Shows like Euphoria are a comfort right now. We are as blue as an eye shadow stick, drawn over a lid and up to the brow bone—Euphoria season 2 has concluded. On Sunday nights henceforth, no boobs shall bounce, no parents shall day-drink, and no pills or powder shall be spilled in quite the same way. If Euphoria season 3 takes as long to make as the last one, we won’t see our favorite at-risk youths for over two years. The quality of memes is about to take a dip, and there will be no more hidden meanings in rhinestone eyeliner left to unpack.
But wait! Creator, writer, and executive producer Sam Levinson did not invent the genre of teenagers having a bad time. If you like to watch 20-somethings as teens suffering in a gritty yet suburban way, the options are as numerous as the pills in Rue’s suitcase. Here are the movies and shows like Euphoria—often painful, frequently funny, and never long enough.
Skins (U.K.)
Of all the teen TV shows ever made, this is the one that invented screaming, “WHERE ARE THE PARENTS?” at the screen. Skins premiered in the U.K. in 2007, ran for seven seasons, and was adapted into a less successful American version in 2011. During the series’ golden age, it felt like you could reach through the screen and touch the greasy skin and deodorant stains of the actors. Like the Euphoria high schoolers, the Skins crew suffered in a way we like to pretend teenagers don’t. The characters—written by a team of adult writers and teenagers—dealt with addiction, neglect, eating disorders, self-harm, and abusive relationships. Skins deserves a place at the top of any “shows like Euphoria” list. And still, in many ways Skins is not as dark. Skins’ characters demonstrate unconditional love for each other; they show flashes of integrity. The number of stars that came out of Skins is also shocking—Dev Patel! Daniel Kaluuya! Nicholas Holt! Kaya Scodelario! If you liked Lexi’s play, you’ll freak for a chorus of blank-faced teens singing, “That was the day Osama blew us away, Osama blew us away!”
How to watch: Hulu
How much is it like Euphoria? We give it 9/10 prosthetic penises.
Assassination Nation
I would have connected Assassination Nation to Euphoria even if I didn’t know both are by Levinson—this movie gave me shimmering nightmares with moody lighting and a Google search history made up of “wear cheerleader skirt in 20s?” and “style curly bangs how.” One year before Euphoria debuted on HBO, Levinson put out this very good, very Euphoria-like indie movie starring Hari Nef, Maude Apatow, Suki Waterhouse, and Bella Thorne. I would say that Assassination Nation is actually better and more impactful than Euphoria, if I didn’t fear the power and impact of the Euphoria fandom.
How to watch: Hulu
How much is it like Euphoria? We give it 10/10 prosthetic penises.
Yellowjackets
Like Euphoria, Yellowjackets is a critically acclaimed, high-budget, ultradark drama that turns a thoughtful lens on the psychology of teenage girls. The makeup looks are less replicable, but instead you can enjoy just the right amount of cannibalism. And if you’re only looking for new TV shows to add to your queue, this is the one: This 2021 series is a major awards contender and will likely compete with Euphoria for trophies.
How to watch: Showtime
How much is it like Euphoria? We give it 6/10 prosthetic penises.
The Spectacular Now
Shailene Woodley’s delivery of “Should we…take off…our shirts?” sends me straight into a pitch-black memory hole of my own teenage sexual experiences. You too can share this journey through the brutal angst of teenhood by watching The Spectacular Now, a 2013 movie starring Woodley, Miles Teller, and Brie Larson. Woodley has been making headlines lately for her romantic life, and it’s always nice to remember what she’s actually famous for: stunning acting talent.
How to watch: Showtime
How much is it like Euphoria? We give it 7/10 prosthetic penises.
The O.C.
Those who love art must pay respect to the classics, which in this case means The O.C., the show that declared hot “teens” on TV can have drama with friends, family, and dating. But they ALSO can have violent shootouts.
How to watch: HBO Max
How much is it like Euphoria? We give it 7/10 prosthetic penises.
Thirteen
Want to feel distraught, but in an early aughts kind of way? Meet Thirteen, the 2000s drama that surely has more anguish and adolescent drug use than you could ever want. This sounds made up, but it happened: Nikki Reed, who went on to play Rosalie Hale in Twilight, cowrote the movie Thirteen with director Catherine Hardwicke. Reed costarred in it with Evan Rachel Wood and Holly Hunter, and Vanessa Hudgens appeared in her first movie role. The movie, based in part on Reed’s life as a teenager, was a major critical success, and Hunter was nominated for an Oscar.
How to watch: Cinemax
How much is it like Euphoria? We give it 8/10 prosthetic penises.
Sex Education
One of the best TV shows on Netflix, Sex Education is like a through-the-looking-glass version of Euphoria—for every erotic confusion and violent impulse, there is a warm hug from a trusted adult authority figure and a stirring speech about the power of consent and being yourself from a well-adjusted teen. If you were watching Euphoria and thinking, “The only makeup I owned in high school was tinted Burt’s Bees lip balm, and the only drug I did was nondrowsy Allegra,” try this. There’s still an enormous amount of sex!
How to watch: Netflix
How much is it like Euphoria? We give it 6.5/10 prosthetic penises.
Freaks and Geeks
Long before Maude Apatow played Lexi Howard on Euphoria, her dad, Judd Apatow, commanded a TV high school as the executive producer of Freaks and Geeks. The show, which ran only for the 1999–2000 season and became a cult classic, starred a very young cast made up of, somehow: Seth Rogen, Busy Philipps, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, Lizzy Caplan, and James Franco. The show has a much higher joke-to-trauma ratio than Euphoria, but there’s angst, drugs, and even late-’90s fashion.
How to watch: Hulu
How much is it like Euphoria? We give it 6/10 prosthetic penises.
Normal People
You say: “There is a hole in my heart that can only be filled by gloomy shots of young people in agony and/or constant state of orgasm!” I say: “Have you seen Normal People?” Normal People, adapted from the novel of the same name by Sally Rooney, covers both high school and college, painting a beautiful rainbow of angst and loneliness.
How to watch: Hulu
How much is it like Euphoria? We give it 7/10 prosthetic penises.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
If you ever kept an upsetting journal…if you ever pretended children’s aspirin was drugs…if you were unpopular in high school and consider that to be a badge of honor—try The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the 2012 teen drama starring Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, and Mae Whitman.
