The Idol's recent backlash may have a huge impact on Euphoria season 3. The Writer's Guild strike began on May 2nd and has been ongoing since. It's had a massive impact on television, as late-night shows, including SNL, have not had new episodes since and have been forced to air reruns. It's also impacted shows that aren't currently airing but would have been moving into production. Euphoria is one of the shows heavily affected by the strike. The series aired its second season in early 2022 and announced its third season would be coming in 2024.
However, the series might be pushed back again if the strike doesn't end soon. In the meantime, showrunner Sam Levinson has been promoting his new series, The Idol, which is already facing backlash. Levinson first faced backlash over the extreme nudity in Euphoria and for disputes with Barbie Ferrera, which led to her leaving the show. Euphoria is in a tricky spot as it's already been a while since its last season, and The Idol controversy is further pushing fans away. The odds are not in Euphoria's favor right now, and things might be getting even worse.
Euphoria's Season 3 Delays Could Mean The Idol Leads To Its Cancellation
If The Idol's premiere doesn't win over fans, this could be bad for Euphoria. It'll come down to how valuable the studio believes Levinson to be. At one point, Euphoria was on top of the world, and all anyone would talk about. Unfortunately, since all the behind-the-scenes drama, there's been less anticipation for the new season, especially because of rumors of a Euphoria time jump that would mess with the show's appeal and many unfinished storylines.
Further pushing back Euphoria is only making it less relevant. Plus, Levinson's reputation will worsen if The Idol becomes more controversial with its premiere. If it doesn't perform well, it will be hard for Levinson to recover or be taken seriously in the future. The studio might decide to let him go if he isn't producing profitable content for them.
Why The Idol Poses Problems For Euphoria Season 3
The Idol has been accused of degrading its main female character and relying too much on shock value. The Idol was also accused of having a toxic work environment, among other problems like Levinson and The Weeknd taking over the show because it allegedly had too much of a female perspective. All this drama is bad for Euphoria since Levinson runs the show, and if fans don't like him, they'll be less likely to tune into his show. Also, the studio might not want to follow through with Euphoria season 3 if The Idol is getting so much negative attention. It's entirely possible that Levinson's controversial shows could be a little too controversial to continue with in the future.