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RIP ‘Euphoria’: Creator Sam Levinson Explains Why This Is The End

6/1/20261 hr 17 min

Sam Levinson, the writer, director and creator of “Euphoria,” sat down with Joe and Jon to explain why he felt it was time to end HBO’s juggernaut series. With its third season in seven years, “Euphoria” concluded a thrilling, provocative and tumultuous run with a cast of the defining young actors of the 2020s: Zendaya, who won two Emmys for her portrayal of Rue, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer and more. In this wide-ranging conversation, Levinson, himself a former addict, described staying true to his vision, his approach to shooting sensitive subject matter and the limits of empathy. 

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Clips

Euphoria Officially Ends
Writing After Tragedy
Social Media 'Bad For Soul'
Sydney Sweeney’s Fearless Choice

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Speaker 10:00

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  2. Jon Caramanica· Host0:25

    Is there a chance for more Euphoria moving forward?

  3. Sam Levinson· Guest0:29

    In terms of the story that we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me.

  4. Jon Caramanica· Host0:41

    So that's it? [upbeat music] Welcome to the New York Times podcast, You Are America, My Dream: A Fleekly Culture Chat. I'm John Caramonica, and I'm the critic.

  5. Joe Coscarelli· Host0:56

    I'm Joe Coscarelli. I am the reporter.

  6. Sam Levinson· Guest0:59

    I'm Sam Levinson, and I'm on podcast.

  7. Jon Caramanica· Host1:01

    Ooh, boy.

  8. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:02

    [laughs] Nailed it.

  9. Sam Levinson· Guest1:03

    Hey.

  10. Jon Caramanica· Host1:03

    Heavy. Not everyone can nail it.

  11. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:05

    Yeah.

  12. Jon Caramanica· Host1:05

    Many professional actors- [laughs] Yeah ... and musicians have failed- This is good ... have failed at this very part.

  13. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:11

    We're off.

  14. Sam Levinson· Guest1:11

    I had, I had one job to do.

  15. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:12

    We're off and running.

  16. Jon Caramanica· Host1:14

    That's- Sam Levinson is the creator, writer, director, and producer of Euphoria, which just ended its third season on HBO.

  17. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:22

    We're gonna talk about it. Euphoria started airing in 2019 as a hyper-stylized high school drama

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