Apparently, audiences can’t get enough of the teen rape, masturbation, drug abuse, and a bizarre number of penises that are showcased on HBO’s Euphoria. The popularity of the show has convinced the network to renew the grotesque drama for a second season. If audiences are lucky, maybe the on-screen penis count will hit over a hundred before the new season premiere.
Euphoria’s official Twitter account announced the new season Thursday afternoon. Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming, praised the show’s creator for building “an incredible world with an extraordinary cast led by the supremely talented Zendaya.”
The “groundbreaking” series delivered over 5.5 million viewers on its premiere night across HBO’s platforms. The premiere featured statutory rape of an underage, transgender teen that bordered on softcore porn, choking of a teenage girl in a sex scene, and graphic teenage drug overdose. The show’s star Zendaya forewarned that the first episode was the most mild.
Millions are viewers have been captivated by the show’s absurdly explicit content. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show averages 5.5 million per episode, taking into account linear replays, delayed viewing and streaming. That’s almost tenfold of the 563,000 viewers for initial airings.
Entertainment outlets could barely contain their excitement for the new season. Cosmopolitan hoped that the second season will include more “One Direction fanfic” -- a reference to the first season’s cartoon depiction of the boy band’s members (Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles) performing oral sex on each other backstage at a concert. The showrunners didn’t ask for Louis's consent to air the scene.
THR’s chief television critic Tim Goodman said that the show was “triggering for parents -- but excellent.” “Triggering for parents” is an understatement. The Parents Television Council issued an urgent warning to parents against the show for obvious reasons.
Those who defend the show claim that it realistically depicts teenage life, but this just seems like a lame excuse to justify a perverse love of TV drug abuse, sex, and violence. A second season of this filth is nothing to celebrate.
