Euphoria topped multiple “the most anticipated shows of 2022” lists, from Complex to Esquire to Polygon. Now the first episode of its long-awaited second season is streaming on Showmax, with new episodes coming express from the US every Monday. Sam Levinson’s ground-breaking adults-only hit series positions Zendaya as teenage addict Rue, trying to find hope while balancing the pressures of love, loss and addiction.

It’s been two years since Season 1 concluded, and the mid-pandemic 2020/21 two-part special only made us miss it more, so it’s no surprise that the Season 2 trailer hit over 1 million views on YouTube within 12 hours when it dropped at the end of November last year. 

As mentioned up top, Euphoria isn’t for everyone, and Season 2 looks set to be as controversial as the first. But the fans (including us) are, well, euphoric. In addition to her 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (which saw her breaking the record for the youngest ever actress to scoop the title), Zendaya also won the 2019 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Drama TV Star and a 2020 Black Reel Award for the role. 

Euphoria also won 2020 Emmys for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and for Contemporary Makeup, while the two-part special bridging the pandemic-enforced gap between seasons was nominated for a Peabody Award and three 2021 Emmys, for Cinematography, Make-up and Costume. 

Euphoria is available to watch first on Showmax, you can also catch up on the two-part Euphoria special here.

Euphoria‘s two-part special is now first on Showmax, express from the US. It’s as far removed from the frenetic pace of Season 1 as you can get… and the critics are raving about it.

Last year, Zendaya (The Greatest Showman, Spider-Man) became the youngest ever best actress Emmy winner for her performance as 17-year-old addict Rue, who returned home from rehab and fell hard for the new girl in town, Jules (played by trans superstar Hunter Schafer). 

The HBO drama series put a surprise in our Christmas stockings at the end of last year with Trouble Don’t Last Always, the first episode (and what an enthralling and captivating watch it is) of a two-part special bridging the COVID-19-enforced gap as we wait for Season 2. 

The first episode picks up directly after the Season 1 finale, focusing on Rue facing Christmas alone in the aftermath of the train station. Though Jules features briefly, the episode is a pensive, slice-of-life two-hander that sees Rue and her sponsor Ali (fellow Season 1 star Colman Domingo) pick apart life, loss and addiction over Christmas Eve pancakes in a diner.  

Part 2, titled F*ck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob, has just arrived, express from the US; here’s where we finally get Jules’ side of the story and catch up with her in a painfully honest therapy session. 

Series creator Sam Levinson says they had prepped the entire Season 2 before the pandemic shut down production just three days before they were due to start shooting. “My instinct immediately was, ‘What can we do in the meantime? What’s a way to do more contained pieces that allow us to continue the emotional evolution of these characters?'”

Part 1 of his answer to that question drew a 96% thumbs-up from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. “The first season of Euphoria moved at a breakneck pace… Not so with this special; this long, enveloping conversation is covered with skill and panache, yes, but with unending patience, stillness, comfort in the discomfort,” says Collider. “An unorthodox, gripping, reflective, and supremely effective piece of television storytelling… and some of the best acting you’ll see on television this year.”  

RogerEbert.com calls it “one of the best hours of TV in 2020… incredibly moving,” Indiewire asked, “Who knew “Euphoria” could offer such a beaming ray of light?”, and Decider has already tipped Zendaya for another Emmy nomination for the special episode. “Zendaya continues to demonstrate exactly why she so deserved the best actress Emmy,” echoes The Guardian, adding that, “As the older, wiser Ali, Colman Domingo is simply extraordinary” and calling the episode “frequently as funny as it is grim. Ultimately, its message is one of forgiveness, of others and of oneself, of empathy and understanding. It quietly calls for good will to all men, even whip-smart, heartbroken, navel-gazing teenagers.”

Available now on Showmax, you don’t need us to tell you to watch this one especially since we’ve made our feelings clear about it on numerous occasions before.

Zendaya became the youngest ever best actress Emmy winner this year for her performance as Rue, a 17-year-old who returns home from rehab with no plans to stay clean, and falls for the new girl in town, Jules (played by trans superstar Hunter Schafer). Euphoria also won 2020 Emmys for Original Music and Lyrics for All For Us by Labrinth, as well as Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic). 

The new episode will follow Rue as she celebrates Christmas, in the aftermath of being left by Jules at the train station and falling back into old habits. 

Written and directed by series creator Sam Levinson, the episode will also feature Schafer and fellow Season 1 star Colman Domingo, who plays Ali. 

The title and date of the second episode are forthcoming. Both special episodes were produced under COVID-19 guidelines. 

The controversial adults-only teen show, which also earned Zendaya a 2019 People’s Choice Award for Favourite Drama TV Star, has an 8.4/10 rating on IMDb and an 82% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus says, “Euphoria balances its brutal honesty with an empathetic – and visually gorgeous – eye to create a uniquely challenging and illuminating series, held together by a powerfully understated performance from Zendaya.”

If you haven’t seen it yet then why not? Good news is you can catch up on Season 1, only on Showmax.