Priya Sharma
HBO’s controversial series, The Idol featuring Johnny Depp’s daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, and The Weeknd has officially cleared the air around the rumors about its second season. Despite having an ensemble cast, the show came under extreme public scrutiny due to its explicit scenes and disastrous script, which only escalated its negative reviews.
The Idol Got Canceled After Season 1
While Lily-Rose Depp‘s The Idol was initially an anticipated project, it met with mixed to negative reviews from the critics. Some of the actors even mentioned that the studio left doors open to explore the possibility of another season.
Actor, Da’Vine Joy Randolph shared in a Variety interview,
“I think that everyone’s intention is to have a second season. This was never intended to be a limited series.”
She further mentioned that “HBO is quite happy” with the output despite the criticism. However, the studio has finally shared that the show won’t be renewed for another season.
“The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response,” said an HBO spokeswoman to Vanity Fair. “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.”
The outcome was quite expected since it was highly panned by critics. Many outlets criticized the show to be quite disturbing, describing its content as “a r*pe fantasy” in a Rolling Stone article.
The Idol Was Critically Panned, Compared to Zendaya’s Euphoria
The 2023 show began to garner controversy after Amy Seimetz left the project. Not long after that, there were reports of various reshoots and rewrites thus resulting in delays. The production members also reported on the toxic environment that the crew faced due to the change in the creative process, which further ignited the controversy. After Sam Levinson stepped in to create the series along with Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye and Reza Fahim, what viewers witnessed left them stunned.
The series was filled with unnecessary raunchy scenes, misogynistic writing, and bad acting performances which put it under further scrutiny. Not only that, but the show also ended with just 5 episodes tossing aside the original plan of featuring six episodes.
However, there were many who compared the show to Zendaya’s Euphoria, thus defending it from the harsh online feedback. For the unversed, it was under intense scrutiny for its nudity and illicit content, which many felt were excessive given that the show revolved around teenagers.
Both shows are available to watch on HBO Max.
Source: Vanity Fair
