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10. Chris McKay (Algee Smith) zzzzzzzz.... McKay is fine. There's nothing outwardly wrong with him (he's a jerk to Cassie sometimes, and is way too easily influenced by what morons like Nate have to say), but mostly he's just kind of a snooze. In his episode it was illuminating to see that he comes under a lot of pressure from his father about making the NFL, but also, like...OK? On a show that goes so balls-to-the-walls with everything else, that sort of character motivation feels almost boilerplate. McKay didn't even appear in the finale, and honestly? You might not have noticed. HBO
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9. Gia Bennett (Storm Reid) Gia is an interesting case, but since she hasn't had a centric episode yet (and with all we've gotten from Rue's perspective, not sure how much more it would add) she's a pretty empty vessel: she's the innocent younger sister. Although at times, as we've seen, she hasn't been quite so innocent, and Rue's had to pull her out of tricky situations. But these two, as we've seen, have the immense closeness of not only siblings, but siblings who've lost a deeply-beloved parent; they also have the distance that was created when one (Gia) finds another (Rue) after an overdose. Their dynamic is an interesting one, and its what lands Gia in this spot on our list. HBO
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8. Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) Cassie would've ranked lower on this list if not for the last few episodes of Season 1. Her backstory revealed in Episode 7 was one of the more tragic that Euphoria revealed, and part of that was just how much of a slow burn that downward spiral was; she had to sit by and watch as her father descended into addiction, with nothing anyone in her family could really do about it. Cassie has to deal with some very adult situations at a younger age than anyone shouldher abortion clinic scene in the finale was a heartbreaker. Sydney Sweeney is one of the most accomplished members of the Euphoria cast, and we're intrigued with the direction the character seems to be headed. HBO
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7. Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie) A complex character in Euphoria? You don't say! Maddy is another immensely layered character, though it would be nice if she wasn't almost entirely defined by her relationship with Nate. Her portrayal in her centric episode dealing with the aftermath of physical abuse was incredibly strong and affectingand then she goes and points an innocent guy out to take the fall for Nate's crimes. She's a victim trapped in the cycle of abuse, but, sadly, has only the bare minimum awareness of what she's stuck in. She knows that something is up with Nate, and his father, but seems stuck in their orbit by hook or by crook. Maybe in Season 2 she'll find a way to break the cycle. HBO
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6. Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow) That Cassie's sister hasn't had her own episode yet, yet still is such an intriguing character and magnetic on-screen presence is a testament to the quality of work that Maude Apatow 's done; she's clearly learned well from Mom (Leslie Mann) and Dad (Judd Apatow). Lexi (a goody-two-shoes) and Rue (clearly...not) are constantly in one another's orbit. No matter how far they might seem to drift apart, they're still bonded at the end of the dayit's an interesting, and actually accurate take on modern friendship. It's one of the more realistic portrayals of friendship in a show that doesn't ground itself in reality too often. HBO
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5. Kat Hernandez (Barbie Ferreira) Kat was the character who developed the most over the course of Euphoria's first season. She went from a timid, posturing virgin, to someone actively open to sexual encounters and making good money with her feminine charm online. By the end of the season, she came to realize that she had altered and probably even infringed upon her idea of what an actual relationship should be, and made things a little weird with Ethan; the two made up in the finale, and were actually the only ones who ended with a typical (or, as close as Euphoria gets to typical) positive, romantic, teen drama ending. HBO
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4. Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer) That a character as complex, layered, and in many ways, provocative as Jules only falls at #4 on our list is a strong testament to the work that Sam Levinson has done in crafting characters through his episodic structure. Jules has one of the most upsetting backstories of any character, with her mother committing her to a mental hospital at a young age; eventually she attempted suicide, cutting her wrists. By the time she got herself sorted out and moved to the new school, becoming the Jules we know, things were almost all different. This Jules is totally confident in who she is, and might just be the character who most of the show's storylines end up revolving aroundand Hunter Schafer, as a new actress to the scene, does a great job with making her character an interesting one. She's a Trans character for a new generationshe exists much beyond that label; she's not representative of any one idea or any ideal, she's a fully-formed person, warts and all, and that's what makes the character so great. HBO
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3. Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) We're not going to have to argue too hard here that Nate is an absolute piece of trash. But let's start with the circumstantial stuff: his father did not give him a wide path of options to go down for his life. But Nate is a violent, abusive, manipulative criminal, and is literally never willing to take responsibility for any of his terrible actions. He's horrible to everyone around him, including his friend McKay, who he makes feel strange just for wanting to date Cassie. Jacob Elordi does a good job portraying Nate as the villain he is, sexual confusion and nonstop scheming included. Euphoria fans have rallied around Elordi's performance, but it'll be nice to see him finally get some comeuppance at some point. HBO
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2. Fezco (Angus Cloud) Sorry, sorry. We've made the argument before that Fez is the best character on Euphoria , but until he gets his own backstory we just can't put him above you-know-who. That being said: wow. Actor Angus Cloud has literally never had an acting credit before appearing on this show, and his character is already the gold standard. We knew he had a heart of gold, and was willing to do whatever it took to protect his friends, namely Rue, and to a lesser extent, Jules, but in the finale we saw him to go extreme lengths, robbing a drug supplier, to get the money he needed. One day, probably in Season 2, we're going to get a Fezco-centric episode. And it's going to beglorious. HBO
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1. Rue Bennett (Zendaya) Sorry that this one is so obvious, but there is literally no other answer. We played around with the idea of Fez as the best character on Euphoria a little bit, but how can anyone possibly go any other direction, especially after the way that finale ended? Zendaya is Euphoria's headlining star, and at no point during the show's first season was that ever not absolutely abundantly clear. Whether she's holding it down in rehab, going fully-manic for a Pepe Silvia-esque investigation, or literally spiraling out of control in the show's musical finale, her A-game has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention her narration, which anchors the whole show, and literally sets the tone for the entire show. This isn't just the best character on the Euphoriait's one of the best characters on TV, already. The Emmys might not be in the cards for a full year , but we can get the Golden Globe countdown ready. HBO