Euphoria's Bad Vibes and Impeccable Performances, Plus Matthew Macfadyen on Death by Lightning's Twisted History
Euphoria's Bad Vibes and Impeccable Performances, Plus Matthew Macfadyen on Death by Lightning's Twisted History  
Podcast: Prestige Junkie
Published On: Tue Apr 21 2026
Description: Chris Murphy joins Katey to talk about the return of HBO's Euphoria, how much the show has changed since it first premiered back in 2019, and whether it might earn Zendaya a remarkable third Emmy. Then talks to Matthew Macfadyen about playing yet another "slightly excitable Midwesterner" on Death by Lightning, but one who feels a long, long way from Tom Wambsgans. 00:00 Intro 01:09 Euphoria Returns 02:18 Minting New Movie Stars 04:59 Euphoria's Zoomer Aesthetics 06:28 The Idol Experiment 09:35 Season Three's Visual Shift 15:33 Rooting for Rue 18:10 Zendaya's Superstardom 21:17 Drama Actress Emmy Race 23:58 Colman Domingo's Impact 26:50 The Wider Drama Race 29:01 Next: Matthew Macfadyen 30:40 Origin of Death by Lightning 32:16 The Death by Lightning Beard 32:53 Evaluating New Scripts 34:27 Understanding Charles Guiteau 35:47 Researching a Forgotten Era 36:51 Playing a Delusional Narcissist 38:34 Acting Moment by Moment 41:20 The Thrill of the Unknown 42:25 Clashing Scene Dynamics 43:53 Fame and the Desire to Belong 45:24 Life Imitating Art on Set 46:24 The Comfort of Being a Gun for Hire 48:06 Leaving It to the Editors 48:59 The Artist's Right to Fail 50:07 Finding the Show's Tone 52:33 A Break from Excitable Characters ⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to Prestige Junkie After Party bonus episodes for just $5 a month. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Prestige Junkie newsletter.  Follow Katey on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Ankler.