The Idol is out on HBO.
The controversial series from Euphoria creators Sam Levinson and Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, will not be returning for a second season.
Given the critical and commercial reception of the series starring Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp, that’s not a huge surprise. It also came after extensive reshoots following the departure of director Amy Seimetz, Deadline revealed in April 2022, and a reduced order, bringing the total episode count to five.
Some of the cast mentioned the possibility of a second season in interviews, though show insiders said the creators didn’t go into the production process with a plan for a multi-season arc.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who played one of Depp’s pop star Jocelyn’s managers, previously said that the ending of the first season was intentionally left open to rule out the possibility of a second season.
“The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re delighted with the strong audience response,” said an HBO spokeswoman. “After much thought and deliberation, HBO and the creators and producers have decided not to proceed with a second season. We are grateful to the creators, cast and crew for their incredible work.”
HBO only released viewership data for the first two episodes. The same-day premiere reportedly drew 913,000 viewers on HBO and Max, while the second episode dipped slightly to 800,000. According to HBO, the Week 2 drop was due to linear TV, not watching Max — which makes sense considering the series was likely targeting a younger audience than the typical linear TV viewer.
At the time, Nielsen reported that viewers of “The Idol” on “Max” were 21 years younger than viewers on the HBO channel, a bigger difference than typical HBO dramas.
After a week with Max, the number of viewers for the first episode had risen to 3.6 million. According to HBO, they surpassed the series premieres of “The White Lotus” (3 million in 2021) and “Euphoria” (3.3 million in 2019) during the same period. At the end of the first season, the average viewership of Euphoria episodes was 6.6 million. As for The White Lotus, the episodes of the first season grew to about 9.3 million viewers.
While reviews and audiences alike have given both Euphoria and The White Lotus mostly positive receptions, the same cannot be said of The Idol. When the final episode aired just a month later, sentiment surrounding the show was overwhelmingly negative. This is likely to have severely affected viewing habits.
Co-created by Levinson, Tesfaye and Reza Fahim, The Idol is determined to assert her rightful status as America’s biggest and sexiest pop star after a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn’s (Depp’s) latest tour. Her passions are reignited by Tedros (Tesfaye), a nightclub impresario with a sordid past. Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or to the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?
Troye Sivan also stars alongside Dan Levy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Eli Roth, Hari Nef, Jane Adams, Jennie Ruby Jane, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Rachel Sennott, Ramsey, Suzanna Son and Hank Azaria.
Levinson, Tesfaye and Fahim are executive producers with Kevin Turen, Ashley Levinson, Joseph Epstein, Aaron L. Gilbert for Bron and Sara E. White. Levinson also directs. The series is produced in cooperation with A24.