Multimedia superstar Zendaya stars in this drama series that follows a group of high-school students as they navigate a mine field of drugs, sex, identity, trauma, social media, love and friendship in today’s increasingly unstable world.

For thoughts on Euphoria: Seasons 1-2, please see my colleague Emmy Wenstrup’s reviews from its original debut:

Video Quality

Euphoria comes to DVD with 16 episodes and two specials over 5 discs, which offers a fair amount of room to avoid compression issues. This is a show we desperately wish would have made the cut for a Blu-Ray release, as there is some striking imagery that would shine in HD. Due to the limitations of the format, these episodes are not going to look as good as they do in high definition on HBO Max, but they look as strong as they can within the limitations of the DVD format. Skin tones appear pretty natural, and close ups look quite good with some texture within the setting and outfits. Colors make a bit of an impression, and there is some decent depth within the setting. Shadow detail is one of the elements which struggle a little bit in the slightly lacking black levels that lose distinct edge detail. With these caveats aside, this is still an expertly shot modern show that pushes the limits of what this lesser format can offer. We will probably be waiting forever if we are holding out for a Blu-Ray, so this stands as a fine backup for the series if you do not want to be beholden to HBO Max.

Audio Quality

This DVD comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track that once again represents this series well within its format limitations. One of the greatest delights this series offers is the incredible soundtrack which flows through the room with a strong fidelity. Dialogue comes through perfectly clear with a focus in the center channel and some stretch into the surrounds. Sound effects and ambient chatter never trounce on the dialogue causing lost information. The mix establishes a firm sense of directionality so that nothing ever feels like it is emanating from the wrong place. The rear speakers create a fully immersive atmosphere as the sound of various unique environments envelops you when the moment calls for it. While this show would pop with a lossless track, it does everything it can within its limitations on DVD. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Season One

Euphoria In Conversation – Zendaya & Sam Levinson: A four-minute conversation between the star and creator in which they discuss the personal nature of this show for Levinson, achieving an emotional honesty, what drew Zendaya to this show and more.

Storyboard To Scene: A minute-long look at the process of bringing Levinson’s vision to life from a storyboard to the final product.

Euphoria Scene Breakdown: A two-minute exploration of the rotating room scene in which the cast and creative team dig into how they pulled things off on a technical level.

Euphoria Unfiltered – Zendaya: A two-minute conversation with Zendaya in which she discusses what the show is about, the journey Rue is on, the morality of the show and more.

Euphoria Unfiltered – Jacob Elordi: A nearly four-minute conversation with Jacob Elordi in which he discusses the obnoxious nature of his character, his personal development of the character, how Jules threatens his reality, the moving pieces of the narrative and more.

Euphoria Unfiltered – Barbie Ferreira: A three-minute conversation with Barbie Ferreira in which she discusses what she used as inspiration for her character, the internal struggles of Kat, her evolution throughout the season and more.

Euphoria Unfiltered – Hunter Schafer: A three-minute conversation with Hunter Schafer in which she discusses the excitement over first reading the scripts, the struggles of Jules to find healthy romantic intimacy, her dynamic with Rue and more.
Euphoria Unfiltered – Alexa Demie: A three-minute conversation with Alexa Demie in which she discusses what drew her to the character, the toxic relationship with Nate, working with Jacob Elordi and more.
Euphoria Unfiltered – Algee Smith: A three-minute conversation with Algee Smith in which he discusses his character, reckoning with what to do with his anger off the field, the relationship he has with Cassie and more.

Euphoria Unfiltered – Sydney Sweeney: A three-minute conversation with Sydney Sweeney in which she discusses what she loves about her character Cassie, the issues Cassie has with her father, what love means for her character and more.

Euphoria Unfiltered – Zendaya & Hunter Schafer: A three-minute conversation with Zendaya and Schafer in which they discuss their relationship off-screen, how their characters evolve together, and more.

Specials

Enter Euphoria Part 1 – Rue: A seven-minute conversation with the cast and creative team in which they discuss the impact of the pandemic, subverting the normal structure of the series for this special episode, where Rue is at this point in time and more.

Enter Euphoria Part 2 – Jules: An eight-minute conversation with the cast and creative team in which they discuss bringing Hunter on as a co-writer with Sam, reexamining moments from the first season through a new lens, the hands-on pre-production process and more.

Euphoria – The Craft: A four-minute deeper look at the expansion of responsibilities for Hunter Schafer with the development of Jules, the more pointed exploration of gender and sexuality and more.

Season Two

Costumes Of Euphoria: A nine-minute look at the importance of costumes in the series, the further evolution in the sophomore season, the work of Costume Department Head Heidi Bivens and more.

Euphoria – Set Tour with Sydney Sweeney: A three-minute look at the shooting locations with one of the stars of the show.

Euphoria – All For The Looks: A seven-minute look at the place of makeup design within the show.

Enter Euphoria – Trying To Get To Heaven Before They Close The Door: A nearly seven-minute look at the evolution from the first season, the visual differences, the character dynamics and more.

Enter Euphoria – Out Of Touch: A nearly eight-minute look at the second episode of the season and its focus on longing and desires, and the various ways that manifests for the characters.

Enter Euphoria – Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys: An eight-minute look at this episode which finds Zendaya being pushed to her limits. the choreography, the evolution of costumes and more.

Enter Euphoria – You Who Cannot See, Think Of Those Who Can: A nearly seven-minute look at the clash between Cassie and Maddy, what the birthday party brings out for the characters, the costume choices and more.

Enter Euphoria – Stand Still Like A Hummingbird: A nearly ten-minute look at episode five and the emotional challenges it created for its stars.

Enter Euphoria – A Thousand Little Trees Of Blood: An eight-minute look at episode six and how it deals with themes of redemption, the importance of Ali to Rue and more.

Enter Euphoria – The Theater and Its Double: An eight-minute look at the iconic seventh episode with Lexi’s play, her relationship with Fezco and more.

Enter Euphoria – All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned For A Thing I Cannot Name: A ten-minute look into the finale, how all of the storylines come together, the fallout from the play and more.

Final Thoughts

Euphoria can be more than a little bit messy and chaotic, but that is part of its charm. Creator Sam Levinson often traffics in excess, but he hits upon a special quality that keeps you transfixed on the screen. Even when the show is indulging in its most heightened elements, it has an emotional honesty that sticks with fans. This is perhaps most obvious in the Emmy-winning performance from Zendaya, who takes us through this world of memorable characters while reckoning with her own deeply felt issues. Beyond the countless memes and quotes, this is simply a great show with a complex web of interesting storylines. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has delivered a DVD with a pretty good A/V presentation for the format and some compelling special features that fans will appreciate. It is a real thrill to finally have all of these episodes on physical media, but a Blu-Ray release would have been the way to go. Recommended

Euphoria: Seasons 1-2 is currently available to purchase on DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the DVD.

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.