Euphoria's R-Rated Predecessor Makes The HBO Series Look Tame

2 weeks ago 18

Sydney Sweeney as Cassie Howard in Euphoria wearing a red gingham pinup girl bathing suit with her hands on her knees and her hair in a bun.

Published May 14, 2026, 7:15 PM EDT

Cher Thompson is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, where she covers everything from explosive reality TV moments to cast interviews about the twists and turns of scripted dramas. With a background in creative writing, marketing, and teaching, Cher knows how to spot both the storytelling genius and the guilty pleasures in pop culture. Her work blends wit with insight, making readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend who just happens to know way too much about TV.

Euphoria will go down in TV history for its intense themes and raw visual style, but its R-rated predecessor often makes the HBO hit look tame. Throughout Euphoria's run, which has spread three seasons across seven years, audiences have often been floored at how far the series delves into its subject matter. Whether it's violent, sexual, or both in nature, Euphoria hasn't shied away from showing the gritty, dirty, and sometimes cringe-worthy moments of its character's lives. Despite the critique of the series throughout the past few years, Euphoria definitely has cemented itself a specific place in modern television history.

Skins is notable for its raw style, which allows for some more intense storytelling and out-of-the-box character choices, and while Euphoria definitely takes after the UK series, the HBO hit doesn't come close. With Skins' frank, direct tone and the way it consistently pushes boundaries, the show is incredibly memorable.

Euphoria Was Right To Avoid The Same Raw Edge Skins Had

The cast of Skins UK posed in a golden picture frame, including Nicholas Hoult and Daniel Kaluuya

Using a rotating model, each Skins cast spans over the course of two seasons, showing some of the highest and lowest moments of the characters' lives as they stand on the precipice of true adulthood. While the show may seem like a typical teen drama, every episode of Skins is filled to the brim with a sense of gritty realism, with characters finding themselves intertwined with a dark edge. From drug abuse and eating disorders to absent parents and impossible expectations, Skins put their characters through the wringer and then some, creating gut-wrenching stories that shook viewers to the core.

While Euphoria has its fair share of gotcha moments, viewers have become a bit more desensitized to seeing content that depicts graphic drug use and sex, which has made it less of a surprise. Even so, the way Euphoria uses those elements is vastly different than the way Skins does. Rather than using sex, drugs, crime, or anything of the like as a way to surprise the audience or add to a character's overall demise, Skins brings in elements of the show that could be deemed scandalous as a more natural piece to its puzzle.

With Skins using darker subject matter as a bigger part of its overall narrative rather than a shock to the audience, it retains a raw edge in its storytelling. Even watching Skins nearly 20 years after its debut, the darker parts of the characters' journeys feel more thoroughly interwoven into its story, which creates an edgy cohesion for the series.

Euphoria Won't Have The Same Legacy As Skins

Cassie Jacobs (Sydney Sweeney) in a leopard bodysuit in Euphoria season 3, episode 4

Skins, which debuted in 2007, has made a lasting impact on pop culture. Though it only aired in the UK and an attempt at a US version of the series had a tough time with audiences, Skins is one of the most well-known teen dramas of the era and has been able to endure through the better part of the last two decades. With stars from Skins, including Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel, and Jack O'Connell, going on to build incredible careers post-show, the show is often revisited with a nostalgic lens for both the time it aired and its stars.

While Euphoria is likely to be remembered as a gritty show that pushed boundaries, it won't have the same level of legacy as Skins does. In part, Euphoria banked on names that many either already knew or would quickly see in other projects, and in part, Euphoria's lack of consistency isn't likely to see many singing its praises for years to come. While Euphoria was a definite shock to the system, Skins rewrote the system entirely during its run.

Euphoria

7/10

Release Date 2019 - 2026-00-00

Network HBO

Hunter Schafer

Jules Vaughn
Skins

Release Date 2007 - 2013-00-00

Network E4