How Sam Levinson ruined Euphoria: Creator turned series three into a copy of his previous show The Idol, which was pulled off air after being branded 'torture porn'

Euphoria creator Sam Levinson has been accused of ruining the show by linking it to his universally panned series, The Idol. 

Sam, 41, has been blasted after taking a different direction with Euphoria's third season, with critics and viewers claiming the show has lost its way. 

Yet it seems the writing was always on the wall for the new season, given he previously said it was 'set in the same world' as The Idol - which was pulled off air after outraged viewers branded it 'torture porn'. 

The Idol - created by Sam, Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye and Reza Fahim - was released to much anticipation after the success of Euphoria's first two seasons. 

Starring Lily-Rose Depp as troubled pop star Jocelyn, the 2023 series followed her as she entered into an abusive relationship with The Weeknd's character, nightclub owner Tedros.

Yet viewers were put off by the graphic depictions of sex and violence, with Lily-Rose's character choked and slapped during intimate scenes, with many branding the series 'torture porn'. 

Even a brief Euphoria crossover couldn't save the series, with fans disappointed when Euphoria's Alexa Demie made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in the first episode as a nightclub reveller. 

Upon its premiere at Cannes, The Idol got a five-minute standing ovation but also elicited a raft of blistering responses from critics.

The Playlist's Gregory Ellwood called the second episode 'sexist, pseudo-porn', while the New York Times' Kyle Buchanan dismissed the show as 'a Pornhub-homepage odyssey' starring 'Lily-Rose Depp’s areolas' and The Wrap dubbed it 'luxury sleaze'.

'Lots of strong reactions to #TheIdol out of #Cannes2023 - ranging from: "I hated it" to "the TV version of clickbait" to "I don’t need to see any more of Lily-Rose Depp naked,"' tweeted Variety reporter Ramin Setoodeh, author of the best-selling book Ladies Who Punch About The Backstage Drama Of 'The View'.

Much of the chatter revolved around Lily-Rose's raunchy role, which at one point showed a picture of her character with semen on her face.

Insiders then alleged to Rolling Stone that the show was almost completely reshot in order to give it less of a feminine outlook.

Pet Sematary actress Amy Seimetz, who has also helmed such movies as Sun Don't Shine and She Dies Tomorrow, was claimed to have directed around 80 per cent of The Idol before she left the project. The series was then cut from six episodes to five. 

The Weeknd was said to have felt The Idol had an excessively 'female perspective' and wanted the plot to give his character more attention than Lily-Rose's.

Sam stepped in as director and reshot the show, which reportedly was heavily rewritten with so much raunchy material that one source was left thinking: 'What is this? What am I reading here? It was like sexual torture porn.'

Crew members added that Sam's re-worked story was more of a, 'degrading' that emphasised nudity and 'sexual torture porn... like [a] rape fantasy'. 

Other sources, however, said that the insiders Rolling Stone quoted had made their remarks without seeing the finished product.

The Weeknd responded publicly by denouncing the report as 'ridiculous', arguing to Vanity Fair: 'Shows get reshot every day.'

Lily-Rose also defended Sam, issuing a statement to E! News in which she called him 'for so many reasons, the best director I have ever worked with'.

She added: 'Never have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input and opinions more valued.'

Lily-Rose - who is the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis - continued: 'Working with Sam is a true collaboration in every way - it matters to him, more than anything, not only what his actors think about the work, but how we feel performing it.'

Ultimately, amid backlash from viewers and low viewing figures, the series was scrapped after one season.  

'The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response,' an HBO spokesperson said in a statement.

'After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers, have decided not to move forward with a second season.

'We’re grateful to the creators, cast, and crew for their incredible work.' 

Three years after The Idol, Sam brought back Euphoria for a third season, which many viewers believe will be the last. 

Sam has been under scrutiny thanks to Sydney Sweeney's 'degrading' OnlyFans storyline which has been described as a 'humiliation ritual'. 

For Sydney's part, she told The Independent in 2022 that she never felt pushed into doing naked scenes, and said Sam welcomed feedback. 

Yet viewers claimed that Sam's 'disturbing' and 'misogynistic' storylines for the new season 'lost the plot'. 

Fans have claimed Sam made Euphoria into The Idol, taking to X/Twitter to share: 'Sam Levinson has turned Euphoria into a senseless continuation of The Idol'; 'euphoria season 3 is just the idol';

'To be clear on why I hate this season of Euphoria: the writing is bad. The characters are badly written. The plot is contrived. The characters, writing, actors and audience all have to suffer because Sam Levinson wants to be Temu Tarantino. It's The Idol all over again. #euphoria';

'Did he turn Euphoria into that Idol show since the Idol show got cancelled? I just don't understand this tone lmaooooo. This season would be an interesting premise for a new series but makes no sense here at all lmao.'

Euphoria season three currently holds a 40 per cent 'rotten' rating on reviews aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes, in comparison to season one and two's 80 and 78 per cent 'fresh' scores. The Idol is even more dismal, with a 19 per cent 'rotten' score. 

The Euphoria season three finale airs at 9pm (ET/PT) on HBO on Sunday. In the UK, the series airs at 2am and 9pm the following day on Sky Atlantic and is available to stream on HBO Max and Sky Go/NOW.