The Idol

'The Idol' is a musical drama series created and produced for HBO by Sam Levinson, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, and Reza Fahim, with participation from production companies such as A24 Television, BRON Studios, and HBO Entertainment itself.

It premiered on June 4, 2023, and has a single season of five episodes, following a production marked by numerous creative changes and controversies.

The plot follows Jocelyn, a young pop star played by Lily-Rose Depp, who, after suffering a nervous breakdown, tries to regain her status as a musical idol. Along the way, she enters into a complex and dark relationship with Tedros, a nightclub owner with guru-like airs and a cult leader, a role embodied by The Weeknd. The cast includes names like Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney, and Izaak Adams, among others, contributing a mix of characters that orbit around success, sexuality, and abuse within the music industry.

In addition to the criticisms of the series itself, the production was surrounded by reports of a “chaotic” atmosphere on set during filming, with multiple reshoots, script rewrites, and creative tensions between producers and the technical team. HBO even denied some of these accusations externally, although the debate over the artistic direction and tone of the series continued to be a topic of conversation in media and social networks.

'The Idol' initially attracted a notable number of viewers in its first week (including streaming figures comparable to other HBO premieres like 'Euphoria' or 'The White Lotus'), but the drop in audience and critical rejection contributed to it not being officially renewed for a second season.