HBO has officially pulled the plug on The Weeknd's 'The Idol' after one tumultuous season. Here's what you need to know.
- Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp starred in HBO's "The Idol."
- The series from "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson was met with heavy criticism over sexual content.
HBO's "The Idol" followed pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), who falls for cult leader Tedros (Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye) and gets into an abusive relationship with him.
As one of the buzziest new dramas of the year, there were high expectations for the series, created by "Euphoria" showrunner Sam Levinson.
Although the first season ended with Jocelyn turning the tables on Tedros, the pair won't be back for a second season, as HBO has officially canceled "The Idol."
Here's what you need to know about the show's cancellation.
Why HBO canceled 'The Idol'
In a statement via The Hollywood Reporter, a HBO spokesperson said: "'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."
The Sam Levinson-created series received terrible reviews
It probably isn't surprising that "The Idol" has been canceled, judging by the countless reviews that tore into the "Euphoria" creator's latest offering.
The HBO show holds a 19% critics' score, and a 41% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
CNN's review said, "Despite the controversy, 'The Idol' is mostly guilty of being just plain boring."
The Guardian, meanwhile, criticized The Weeknd's performance as cult leader/nightclub owner Tedros.
"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," said the UK newspaper's review.
Tesfaye's performance was also ridiculed online, as a clip of the way he mispronounced the phrase "carte blanche" quickly went viral because of how silly it sounded.
'The Idol' was criticized over its controversial sex scenes
While "The Idol" was initially imagined to be about female empowerment when director Amy Seimetz was involved with the project, the final product featured far more controversial scenes and jokes that weren't received well.
The show starts with a photo of Jocelyn with semen on her face leaking to the public, and it only gets more raunchy from there, including a scene in which Tedros chokes her during sex.
A report by Rolling Stone in March compared "The Idol" to "torture porn" shortly before it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was met with heavy backlash.
Variety described it as a "sordid male fantasy," and The New York Times' Kyle Buchanan branded it as a "Pornhub-homepage odyssey" on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Not only that, but viewers were also angered when a character made an inappropriate joke about the private island once occupied by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.