The Idol Officially Canceled at HBO After Just One Season

Summary

• HBO has decided not to proceed with a second season of the highly controversial show The Idol despite fan hopes for answers to unresolved questions.
• From conflicts during production, including reshoots and creative differences, to negative reactions from critics and declining viewership, the show faced numerous controversies.
• Creator Sam Levinson, known for his hit series “Euphoria,” may find solace in the success of his other show, but it too has faced off-camera conflicts and is currently on hiatus due to strikes in Hollywood, potentially delaying its return until 2025.

HBO says goodbye to The Idol. Following many weeks of rumors and misinformation about the chances of the show produced by The Weeknd continuing into a second season, the network has decided not to move forward with the highly controversial project.

With the help of Euphoria’s creator Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim, the musician developed the show with Lily-Rose Depp as the main star. The story centers on Jocelyn, a young rising star in the music industry who recently lost her mother and is going through a difficult time while trying to revive a career that seems to be stagnating.

In the middle of that crisis she meets Tedros, the manager of a nightclub, musical producer and talent manager with a dark and mysterious past, who is played by The Weeknd. As their relationship evolves, becoming something toxic and dangerous, the real intentions of both of them start to flourish, exposing some of the hardest parts of the truth behind fame.

After a controversial and confusing ending, fans were hoping for the story to continue and answer some of the questions that were left unresolved. However, it seems like that won’t happen. As per a report by Deadline on Monday, the show has been canceled and won’t return for a second season at HBO.

The Idol also starred Troye Sivan, Jennie, Rachel Sennott, Hank Azaria, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Hari Nef, Jane Adams, Eli Roth, and Dan Levy among many others.

Related: The Idol Series Co-Creator Shares How He Enticed The Weeknd to Play a Creepy Character

The Many Controversies Surrounding The Idol

HBO

The conflicts began back in 2022 when the original producer, Amy Seimtz left the project alleging creative differences with The Weeknd. That’s when Sam Levinson came in, who was enjoying great popularity thanks to Euphoria. This resulted in multiple reshoots, which increased the budget and led people to believe that the original idea was left behind to create something more similar to Levinson’s other hit show.

But the real trouble came when Rolling Stone published an article with anonymous testimonies of people who were part of the series, especially women, claiming the show was sexist and a toxic. Later, The Idol premiered at Cannes, and the first reactions were not good at all, with most of the critics sharing negative comments about the story, the topics and they way they were addressed, as well as the unnecessary explicitness of some scenes.

When the show finally came out, didn’t get any better, since it reached a viewership of 913,000 users, 17% less than Euphoria. With the passing of each episode, the numbers dropped, igniting the rumors of a possible cancelation. It seems that the writing was always on the wall.

Luckily for Levinson, Euphoria is one of the most acclaimed and popular series on HBO, though it hasn’t been spared from off-camera conflicts either. The show is currently on hiatus from the production of its third installment due to strikes in Hollywood, so it could return only in 2025.

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