Euphoria's Sam Levinson speaks out as finale declared worse than Game of Thrones and Stranger Things
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Euphoria season three
Euphoria viewers were left disappointed after watching the season three finale which aired on HBO last night (May 31), with many suggesting it was ‘worse’ than the ending of Game of Thrones.
Loyal viewers tuned in for seven years to watch the crazy and chaotic storylines unfold, but many were left feeling unsatisfied with how season three of Euphoria ended - particularly after creator, Sam Levinson, claimed it was actually the final ever instalment.
Many of the main characters were killed off in the final two episodes, including Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), Rue Bennett (Zendaya), drug lord Lorie (Martha Kelly), and strip club owner Alamo (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje).
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Fans were particularly devastated by the death of Rue, a recovering drug addict, who unknowingly took fentanyl-laced pills - and later died from an overdose.
But despite the shocking storylines, the show has received enormous backlash for the way in which it signed off.
“Euphoria now joins The Boys, Stranger Things and Game of Thrones as one of the worst final seasons ever in a show,” one viewer wrote on X.
As another questioned: “Three of these happening in the same year… what was in the air?”
One fan said: “How much more do we have to f***ing suffer?”
“Yuuuup it's interesting, movies have been doing great lately but TV shows have been getting worse,” another wrote.
One person who vehemently defended the finale was creator Levinson, who claimed that the show came to an ‘honest’ ending.
Speaking with The New York Times, he said: “In terms of the story we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me.
“It just felt like the honest ending. The honest ending is people like Rue don't make it."
Thankfully for Levinson, not everyone was disapproving of the ending.
“Y’all are literally just mad that Rue didn't live, the ending was perfect,” one viewer said after watching the final episode.
As another agreed: “You aint got a damn clue..You just follow what you see online without thinking for yourself.
“This season was way better than The Boys or Stranger Things. It has been entertaining.”
The show’s first season was released in 2019, and swiftly became a global phenomenon, with Sydney Sweeney and Eloridi becoming household names, as they starred alongside global superstar Zendaya in the show.
The loophole that allows Euphoria to broadcast explicit scenes before 10pm
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) bans the broadcast of ‘indecent and profane content’ between 6am and 10pm.
Indecent content shows ‘sexual or excretory organs or activities in a way that is patently offensive’, while profane content covers ‘"grossly offensive" language that is considered a public nuisance’.
So how is it that HBO can broadcast Euphoria scenes in which Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie rubs cocaine on her genitals and is seen topless multiple times at 9pm?
The simple loophole comes down to the fact that HBO is a cable channel, with the FCC explaining: “The same rules for indecency and profanity do not apply to cable, satellite TV and satellite radio because they are subscription services.”
HBO isn’t, however, allowed to broadcast ‘obscene’ content, which is banned at any time of the day and on cable.
The FCC explains: “For content to be ruled obscene, it must meet a three-pronged test established by the Supreme Court: It must appeal to an average person's prurient interest; depict or describe sexual conduct in a ‘patently offensive’ way; and, taken as a whole, lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”
On this point, it’s likely Euphoria is let off the hook because of its artistic value.
Topics: Euphoria, Film and TV
Emily Brown