HBO's Zendaya-starrer 'Euphoria' divides audiences with extreme sex scenes, and rampant drug abuse
The first episode of HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ dropped on June 16 and the reactions to the new teen drama have ranged from extremely positive to extremely negative.
The audience is divided between those who are slamming the show for its extremely graphic portrayal of sex and drugs and those who feel the show manages to accurately portray the troubled lives of teenagers.
‘Euphoria’ follows the lives of a group of students as they learn to manage friendships, relationships and drug abuse all while still being in high school.
The series stars Zendaya and is adapted from an Israeli TV show of the same name.
The pilot episode features statutory rape, a prosthetic penis, and a drug overdose.
Despite the accusations of vulgarity from parents, the show has been praised for its realistic portrayal of anxiety disorders and the very real problems that teenagers face in their lives today.
One Twitter user demanded the show be taken off the air for making “teen hypersexuality” and drug addiction seem normal: “#HBO Remove #EuphoriaHBO or lose me as a customer. Tell Sam Levinson and Richard Plepler to stop trying to make the teen hypersexuality and drug abuse depicted in this show seem normal. IT IS NOT! Stop this nonsense. Pull this stupid show immediately!#HBO Remove #EuphoriaHBO or lose me as a customer. Tell Sam Levinson and Richard Plepler to stop trying to make the teen hypersexuality and drug abuse depicted in this show seem normal. IT IS NOT! Stop this nonsense. Pull this stupid show immediately!”
Another user saw things differently and pointed out that the show was actually providing an accurate representation of issues that already exist on a massive scale: “#EuphoriaHBO is showing real world problems that are happening everyday. They are showing teens that they are not alone, that other people go through this. They are definitely NOT trying to influence this on children! You people haven’t even given this show a chance! SMH.”
The cast of the show has also been commended for their “incredible” performances with Zendaya especially receiving praise for her portrayal of Rue, a teenager with anxiety issues and a raging drug problem.
“After watching the first episode of Euphoria, I can honestly say this is one of Zendaya’s best acting roles and I cannot wait to experience the rest of this season and series and the cast is INCREDIBLE #EuphoriaHBO,” wrote @DayaHollanx.
HBO is no stranger to graphic television, but ‘Euphoria’ takes this to a whole other level with one cast member reportedly quitting while filming the first episode.
Former HBO chairman Richard Plepler has made it clear that ‘Euphoria’ does not intend to pull any punches. He reportedly told people that the show made Netflix’s controversial teen drama '13 Reasons Why' look like an "after-school special."
As one Twitter user put it: “It's vulgar and sexual and violence and insane — which is exactly what life is like. Especially when you're a teenager & everything is at your fingertips, despite being "too young." #EuphoriaHBO is about another generation, but the only difference is how dialed in they are.”
