Following acclaimed series like Euphoria and We Are Who We Are and the upcoming It’s a Sin, Generation promises to be the next, must-watch teen dramedy. Produced by Lena Dunham, the HBO Max original stars Justice Smith, Martha Plimpton and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett among many others in an authentic take on stories about a diverse group of high school students exploring their beliefs and sexuality as they discover their true selves.  

The provocative yet darkly funny series was created and written by Zelda Barnz and her father, director Daniel Barnz. Other writers on the series also include Dunham and playwright Sharr White, while the likes of Andrew Ahn (Driveways) and Channing Godfrey Peoples (Miss Juneteenth) helm various episodes. 

In addition to Smith, Plimpton and Stewart-Jarrett, the cast includes True Blood’s Sam Trammell and a collection of rising stars, Nathanya Alexander, Chloe East, Nava Mau, Lukita Maxwell, Haley Sanchez, Uly Schlesinger, and Chase Sui Wonders.

The trailer comes after the cast and creators presented the HBO Max original during the Television Critics Association’s Winter 2021 Press Tour, where they addressed inevitable comparisons to Euphoria, which won Zendaya an Emmy for her performance as a drug-addled teenager in the high school drama. 

“I think our show is really quite different,” Daniel Barnz said, with Smith adding that what sets Generation apart “is the incredible specificity in the way they tell these stories.” 

For the actor, that means playing an out, top student and star athlete named Chester, who isn’t afraid to push boundaries of what’s allowed at school. “I feel like I know so many guys that are like Chester and I haven’t seen representation like that before,” Smith said, crediting the writers for doing “an amazing job of creating this multilayered character” and not making someone like him a secondary character.  

Generation will debut with three episodes on Thursday, March 11 on HBO Max. 

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