Euphoria Creator Accused of Copying Female Directors Vision

creator Sam Levinson has faced resurfaced accusations that he copied the initial idea for the show from acclaimed photographer and director Petra Collins. 

The plot of the programme, which chronicles the life of drug addict Rue () and her high school friends, is said to have been inspired by a 2012 Israeli TV series of the same name. 

However, Canadian-Hungarian artist Petra previously alleged that Sam approached her before creating the show to say he had been 'inspired by' her photos, and he was interested in her directing the show with her aesthetic. 

Petra, 33, claims she 'created a whole world for it, did the casting. [And at] the last minute, HBO was like, "We are not hiring you because you are too young."' Sam has denied her version of events, according to a source.

Fans have pointed out the similarities between Petra's work and the first two seasons of Euphoria, but the third season - which has been critically panned - has seen Sam take a different approach. 

While Petra first made the claims in 2023, her remarks have gone viral of late after Euphoria fans called for a return to the aesthetic of the previous seasons. 

Taking to X/Twitter, viewers penned: 'if there’s gonna be a euphoria season 4 i would want them to just restart the entire show and have petra collins be in charge instead of sam levinson'; 

'euphoria season one’s aesthetic is just so beautiful. shoutout to you petra collins'; 

'Watching this season of Euphoria thinking about what this show used to be is giving me deep depression but it makes me believe that what we saw in that first season was really Petra Collins's Euphoria and not Sam Levinson's'.

In her 2023 interview with Punkt, Petra claims she moved to Los Angeles and worked for HBO for five months on the programme before being dropped over her age. 

She added: 'A year later, I walked out of my apartment and saw this billboard [advertising Euphoria], and it's exactly what I am, as a copy of my work. I started crying. I was so shocked. I mean, it happens to me so many times in my career but not on a scale like that.'

On the impact it had on her work, Petra continued: 'I had to change my style because of Euphoria. Lots of people started to take photos in that style and I haven't felt any more as mine and I felt disconnected from that.'

At the time, a source close to Sam denied Petra's version of events to The Daily Beast, saying 'it's very widely known that Euphoria is a remake of an Israeli show' and that he had merely offered to 'throw her name in the ring' to be considered to direct the pilot.

The insider continued: 'As a fan of hers, he was hoping there was a possibility they could work together in that way. But by no means was anything promised. 

'That wouldn't have even been possible for him to do because ultimately it's the network's decision.'

The Daily Mail has contacted Sam's representatives and HBO for comment. 

Euphoria fans have certainly noticed a shift in season three, with Sam coming under scrutiny, thanks to 's 'degrading'  storyline, which has been described as a 'humiliation ritual'. 

Since its inception in 2019, the show has been famed for breaking boundaries with graphic portrayals of teen drug use, sex and violence.

However, viewers have claimed that Sam's 'disturbing' and 'misogynistic' storylines for the new season have 'lost the plot'.