HBO's 'The Idol' canceled after 1 Season, and even The Weekend fans are relieved

HBO's highly controversial The Idol, created by Sam Levinson and Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye, has been canceled after one season. The music-drama received mixed receives and was disapproved. Following the cancelation, the singer's fans and critics alike have expressed relief on X (formerly Twitter).

The Idol's season 1 was originally planned for a six-episode run but concluded on July 2, 2023, after only five episodes. The decision to cancel the series was made recently due to a lack of understanding among cast members and audiences over its viability.

According to Variety, a spokesperson for HBO said:

"The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response. After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers have decided not to move forward with a second season. We’re grateful to the creators, cast, and crew for their incredible work."

The five-episode-long music drama starred a few big names, including celebrated singer and creator The Weeknd as Tedros, Lilly-Rose Depp as Jocelyn, Troye Sivan as Xander, Rachel Sennott as Leia, Jennie Kim as Dyanne, and Suzanna Son as Chloe, among others.

---

The Weeknd fans and critics alike are relieved as HBO cancels The Idol after a highly controversial season 1

Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye's series concluded on July 2 after a short run majorly due to issues such as the portrayal of "gratuitous nudity or juvenile eroticism," as per The Hollywood Reporter's Lovia Gyarkye.

"The show is dogged by a thin plot and an incoherent narrative. Storylines are blithely picked up and discarded, their remains haunting attentive viewers," Gyarkye said.

BBC Culture's Laura Martin stated there was "confusion over what exactly The Idol was meant to be." Martin said, "It seemed to be many shows masquerading as one."

"Was it an erotic drama, exploring power dynamics in an S&M relationship? Was it a satire on the absurd nature of the music industry?" Martin asked.

Fans have resorted to sarcastic commentary to express relief about The Idol's cancelation. Issues surrounding the show's regressive narrative and explicit content were the main concerns posed by viewers. The Weeknd's fans were also worried that his minor acting stint might affect his music. Here are some reactions to the news of the show's cancelation:

Meanwhile, several fans of the singer have come to his defense and demonstrated their disbelief about The Idol's cancelation. While some praised his skills as an actor and spoke about looking forward to a second season for the series, others applauded the remarkable tracks that came along with the series.

---

The Idol struggled with viewership and criticism regardless of Sam Levinson's claims of it being the show of the summer

Although Sam Levinson, best known for Euphoria, promised audiences the Lilly-Rose Depp-starrer would be the show of the summer, The Idol's cancelation does not come as a surprise. The series received significant criticism following its release in June 2023.

As per Variety, the five-part series made headlines before its debut, especially after Amy Seimetz exited as director and was shortly replaced by Levinson. Important reshoots of multiple scenes followed. By March, a detailed Rolling Stone report addressed serious allegations about a toxic on-set work environment.

The HBO original also received a poor 19% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was described as "a sordid male fantasy." The premiere garnered at least 913,000 viewers, which was 17% less than the 2019 launch of Levinson's Euphoria.

Subsequently, the number grew to 3.6 million viewers after the first episode's initial week and now stands at 7 million. The network has declined to share further viewership data.

Alongside Levinson and The Weeknd, Reza Fahim also served as co-creator. All three produced the series with Kevin Turen, Ashley Levinson, Joe Epstein, Sara E. White, Bron's Aaron L. Gilbert, and A24.