The Zendaya-helmed ensemble cast behind the hit HBO series cemented “Euphoria” as the network’s second-most-watched show since 2004 behind only “Game of Thrones,” as WarnerMedia reported. The Season 2 finale marked a series high with 6.6 million viewers. According to HBO, “Euphoria” Season 2 episodes are now averaging 16.3 million viewers. To date, the second-season premiere’s viewership has approached 19 million viewers in the U.S., with the per-episode-viewership average up nearly 100 percent from the first season with just the first four episodes of Season 2. That 16.3 million average is higher than the first three seasons of “Game of Thrones,” which averaged 9.3 million, 11.6 million, and 14.4 million respectively. “Game of Thrones” Season 4 averaged 19.1 million — which, when all is said and done, “Euphoria” could potentially beat given the Season 1 premiere’s growing figures on streaming.
Hunter Schafer, Nika King, Eric Dane, Angus Cloud, Jacob Elordi, Algee Smith, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira, Maude Apatow, Javon Walton, Dominic Fike, Storm Reid, and Austin Abrams star in “Euphoria,” which is created, written, directed, and executive-produced by showrunner Sam Levinson. According to Twitter, there have been 34 million tweets since “Euphoria” returned in January, marking a 51 percent increase in activity since the first season premiered in 2019. A majority of the tweets have been memes. Executive producer Drake and fellow celebrities Ella Mai, Halsey, Jack Harlow, and Kid Cudi have all weighed in on social media about the episodic drama. The series’ week-to-week rollout model has helped build online word of mouth — more so than a binge release streaming model, which has seen series like “Ozark” come and go (despite huge numbers) from the conversation swiftly with a full season drop. IndieWire critic Ben Travers credited the addictive quality of “Euphoria” to its emphasis on sheer chaos, writing in his review, “While the extra sudsy soap certainly helps clean up the chaos […] [the series’] harrowing side still washes over the finale.” Travers continued, “Levinson patches together a finale that collects serious heartache, hysterical melodrama, and maddening chaos under one roof — for now.” Lead star and executive producer Zendaya addressed the heavy topics like teen addiction that “Euphoria” takes on, with insistence that the series is not “a moral tale to teach people how to live their life.” Rather, “Euphoria,” according to Zendaya, sets out to “hopefully help people feel a little bit less alone in their experience and their pain, and maybe feel like they’re not the only one going through or dealing with what they’re dealing with.”
Tony Maglio contributed reporting. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
