ESPOSITO: As competition increases on streaming services, more extreme content emerges
Column: Unapologetically
It has been quite a year to keep up with the changes in movies and TV. Since the beginning of the pandemic, society has moved away from movie theaters, which were once the pinnacle venue of the arts. Due to safety hazards and the closing of non-essential businesses, filmmakers had to seek alternate routes to release their movies to the public.
This forced transition is arguably what launched streaming services as the premium place for critically acclaimed movies and TV shows alike. Two years later, huge films such as "Spider-Man: No Way Home" have brought back revenue to theaters, but it is clear that there is a cultural shift as people opt to pay for new movies from the comfort of their own couch in addition to their Netflix and HBO Max subscriptions.
TV shows have also been growing on streaming sites instead of on traditional cable networks.
In 2021, Netflix won a total of 44 Emmy awards, which was more than all primetime shows combined. It is the pandemic, the launch of streaming services and the new Generation-Z audience that contributes to the decline of network television and movie theater revenue. As a result, there is, now more than ever, an influx of entertainment available.
Having a handful of streaming subscriptions can offer you access to thousands of advertisement-free, critically acclaimed movies and TV shows. While this is a positive for us as an audience, there is also an added pressure for creators and filmmakers to compete with more art than ever before.
Each show being produced has an expectation to become more explicit, more violent, more action-packed in an attempt to one-up any that came before and whatever will undoubtedly come after.
HBO Max’s "Euphoria" follows a similar pattern. The entirety of season one was released on June 16, 2019. There was already bubbling interest surrounding the show due to its starlet: former Disney star Zendaya. But what kept the audiences watching, talking about and most importantly, posting on social media about the show was its explicit content.
Centered around an ensemble of high school students, "Euphoria" touches upon just about every social issue of today — drug addiction, sexual assault, child pornography, domestic abuse, homophobia and mental health issues.
Nominated for nine Emmys in just its first season, "Euphoria" is regarded as some of HBO Max’s best work. The cinematography, the artistic expression, the acting and the writing are undeniably brilliant. It tells important stories about real social issues that need to be heard.
The beginning of 2022 kicked off with the second season premiere of "Euphoria." Unlike its first season, HBO Max plans to release one episode of the season weekly, in an ode to original primetime networks scheduled release.
On the eve of the premiere, Zendaya, who has since won an Emmy award for her portrayal of Rue, released a statement on her Instagram account: “I know I've said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that 'Euphoria' is for mature audiences. This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch.”
"Euphoria" is rated TV-MA, seen as unsuitable for children. Although it is a show about high schoolers — and many streaming services lack parental controls — it is watched and revered by people of all ages. I am one of them.
I cannot help but wonder how this season could become even more triggering than the last. I fear HBO Max is following the pattern of trying to make something continuously bigger and better in an effort to maximize interest. In the case of "Euphoria," bigger can only mean more disturbing. And there is a fine line between educating about drug use and abuse and glorifying it for the sake of more viewers.
Laura Esposito is in the School of Arts and Sciences senior majoring in journalism and political science. Her column, "Unapologetically," runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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