Here's the thing about HBO's Euphoria

It's also the very reason why I like it so much

“Euphoria” is its own thing.

It lives, breathes, and operates as its own entity-even if it was based off an Israeli television series from the 1990’s. With a phenomenal (both new and familiar faces) cast led by breakout star Zendaya, the HBO series doesn’t take the usual route to its end of innocence/teenage existentialist angst, focusing on the bizarre entrapment that high schoolers find themselves in at the moment.

There’s constant drug use, occasionally brutal violence, a lot of nudity, and an unpredictable current of dread running throughout the series—which just received a third season while in the midst of its second season this week.

But what drives it for me is that I have little clue what is coming next, but there’s a certainty it will be done with originality. The soundtrack is ambitious, including a few hits from co-producer Drake. There’s popular television star Eric Dane playing a role that is unlike anything he’s done before; “McSteamy” broke bad. You won’t see more challenging work from the “Grey’s Anatomy” fan favorite, and that can be said for the whole cast. You hate Alexa Demie’s Maddy, but you’re supposed to hate her--the actress relishes the role like Mikey Madison relished her “Scream 5” role.

Did you know who Angus Cloud was before the June 16, 2019 pilot airing? Probably not. The new-to-the-screen talent sinks extra soulfulness into a complicated role: the drug dealer with a heart of gold who happens to have a brutal violent streak. You see the vulnerability in Cloud’s Fez every time points his eyes at Maude Apatow’s Lexi. Carrying backgrounds that sit on opposite ends of the spectrum yet sharing close enough space on a couch to break down those barriers, I cheered these two on to eventually have a date… even after Fez pounds the living shit out of Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi).

That beating came as a result of Nate (the town jock and asshole) badly mistreating new-to-town Jules (Hunter Schafer), who happens to be in love with Zendaya’s Rue. And the “Spider-Man” star couldn’t be farther from the lovely MJ here, inhabiting a young drug addict with all the feels and compassion one actress could give. It’s a different kind of performance, one that freestyle flows into a dance amid an ecstasy high to a full-blown dazed and confused conversation with Jules.

If your head is spinning, then good. That’s what showrunner and writer Sam Levinson wants you to feel like. It’s supposed to overwhelm you, just like the actions and events of one’s teenage years can run them over. The fusion of drugs, violence, romance, emotions, and constant heartbreak doesn’t miss Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie.

Capable of launching a thousand ships with her beauty alone yet only craving the whole attention of one person, Sweeney (a Manson stowaway in QT’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood) plays the class beauty who doesn’t need the Prom Queen crown, only someone to treat her like something other than America’s Next Top Model. (She already won that thing in the first season.) Cassie is easily the saddest soul on the show, and Sweeney makes sure you never stop thinking about her. One of Season 2’s best sequences was the method of makeup madness Cassie puts herself through for the attention of Nate, and it all sits on Sweeney’s shoulders.

“Euphoria” is great because it’s not what you expect it to be. There’s similarities and echoes to other movies and shows, but the DNA of this one is singular. It attacks the troubles and issues that teens grapple with as they decide what kind of person they’d like to be. And it’s not Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood soft where someone can just come in and dispel all the hazards middle and high schoolers face these days. There are no easy endings to the age of innocence, but “Euphoria” makes it all fascinating.

Yes, there are lots of boobs, some dicks, and assorted ass cheeks shown on the show. Powder is snorted, plants are ingested, and bells ring. Don’t act like it’s not what is happening exactly in the world outside. A little too up, close, and personal is good for consumers who expect every new show to be like another old show.

“Euphoria” is not like anything else, and that’s why I like it.