‘Euphoria’ Creator Would Reshoot 80% of Season 1, but He Would Never Change These 2 Things
Though the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has bought the production of Euphoria Season 2 to a screeching halt, the show’s popularity has hardly suffered. In fact, ever since Euphoria premiered back in the Summer of 2019, it has received praise from viewers and critics alike. The show offers an unencumbered view of what it’s like to come of age in these strange times. Featuring a talented cast and intriguing storylines, the show continues to find new audiences every day.
It’s no secret that Season 1 of Euphoria was highly-successful. HBO ordered Season 2 of the show before the first season even finished airing. It also garnered six Emmy nominations including a win for Zendaya, who became the youngest person to ever win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The cast has also been very vocal about how proud they are of the show and how they can’t wait until they have the opportunity to dive back into filming once it is safe to do so.
‘Euphoria’ creator, Sam Levinson, would love to reshoot most of Season 1
Of course, Euphoria has also been met with its fair share of criticism. One main critique is that it’s too risqué for its younger viewers. But, funnily enough, one person who is hypercritical of the show is none other than the person who created it. In an interview with GQ, Sam Levinson, who created and wrote the show and directed most of the episodes for Season 1, shared that he is constantly thinking about things that he could’ve done better.
“I’m also really self-critical,” Levinson reveals about how he looks back at the first season of Euphoria. “If HBO would allow me, I literally would go back, change storylines, and reshoot 80% of season one,” Like many other creatives, Levinson constantly has new ideas and finds new ways to tell his stories. But despite having some perfectionist tendencies, the writer admits that there are two things about Season 1 of Euphoria that he would absolutely not change.
Levinson wouldn’t dream of replacing the cast
“The only thing I wouldn’t change is the cast and its spirit, Levinson shared. “Its spirit is what I think we have to protect moving forward.” The spirit of the show is something that Levinson has been deeply considering, especially given all the downtime between Season 1 and Season 2. With all the extra time, reactions to Euphoria have been more accessible to him than ever before. However, he’s determined to remain creatively free and continue exploring the dynamic group of characters that he created.
What the ‘Euphoria’ creator hopes for Season 2 and beyond
“It’s really difficult to insulate yourself from the response and write from the same place of creative freedom, because you know what people liked, or didn’t like,” Levinson revealed, recalling some of the pitfalls of being a writer. “I just hope we can continue to explore and stay curious and experiment, so the show can grow in whatever way it does.” We look forward to seeing how Euphoria evolves in Season 2. Until then, the special episodes should keep us entertained.
