HBO's explicit teen drama Euphoria features a full-frontal scene with '30 penises'

13 June 2019, 17:26

By Katie Louise Smith

The Zendaya-led drama will also feature graphic sex scenes and the (prosthetic) erect penis of Eric Dane's character.

A brand new teen drama is about to head our way, fronted by Zendaya with a huge ensemble cast, and it's set to be one of the most explicit shows you might ever see on TV.

HBO's Euphoria has already gained incredible reviews from critics. The show will depict an unflinching and authentic portrayal of teen life in today's society - and it's said to be incredibly, incredibly explicit. So much so that former HBO chairman Richard Plepler would reportedly tell people that the show makes Netflix's 13 Reasons Why look like "an after-school special".

One actor (Brian "Astro" Bradley) is also said to have quit filming mid-way through after he felt "uncomfortable shooting scenes that weren't in the original pilot script."

The first episode hasn't aired yet but reports of one scene showing an erect penis and then another with around 20 penises on-screen a the same time has been doing the rounds and people are apparently losing it. “There are going to be parents who are going to be totally fucking freaked out,” said Levinson in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

So... what exactly happens in the soon-to-be watercooler moment penis scene? Here's what we know...

According to various reports, the scene takes place in the second episode of the first season. Jacob Elordi's character Nate is changing in the locker room surrounded by a bunch of his male classmates who are all completely naked, in full view of the camera.

While there's no nudity from Jacob, there is said to be around 30 penises in that one episode.

You're probably thinking, "Well, yeah... it's HBO and it's like, just a dick" but while there's always been an overwhelming - and often problematically gratuitous - abundance of female nudity on the network, it's actually not that common for a penis to be shown full frontal on screen. Let alone around 20 in one scene.

As reported by THR, there is also a scene in episode one that shows an erect penis - albeit, a prosthetic one. Eric Dane's character (yes, that Eric Dane. McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy Eric Dane) commits statutory rape with a 17-year-old trans girl played by newcomer Hunter Schafer.

In defence of the show's explicit material, HBO programming president Casey Bloys says: "It's not sensational to be sensational. It may seem boundary-pushing, and the idea of putting them on TV may be, but somebody lived them."

Many of the scenes featured in the show come directly from creator and writer Sam Levinson's life.

Euphoria airs on Sunday June 16th on HBO and we'll just have to wait and see how ~scandalised~ the teenagers of the internet actually are over the scenes, or if it's just the adults who will kick off about a bit of peen on TV.

Probably the latter, I'm guessing?