When you think of the Emmy Award-winning HBO teen drama series Euphoria, you probably don't also think of the cable network's wildly popular fantasy series Game of Thrones. But according to a new report, the original pitch for Euphoria involves an unexpected connection to Game of Thrones, and that inspiration turn the Zendaya series into the hit it is today.
The New Yorker caught up with A24 head of television Ravi Nandan, who revealed some previously unknown details about the development process and inspiration behind Euphoria's inception. Per Nandan, during a dinner with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, the writer asked what kind of shows work on HBO, and during that period, Game of Thrones had taken over the world.
Euphoria took unexpected inspiration from Game of Thrones
Levinson used the envelope-pushing nature of the fantasy series' sexuality, as well as the social dynamics that made for great drama, to spark some influence on the teen drama. It's funny to imagine that an American public high school in California took some cues from the dragon-filled world of Westeros, but when you look at it on paper, the similarities are definitely there.
"There’s a ton of nudity. There’s a lot of internal family drama. There’s a lot of social, political drama between everyone backstabbing each other and trying to f-ck each other over. And there’s violence. I’m just gonna do all of that, with teen-agers," Levinson was quoted as saying in The New Yorker. Nandan remembers thinking the pitch was "insane," in a very exciting way.
The creativity of Levinson's pitch, which combined an original idea about a show that focuses on drug addiction and having empathy for addicts with the larger-than-life Game of Thrones approach to drama, completely sold A24's Nandan to "go on that ride." All these years later, and the proof is in the pudding that viewers, too, wanted to go on that ride with Levinson and his talented cast.
Following the Euphoria season 2 finale, capping off a follow-up season that was even more massive than its debut, the teen drama became HBO's second most-watched show. The first was obviously Game of Thrones. It's hard to beat the ultimate! That was in 2022, and a lot can still change with the network's all-time list, especially with third seasons of Euphoria and House of the Dragon coming next year.
Honestly, it just goes to show you that Game of Thrones had a far-reaching impact that extended even beyond the fantasy genre. It's smart when writers can take inspiration from a massive show that's actually good and apply what works on it to their own creation. Still, don't expect any dragons to be hanging around the high school in Euphoria come season 3.