Euphoria is a television show on HBO Max that follows the troubled life of Rue, a 17 year old highschool student. A wikipedia summary about the show explains Euphorias characters saying “Circling in Rue’s orbit are Jules, a transgender girl searching for where she belongs. Nate, a jock whose anger issues mask sexual insecurities. Chris, a football star who finds the adjustment from high school to college harder than expected. Cassie, whose sexual history continues to dog her. and Kat, a body-conscious teen exploring her sexuality. As the classmates struggle to make sense of their futures, the series tackles the teenage landscape of substance-enhanced parties and anxiety-ridden day-to-day life with empathy and candor.” Though the show seems to be aimed at teens, do teens really relate? 

HBO recently aired Euphoria’s new season on January 9th. The hit show is aimed at highlighting the “teenage experience” as the show revolves around teenagers as they navigate sex, drugs, and friendships in the social media age. One of the big questions circling the show has been about how accurately it depicts teenagers in today’s society, and if teens really relate to Euphoria. In an interview with Avery Bench, a student at Saugus, she said “I feel that Euphoria is incredibly accurate in depicting how high schoolers deal with mental illness. Substance abuse and mental health struggles are things that I know many kids struggle with. I don’t think Euphoria glamorizes mental health problems, substance abuse, or even toxic relationships, but helps teens feel less alone.” Similarly, in an interview with Indie wire, Zendaya who plays Rue Bennet, stated“I hope people really feel something — whoever really truly needs it; needs to see that they’re not alone, that their experiences are valid, and what they’re going through is real, and that they’re not the only person in the world that’s living with what they’re living with.”

Though the show may get quite intense at times the whole theme of the show revolves around the struggles of teens. Each character in the show struggles with something different. They each face different consequences for their actions and they each cope with their consequences differently. The show emphasizes the difference between each character’s struggles but still makes them relate back to each other and their targeted audience. This is why viewers are  able to connect with many characters and what makes the show so relatable. Euphoria accurately depicts teen struggles therefore making the show enjoyable, popular, but also comforting.