HBO Cancels “The Idol” Series After Season 1

At HBO, The Idol is officially over.

There won’t be a second season of the controversial series created by The Weeknd and Sam Levinson, the man behind Euphoria.

Given the positive reviews and popularity of the programme, which starred Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp, it shouldn’t come as a major surprise. It also followed extensive reshoots after director Amy Seimetz left, as announced by Deadline in April 2022, and a smaller order that reduced its final run to five episodes.

During interviews, several of the cast made reference to the possibility of a second season, but show sources claimed that the programme’s creators did not enter the production process with a strategy for a multi-season storyline.

Da’Vine According to Joy Randolph, who played one of Depp’s pop diva Jocelyn’s managers, the first season was purposefully left open-ended in case a follow-up was made.

An HBO representative commented, “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.

Only the first two episodes’ viewing figures were provided by HBO. According to reports, HBO and Max saw 913,000 viewers for the premiere, whereas only 800,000 watched the second episode. HBO claims that the reduction in Week 2 was due to linear viewing rather than Max viewing, which makes sense given that the series was likely aimed towards younger viewers than the normal linear TV watcher.

The Idol viewers on Max were, according to Nielsen at the time, tracking 21 years younger than viewers on the HBO channel, a larger difference than viewers of the normal HBO drama.

The first episode’s watching soared to 3.6M within one week on Max. According to HBO, that outperformed the series debuts of The White Lotus (3M in 2021) and Euphoria (3.3M in 2019) over the same time frame. By the end of Season 1, Euphoria had a 6.6M average episode audience. Regarding The White Lotus, its Season 1 episodes saw an increase in viewers to roughly 9.3M.

However, although Euphoria and The White Lotus received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, the same cannot be said of The Idol. Just one month later, the final episode was broadcast, and the general opinion about the programme was unfavourable. This probably had a significant impact on viewing habits.

The series, which was co-created by Levinson, Tesfaye, and Reza Fahim, made its debut in May at the Cannes Film Festival.

Here is the summary: Jocelyn (Depp) is determined to reclaim her rightful title as the finest and sexiest pop diva in America after a nervous breakdown wrecked her previous tour. Tedros (Tesfaye), a nightclub owner with a sordid history, reignites her affections. Will her romantic rebirth lead her to dazzling new heights or the darkest, most twisted corners of her soul?

Randolph, Dan Levy, Eli Roth, Hari Nef, Jane Adams, Jennie Ruby Jane, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Rachel Sennott, Ramsey, Suzanna Son, and Hank Azaria also starred, in addition to Troye Sivan.

Along with Kevin Turen, Ashley Levinson, Joseph Epstein, Aaron L. Gilbert for Bron, and Sara E. White, Levinson, Tesfaye, and Fahim executive produced the film. In addition, Levinson directed. Together with A24, the series was made.