Fans of HBO’s hit teen drama Euphoria have driven the show to become one of the platform’s most popular outputs ever.
With Sunday night’s Season 2 finale drawing in 6.6 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max streaming, Euphoria gained the unique distinction of becoming the premium network’s second most-viewed show of all time – only trailing the insanely popular Game of Thrones.
According to Variety, the Zendaya-led drama has been the top title on HBO Max in the U.S. for seven straight weeks, also topping the streaming giant’s selections in Latin America and Europe.
A breakout hit in 2019, the show follows the tumultuous, intertwined lives of modern teens. Centered around the goings-on at the fictional East Highland High in a non-specific suburban U.S. town, the show centers on Rue, a 16-year-old still reeling from the traumatic loss of a parent, as she grapples with family bonds, relationships, and friendships amid an intense addiction to opiates.
The role of Rue earned Zendaya her first Emmy, crowning her the youngest-ever and only second Black woman winner in the lead actress in a drama category at the 2020 awards. Her visceral portrayal of a teen girl deep in the throes of addiction has drawn both accolades and criticism from some claiming that. the show glorifies drug use by showing the experience of intoxication through a first-person perspective. But Zendaya has spoken out herself that it is actually quite the opposite.
“The feeling behind Euphoria, or whatever we have always been trying to do with it, is to hopefully help people feel a little bit less alone in their experience and their pain,” she told Entertainment Weekly after Season 2’s pivotal fifth episode. “And maybe feel like they’re not the only one going through or dealing with what they’re dealing with.”
Though the show was already at a fever pitch of popularity at season 1’s end, Variety reports that its per-episode-viewership average had risen nearly 100% from its first season after season 2’s first four episodes hit airwaves. The show hit a new viewership high when it aired just after Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, Feb. 13.
This news comes just as the show was officially renewed for season 3. Unfortunately for Euphoria‘s rabid fanbase, the next season won’t be coming to our screens until sometime in 2024.
