The Guardian view on Euphoria: the show once pushed the envelope, but shock now seems to be the point Coming-of-age television dramas have historically challenged adult complacency by exploring the complexities of young people’s lives, including issues like sex, addiction, and violence. However, a trend towards spectacle and outrage, exemplified by Euphoria’s recent seasons, suggests a broader failure in high-end television’s treatment of youth. This shift is partly driven by economic factors, where controversial scenes that can be easily clipped and circulated are valued over nuanced storytelling, potentially jeopardizing the genre’s ability to sustain meaningful conversations.

• Television dramas about adolescence have historically aimed to expose societal shortcomings by depicting young people grappling with issues like sex, addiction, and violence.
• Shows like Skins, Chewing Gum, Sex Education, and Euphoria initially succeeded by dramatizing how power structures affect young lives.
• Euphoria’s recent evolution, particularly with the character of Cassie, is seen as a disappointment and a symptom of high-end television’s failure to thoughtfully portray youth, prioritizing outrage and spectacle over complexity.
• The economic model of streaming platforms and social media favors controversial, easily shareable content, making patient and nuanced storytelling harder to monetize.
• While shock can initiate dialogue, it cannot sustain it, and dramas that mistake outrage for truth risk losing their creative spark and unsettling impact.