Euphoria creator Sam Levinson leaves HBO for Amazon TV deal
Sam Levinson, who created Euphoria, has signed a big TV deal with Amazon, trade outlets said on Tuesday. He will make shows only for Amazon and its Prime Video service. Until now, all of his TV work was made for HBO, including Euphoria and The Idol.
Sam Levinson, who created the hit show Euphoria, has signed a big TV deal with Amazon, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter reported on Tuesday. It is what Hollywood calls an overall deal.
Under the deal, Levinson will make new shows only for Amazon MGM Studios and its streaming service, Prime Video, The Hollywood Reporter said. The deal also covers his wife, Ashley Levinson. She runs their company, Tiny Goat Productions, with him and will serve as a producer.
The move ends a long run at HBO. All of Levinson's past TV work was made for that network, The Hollywood Reporter said. That includes Euphoria, The Idol and the TV movie The Wizard of Lies. The third and last season of Euphoria ended in May. It came out after long delays. Even so, the last season drew about 25 million viewers per episode around the world, The Hollywood Reporter said, citing HBO data. The second season, in 2022, drew 21.5 million.
Peter Friedlander, who leads TV at Amazon MGM Studios, called Levinson one of the most "daring and original voices" in TV today, Deadline reported.
"Peter and his team have inspired us from our very first conversation," Levinson said, according to Deadline. He added that he and Ashley "can't wait to get to work," Deadline reported.
Levinson won a top directing award for Euphoria in 2023, and the show was up for the Emmy for best drama, TheWrap reported. TheWrap said the deal comes as Prime Video builds up its shows for young adults.
What we know: Levinson will make TV shows only for Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video under the new deal.
What we don't: What his first project for Amazon will be, or how much the deal is worth.
Where outlets agree Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter both report that the deal includes Ashley Levinson as an executive producer.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.