Euphoria aired its debut season's finale on HBO last Sunday, Aug. 4, with its biggest ratings yet. It's no wonder that the cable network wasted no time granting the series a second season renewal.
According to Deadline, Euphoria's ratings steadily rose in the 10:00 p.m. schedule since it started airing more than a month ago. In July, the show's viewership was at around 609,000 viewers, but it was up by 24 percent from its debut episode in June.
With additional digital viewings, however, Euphoria's overall ratings totaled to about 1.2 million a week. While this number doesn't even come close to the level of Game of Thrones or Big Little Lies' ratings, which are both Sunday powerhouses, HBO bosses see a lot of potential in Euphoriaespecially for the next season given its progression.
The Hollywood Reporter's ratings estimates are a lot higher for Euphoria though as it projected that the teen drama series averaged 5.6 million viewers per episode, including digital and video on demand viewings. Those numbers are big for cable programming, and there could be more potential for the show to attract viewers for season 2.
However, HBO head Case Bloys revealed to TV Line that Euphoria might go on until season 3 only. The main reason for this limitation is because the characters are high school kids, and the actors won't likely keep playing teenagers when they are 30 years old.
Meanwhile, Euphoriaseason 2 has not yet started production despite the renewal. Sam Levinson is expected to return as showrunner with Zendaya reprising her role as Rue; the troubled teenager hooked on drugs.
According to Screen Rant, Euphoria season 2 might be expected for a summer 2020 premiere. HBO will likely retain the series for their summer programming given how it is successful in the ratings.
The series is based on an Israeli drama created by Ron Leshem, Daphna Levin, and Tmira Yardeni. The show is known to push boundaries as it touches on sensitive themes like drug addiction, teenage sex, teenage abortion, sexuality, and identity. The watchdog group Parents Television Council called out the show for showing penises at least 30t times on the screen.
But critics love the first season of Euphoria for the way it handles sensitive subject matters in its storylines. The actors are also commendable for the performances as troubled teens.
HBO subscribers may watch episodes of Euphoria's first season via HBO Now.
