Zendaya has come a long way since her Disney Channel days on “Shake It Up” and “K.C. Undercover.” Her new HBO series “Euphoria” is a no-holds-barred look at teens dealing with sexuality, drugs and violence. Since the show didn’t start airing until June it won’t be eligible for Emmys until 2020. Do you think she deserves to be remembered by voters next year? Scroll down to vote in our poll at the bottom of this post.
“Euphoria” is an ensemble drama, but its primary focus is Rue Bennett (Zendaya), who nearly died from a drug overdose during the summer and is fresh out of rehab as the school year begins again. She becomes friends with Jules (Hunter Schafer), a transgender girl who is new to town. A lot of the characters’ insecurities around relationships, family, bullying and acceptance aren’t unusual to teen dramas, but the show’s eerie visual style and gritty, sometimes graphic intensity suggest “13 Reasons Why” by way of “Requiem for a Dream.”
Will Emmy voters go for it? They have occasionally nominated teen shows in the past like “My So-Called Life” and “Joan of Arcadia,” and they don’t flinch when it comes to dark subject matter if the 2017 Best Drama Series win by “The Handmaid’s Tale” is any indication. As for critics, they have been impressed by Zendaya in particular. Tim Goodman (Hollywood Reporter) calls her “an absolute revelation.” Sonia Saraiya (Vanity Fair) says she “holds the entire production together — grounded, self-effacing, charming, and so assured.” And Caroline Framke (Variety) feels her performance is “often breathtaking.”
But other critics have more mixed feelings about the show, like Doreen St. Felix (The New Yorker) who thinks the relationship between Rue and Jules is a “jewel” despite the show being “self-conscious” and “overfull with fancy camera tricks and thousand-dollar designer getups.” Our forum posters have also been wrestling with the show’s style, subject matter and tone. Some are enthralled. Some are perplexed. Others are both. Read some of their comments below, then vote in our poll and join their discussion in our message boards right here.
Caelin Cripps: “Zendaya is definitely a lock for a Golden Globe nomination at the very least. I could see the show also being nominated at the Globes if reviews continue to be strong and it creates a lot of buzz. I would personally LOVE for Z to get an Emmy nomination next year a la Claire Danes for ‘My So-Called Life.'”
Jays: “Zendaya, to my surprise, was pretty great. Couldn’t take my eyes off of her whenever she was on screen … but this seems way too out there to be an awards player.”
Tyler: “Yeah this was good. Zendaya is great, so was [Shafer,] the actress playing Jules. I want to see more of Sydney Sweeney … I really do love the look of it, but … it’s so graphic and explicit that I can’t even decide what I think about the quality of it overall.”
sofan: “I think Zendaya will pull a Katherine Langford at the Golden Globes and maybe a couple of contemporary categories at the Emmys and that will probably be all.”
24fanatic: “I continue to be impressed by Zendaya’s performance. I’m not really fond of anyone else in the cast though, with the exception of Storm Reid (who plays her younger sister).”
Be sure to make your Emmy predictions today so that Hollywood insiders can see how their TV shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions as often as you like until just before nominations are announced on July 16. And join in the fun debate over the 2019 Emmy taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our television forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
