The series, which was significantly influenced by Abel Tesfaye and Sam Levinson, will not be extended.
In the summer there were already some negative headlines about the series “The Idol”. After director Amy Seimetz had to leave the team while filming was still in progress, Sam Levinson was handed the directorship. The director, who already received bad reviews for the second season of HBO’s Euphoria, took a different tack with The Idol, shortening it from six episodes to five and focusing more on the male character than the female character – ergo more screen time for The Weekend’s character. And so it was not only the premature end that caused confusion among the viewers. Two months after the last episode of the series was released, it was officially announced that there would be no second season.
“The Idol was one of the most provocative HBO series and we’re delighted with the strong audience response. After much deliberation, both HBO and the creators and producers have decided not to produce a second season. We are grateful to the creators, cast and crew for their incredible work,” an HBO spokesman said formally to Variety. More detailed information about the discontinuation of the format has not yet been announced.
Abel Tesfaye, the real name of The Weekend, is behind the series idea. He wanted to portray the abysses of the music industry with the series and brought stars like Lily-Rose Depp, Troye Sivan and Jennie Kim from the K-pop band Blackpink on board. Ultimately, season one follows the toxic relationship between pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and nightclub owner Tedros (The Weekend), riddled with abuse of power, sex and violence. The series’ soundtrack was developed by The Weekend themselves.
Read Paula Irmschler’s opinion on the series here.