's critical consensus summary states, "a uniquely challenging and illuminating series, held together by a powerfully understated performance from Zendaya". The review aggregator website Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100, based on 26 critics. Ben Travers of IndieWire praised the show's authenticity, how HBO "grounds itself in stark reality", and Zendaya's performance and narration. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter noted Zendaya's performance and the handling of the subject matter. Pilot Viruet of Observer called the show "visually stunning" and praised the ensemble's performance, but criticized the writing as "shaky, filled with clunky lines", and recommended that the show "keep its focus narrow". Jamila Stewart of Vogue stated that Euphoria still has a palpable impact on where fashion trends fall today.

### Audience viewership

The series' premiere averaged 577,000 viewers in its time slot, a number that increased to one million after the same-night linear replay and preliminary viewing on HBO Go/Now. The hashtag #EuphoriaHBO trended number one in the US and number three worldwide on Twitter after the premiere. The first season was the most watched of HBO's series in the 18–49 demographic with episodes averaging 6.6 million viewers.

### Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Euphoria season 1 :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Pilot" | June 16, 2019 | 0.17 | 0.577 | 0.08 | 0.225 | 0.25 | 0.802 |
| 2 | "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" | June 23, 2019 | 0.20 | 0.574 | 0.07 | 0.200 | 0.27 | 0.774 |
| 3 | "Made You Look" | June 30, 2019 | 0.19 | 0.493 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | "Shook Ones Pt. II" | July 7, 2019 | 0.21 | 0.609 | 0.10 | 0.218 | 0.31 | 0.827 |
| 5 | "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" | July 14, 2019 | 0.21 | 0.579 | 0.13 | 0.289 | 0.34 | 0.868 |
| 6 | "The Next Episode" | July 21, 2019 | 0.20 | 0.569 | 0.12 | 0.266 | 0.32 | 0.835 |
| 7 | "The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed" | July 28, 2019 | 0.19 | 0.549 | 0.13 | 0.297 | 0.32 | 0.846 |
| 8 | "And Salt the Earth Behind You" | August 4, 2019 | 0.21 | 0.530 | 0.12 | 0.273 | 0.33 | 0.803 |

### Accolades

The first season received six nominations with three wins at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards; including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Zendaya (for the episode "Made You Look"), Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) and Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (both for the episode "And Salt the Earth Behind You"). Nominations included Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for Heidi Bivens, Danielle Baker, and Katina Danabassis (for the episode "The Next Episode"), Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) for Labrinth (for the episode "'03 Bonnie and Clyde") and Outstanding Music Supervision for Jen Malone and Adam Leber (for the episode "And Salt the Earth Behind You"). For their work on the season, Malone and Leber won the 2020 Guild of Music Supervisors Award for Best Music Supervision in a Television Drama.