Well Played

What ‘Euphoria’ Gets Right and Wrong About Addiction


Listen Later

On Sunday, “Euphoria” finally lowered the curtain on its drama-filled sophomore season, and fans and critics have a lot to say — and not just about Fexi, the Maddy-Cassie showdown or the HBO Max outage that almost caused a Twitter riot. 

Despite its popularity, the show has been under fire all season long, especially as it zeroed in on the unraveling of Zendaya's character, Rue. After season two premiered, D.A.R.E. accused the series of glamorizing addiction and teenage drug use. But the debate on whether or not TV shows correctly portray addiction — especially when it comes to teens — is something we've been wrestling with for decades. 

We’re diving into how drug use has shown up on television through the years and what this season of “Euphoria” got right — and wrong — about addiction.

You’ll hear from:

Lexi McMenamin, news and politics editor at Teen Vogue

Want more Skimm? 

  • Sign up for our free daily newsletter
  • Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts

  • Skimm'd by Senior Producer and Host Bridget Armstrong. Produced by Alaisha Key. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s senior director of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Well PlayedBy theSkimm

    • 4.3
    • 4.3
    • 4.3
    • 4.3
    • 4.3

    4.3

    177 ratings


    More shows like Well Played

    View all
    9 to 5ish with theSkimm by theSkimm

    9 to 5ish with theSkimm

    1,877 Listeners

    Be There in Five by Kate Kennedy

    Be There in Five

    7,172 Listeners

    Call Her Daddy by Alex Cooper

    Call Her Daddy

    165,540 Listeners

    Skimm This by theSkimm

    Skimm This

    3,625 Listeners

    Real Pod by Dear Media

    Real Pod

    3,409 Listeners

    Pop Apologists by PodcastOne

    Pop Apologists

    3,157 Listeners

    A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe by Vox Media Podcast Network

    A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe

    700 Listeners

    Giggly Squad by Hannah Berner & Paige DeSorbo

    Giggly Squad

    14,800 Listeners

    Calm Down with Erin and Charissa by iHeartPodcasts

    Calm Down with Erin and Charissa

    1,831 Listeners

    The RE—CAP Show with Tobin Heath and Christen Press by RE—INC

    The RE—CAP Show with Tobin Heath and Christen Press

    1,139 Listeners

    Let's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari by Dear Media

    Let's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari

    3,420 Listeners

    Sunday Sports Club with Allison Kuch by Dear Media

    Sunday Sports Club with Allison Kuch

    956 Listeners

    The Sports Gossip Show by The Athletic

    The Sports Gossip Show

    398 Listeners

    Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce by Wave Originals

    Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce

    9,984 Listeners

    Good Hang with Amy Poehler by The Ringer

    Good Hang with Amy Poehler

    7,831 Listeners

    House of Maher by Wave Originals

    House of Maher

    518 Listeners