HBO is pushing sexual boundaries with its upcoming show, “Euphoria,” to such an extent that one media watchdog group is calling for the network’s parent company AT&T to pull the plug before it makes it into families’ living rooms.
Created by Sam Levinson, son of Hollywood uber-director Barry Levinson, the drama series follows a group of high school students “as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma, and social media,” per the show’s official logline. But the series has come under harsh criticism by some, who find its content far too graphic and explicit for the teen audience it seeks to attract.
In one episode, per the Hollywood Reporter, “close to 30 penises flash onscreen” and in the premiere one character “commits statutory rape with a 17-year-old trans girl” and the show’s lead, Zendaya, 22, overdoses on drugs.
In fact, the content is so disturbing that actor Brian “Astro” Bradley, 22, who shot scenes in the pilot episode, reportedly opted to quit the series.
Parents Television Council President Tim Winter warned in a press release that “HBO, with its new high school centered show ‘Euphoria,’ appears to be overtly, intentionally, marketing extremely graphic adult content – sex, violence, profanity and drug use – to teens and preteens.”
Winter explained to Fox News that even though HBO has said this show was intended for adults, that concept “was entirely refuted by the showrunner because [Levinson] said that ‘parents will freak over this show.’ That is a demonstration of who he is targeting with this show. HBO is now internationally marketing this content to children.”
