We Finally Know If The Idol Is Coming Back For Season 2
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It was one of the most hotly-anticipated series, and depending on who you ask, equally the most disappointing—so the reason why The Idol was canceled probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise to its detractors.
The series, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023, stars Lily-Rose Depp as a pop star trying to make a comeback after a nervous breakdown and Abel Tesfaye (formerly known as The Weeknd) as a nightclub owner and self-help guru with questionable—if not downright sinister—motivations and methods for helping her achieve said comeback. The brains behind the series are Euphoria’s Sam Levinson, Tesfaye and Reza Fahim and they came under scrutiny when Rolling Stone published an exposé on an alleged toxic work environment.
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On April 25, 2022, director Amy Seimetz suddenly exited with roughly 80 percent of the six-episode series finished; with Levinson taking over as director, he scrapped the almost complete $54-75 million project to rewrite and reshoot. “What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century,” one production member explained to Rolling Stone. “The things that we subject our talent and stars to, the forces that put people in the spotlight and how that can be manipulated in the post-Trump world.” However, they add, “It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.” Here’s what we know about why The Idol was canceled.
Why was The Idol canceled?
Why was The Idol canceled? MAX issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter explaining that it was a mutual decision between the streamer and the show’s creators. “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.”
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Apparently, the future of The Idol was uncertain for a while, and though there was no set plan for multiple seasons, there were options to continue the story after the end of the five-episode debut season. “I know this was never scheduled to be a limited series.” co-star Da’Vine Joy Randolph, told THR.com after the finale aired.
Even though it opened to 3.6 million viewers in its first week, the writing was on the wall for The Idol when it was announced the six original episodes would be trimmed back to 5. The Guardian dubbed the show’s conclusion as “one of the worst programmes ever made,” adding that “we were promised the year’s most shocking show. Instead we get a painfully tedious TV non-event, featuring a performance from the Weeknd that should be tried at The Hague.”
The Idol‘s creators welcomed the controversy. “We always knew that we were going to make something that was going to be provocative and perhaps not for everyone,” Depp told The New York Times. “That was a draw for all of us. I don’t think any of us were interested in making anything that was going to be, you know, fun for the whole family.”
Tesfaye added, “When I first started making music, it was the exact same thing. It was provocative, and I knew it was going to be tough for people. And a lot of people didn’t like it. Not to compare it, but I feel that this is kind of like that again. This is not going to be for everybody, and that’s fine. We’re not politicians.”
Another source of contention was Depp’s casting, considering she isn’t a singer. In an interview with W Magazine, published in May 2023, she acknowledged that she “never thought” she’d get the part. “I knew there would be many lovely ladies who are more musical than me, but I thought, I’ll give it a go,” Depp said, reflecting on the audition. “I wanted to wear pop-star colors,” Depp explained. “And I wanted to channel a certain LA feeling. I grew up in LA, and I’m an LA girl, and so is Jocelyn. I wanted to capture the style mix of mischief and shine.”
For the audition, she had to sing a cappella. “I thought, ‘Here’s where I don’t get called back’.” And she sang a minute of “Fever,” a song written for Little Willie John but made famous by Peggy Lee. “I was going through the casting tapes, and Lily-Rose immediately stood out,” Ashley Levinson, Sam’s wife and an executive producer of The Idol, told W. “She had the kind of vulnerability and strength that was crucial for the character.”
Depp said she drew on a few different pop icons to channel the vulnerability of Jocelyn. “Of course, I’m a Britney fan!” Depp said. “Who doesn’t love Britney? But I was also thinking about Beyoncé, Mariah, and every huge pop star of our time. I wanted Jocelyn to be the kind of woman who can dominate a room, someone who doesn’t ever shy away from their sparkle.”
She expanded on this point in an interview alongside Tesfaye and Levinson published in The New York Times on June 3, 2023: “I was so nervous about the musical aspect,” she said. “It’s not what I do and this character has been doing this her entire life. I remember the first time that I had to sing in front of Abel, I was, like, I’m going to blow my brains out. Little by little, we got to know each other more and got comfortable with each other.”
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