Euphoria on HBO Max. Euphoria’s Christmas special could’ve been lightweight, a stopgap to keep the fans fed and the show refreshed in the minds of short-attention span streamers. Instead, writer-director Sam Levinson turned in a quietly devastating hour of conversation between Zendaya’s Rue and her sponsor, the brilliant Colman Domingo, that treats addiction with a seriousness that’s rare on TV. What is Euphoria when it’s stripped of the buzzy music cues, digressive cut-scenes, visual flair and excessive nudity? Well, a disturbing window on drugs, faith, race, love and suicide.
We Are Who We Are on HBO Max. This story of American teens discovering themselves and their sexualities in Northern Italy from writer/director Luca Guadagigno is effectively Call Me By Your Name Part 2, but as an 8-hour miniseries it’s more deliberately paced and richly textured than the film, with a larger cast of characters and shakier plot mechanics. A gentler look at teen sex-and-drugs than Euphoria, it’s the kind of show where an intimate, soft-spoken scene between two characters can play out over several minutes while Young M.A’s “OOOUUU” blares from the next room, and much of the dialogue in the big dramatic speech is semi-audible.
P-Valley on STARZ. Even if you don’t watch anything else on STARZ, this semi-overlooked show from the summer is worth the subscription. Katori Hall’s adaptation of her own play follows the complicated interpersonal lives of the staff at the hottest strip club in the Mississippi Delta as a looming property war threatens to shutter the club and the livelihoods of those who depend on it. Yes, there’s a lot of nudity, but it’s feminist nudity — the truly spectacular dancing sequences showcase the pride, splendor, and athleticism of the performers, and the eight episodes (all directed by women) take the perspective of the dancers rather than the men who leer at them. Hall and her team have lovingly outfitted P-Valley with as much authenticity and complexity as liquor and lash glue.
The Boys on Amazon Prime. This gritty realist alternative to Marvel, which is rapidly becoming Amazon Prime’s signature show, drops superheroes into contemporary reality. The result: moral bankruptcy, corporations bent on casual global domination and an undermining of government and democracy at every turn. Sound familiar? Season two leaned into Trump-era satire, working in themes of Neo Nazism, fascism, and the political manipulation of social media. It may sound like a lot on paper, but the show’s cynical tone, pitch-black humor and committed performances from the likes of Antony Starr and Aya Cash keep the series floating. The Boys thumbs its nose at the idea of “prestige,” but don’t be surprised if it comes up big with Emmy nominations — it already made Obama’s year-end list.