Season 2 of Euphoria is brutal, according to the showrunner

According to creator and showrunner Sam Levinson, Season 2 of Euphoria is terrible. Season 1 of HBO’s Emmy Award-winning drama premiered in the summer of 2019 and rapidly became popular due to its honest and boundary-pushing depiction of teen relationships, mental health difficulties, sex, drugs, and other pitfalls.

Euphoria follows Rue (Zendaya), a recovered drug addict who befriends a new student at school, Jules, a transgender girl (Hunter Schafer). Jacob Elordi, Maude Apatow, Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira, and Sydney Sweeney play supporting roles.

The epidemic struck just as season 2 of Euphoria was due to begin filming in March of 2020. Meanwhile, Levinson created two special episodes of the show with a limited cast and limited settings (while also writing and directing the Netflix film Malcolm & Marie starring Zendaya and John David Washington).

In the aftermath of season 1’s heartbreaking finale, the first special episode focused on Zendaya’s Rue and the second on Hunter Schafer’s Jules, previewing each character’s backstory.

“A Brutal Season”

Now, in a Vogue interview with Zendaya, who has two heavily hyped films coming out this year in Dune and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Euphoria’s showrunner Sam Levinson teased season 2 through email, describing it as “a brutal season.” Zendaya, the youngest woman to win an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series, was also praised by Levinson.

Here’s what the showrunner of Euphoria had to say:

It’s been a difficult season, and one of the things I like about Z is that she can go to those dark places and then come back as soon as I call cut, eating Cheesecake Factory and making jokes. She’s also a member of the family. All we do is shoot crap all day. We discuss the show, the characters, life, films, and politics. She’s one of the most grounded people I’ve ever met.