The coming-of-age series “Euphoria” is heading into its second season. For RTL+, the Cologne-based production company Zeitsprung Pictures is currently filming six new episodes, RTL announced on Thursday. Filming is taking place again in Cologne and the Ruhr area, and for the first time scenes are also being shot on Cyprus. The production is expected to last until mid-December. According to RTL.de, shooting had already begun in late August.
From Israeli TV to HBO and on to Germany
“Euphoria” is the German adaptation of a format that originally originated in Israel and aired in 2012 as a miniseries on the Israeli cable channel HOT. In 2019, Sam Levinson brought the story to the U.S. network HBO under the same title.
The American version became a global hit and made stars like Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and trans actress Hunter Schafer internationally famous. The German variant relocates the setting to the Ruhr area. The first season appeared in October 2025 on RTL+, and it received a lot of praise from critics.
Six new episodes about coming of age
In the new episodes, Mila, Jannis, Ali and their circle remain at the center. They wrestle with love, friendship and their families as they edge into adulthood. Queer themes and lived realities are central and treated as a natural part of life. Hauke Bartel, Senior Vice President of Fiction at RTL Germany, says he’s delighted by “the great reviews and, above all, the strong feedback from the young target audience” for the first season.
Direct link | Trailer of the first season
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Directing for the second season is Stella Marie Markert, with Sebastian Ganschow behind the camera. The scripts are written by head writer Jonas Lindt, Raquel Kishori Dukpa and Paulina Lorenz. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW supports the season with €1.5 million.
Derya Akyol claimed the Blue Panther
In front of the camera, Sira-Anna Faal, Eren M. Güvercin, Dilara Aylin Ziem, Kosmas Schmidt, Renée Gerschke and Vanessa Velemir Diaz return, among others. Derya Akyol is back as well, having drawn attention for her role as sexually fluid Mila in “Euphoria.” In 2026 she was nominated for “Best Actress” at the German Television Award and the Blue Panther, and for the German Acting Award’s Nachwuchs prize as well as the Bunte New Faces Award as “Best Rising Actress.”
At the Blue Panther, she ultimately prevailed. “I was nominated four times this year and didn’t win three of them. This was the last chance, and I’m incredibly grateful,” she said in an interview with spot on news on the sidelines of the award ceremony on October 21. A spot for the trophy was already in her mind for the evening: “I have a cabinet right in the entryway, and that’s probably where it will go. It fits there pretty well.”
