Euphoria ends: finale divides fans, cast debates production

The final season of Euphoria has proved as controversial as the series itself. Toby Wallace understands the backlash to the third season, as the actor alongside Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi explains. The debate revolves not only around content, but also around how it is executed.

A central issue is the depiction of nudity. Sydney Sweeney told creator Sam Levinson that he should not remove nude scenes from her role when he considered shooting the third season without nudity. Sweeney responded with "Are You Kidding?" to the idea – a statement that shows how deliberately the actress shapes her portrayal. At the same time, she used the opportunity to point out the lack of representation of women behind the camera. Behind-the-scenes videos from the third season illustrate how little has changed in Hollywood when it comes to casting below-the-line positions – particularly since #MeToo.

Extreme staging and artistic control

The finale itself was described as a "dark epic of biblical proportions", with shootouts, brutal deaths and fentanyl trafficking that is meant to show the emptiness of the American dream. Levinson pushed the series to new extremes in the process.

There are also differing perspectives among the actors on its success. Alexa Demie emphasises that she does not aspire to Sydney's level of fame – that was never her goal. She pushes back against online comparisons of her career with that of her castmates.

Yet the end of Euphoria marks more than just the finale of a series. Levinson was creator, screenwriter and director in one – without a writers' room. A production style that is increasingly rare in the modern television landscape. The showrunner speaks of higher stakes for Rue, more comedy and a more cinematic style to explore the "wilderness of growing up". With the end of this series comes the end of an era of autocratic showrunner cinema.