'Generation' Trailer: HBO Max Chases 'Euphoria' With Its Own Teen Dramedy
The kids are mostly all right in Generation (also styled Genera+ion), a new teen dramedy series from HBO Max. Well, at least they're a tad more stable than the destructive teens of Euphoria, the acclaimed HBO teen drama that Generation appears to be chasing. Executive produced by Lena Dunham and created by 19-year-old Zelda Barnz and her director father Daniel Barnz (Cake), Generation follows a diverse group of LGBTQ teens as they explore their identities. Watch the Generation trailer below.
Generation Trailer
Married creative duo Daniel Barnz and Ben Barnz were behind Jennifer Aniston's 2014 film Cake and the Elle Fanning-starring 2008 film Phoebe in Wonderland, with Daniel typically serving as writer and director and Ben producing most of their work. But a new Barnz entered the scene in the form of 19-year-old daughter Zelda Barnz, who co-created their new HBO Max dramedy Generation, a contemporary teen drama addressing sexuality and identity that is inspired by stories from Zelda's own life.
"This came from Zelda, this was her idea," Ben Barnz said at the 2021 TCA Winter Press Tour, per IndieWire. "It came from stories she started to tell us about her gender and sexuality that were poignant and funny. We suggested that she write them down, and we thought it would make an interesting TV show... but we really didn't think it was gonna get made."
Executive produced by Dunham (Girls), the drama stars familiar faces like Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Martha Plimpton (The Good Wife), and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Misfits), as well as newcomers like Chloe East, Uly Schlesinger, Chase Sui Wonders, and Haley Sanchez. All the characters go through their own journey of self-discovery, as shown in the moving trailer above, scored to Troye Sivan's "Rager teenager!"
"HBO Max saw that there could be a show like this with characters that a lot of people could see themselves in and relate to, even if they were different ages and races and across the gender and sexuality spectrum," Barnz said. "But we really hope that people of Zelda's generation might see this and see themselves in it."
Generation premieres on March 11, with two episodes being released per week for the following two weeks, and then the finale airing on April 1. The second half of the season, another eight episodes, will premiere later in the year.
Here is the synopsis for Generation:
genera+ion follows a group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality (devices and all) tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community.
Generation debuts March 11, 2021 on HBO Max.