The post came just hours after Page Six published an article titled: “Fate of ‘The Idol’ up in the air amid criticism of The Weeknd’s ‘egomaniacal’ behavior.” A source told the outlet the Weeknd — who co-created the series alongside Rexa Fahim and Euphoria showrunner Sam Levinson — had no plans to work on a sophomore season.
“This was never meant to be a long-running show, it was always … a limited series,” the insider said.
An HBO source pushed back on the claim, saying Season 2 was still a possibility.
“The door is definitely still open — it’s definitely not a decision [yet],” the said. “At this point, this is normal in our process … we’re only two episodes in.”
Complex has reached out to the Weeknd’s representative for comment.
The Idol stars Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn, a rising pop singer who becomes romantically involved with a self-help guru/cult leader named Tedros (the Weeknd). Between the synopsis and star-studded cast, had all the ingredients for another HBO hit; however, The Idol was marred by controversy months before its June 4 premiere.
Rolling Stone published a March 1 scathing report about the show’s “chaotic” production, which included everything from a director shakeup to expensive reshoots to constant script rewrites. Insiders also slammed the series’ creative direction, claiming it went from a female-centric storyline to one that glorified sexual exploitation. Sources specifically took issue with the series’ portrayal of sex and predatory behavior.
“It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show,” a production member said about the show, “and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better.”
The Idol episode 2 featured a viral sex scene that was many described as cringe, over-the-top, and gratuitous. The Weeknd addressed the criticism in a recent interview GQ, insisting the scene was not intended to be sexy.
“There’s nothing sexy about it. When we use Basic Instinct as a reference, we’re using Verhoeven,” he said. “Verhoeven is the king of ‘90s satire thriller—yes, there’s moments of ‘sexy’ in his films but there are other moments that are very cheesy and hilarious. How ever you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters. It’s all those emotions adding up to: This guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here.”
With the way these shows are getting canceled left and right, we’ll see if ‘The Idol’ makes a return.
