The Weeknd’s flop HBO series ‘The Idol’ gets the axe

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The Weeknd’s maligned TV series The Idol won’t be getting an encore.

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The pricey show, which cast the Toronto-born crooner as a manipulative club owner who takes an aspiring pop star (played by Lily-Rose Depp) under his wing, has been axed after just one season.

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“The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response,” said a spokesperson for HBO. “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.”

Dismissed as “gross and sexist,” the series, which the Grammy winner co-created alongside Euphoria’s Sam Levinson, was a flop with critics and audiences after its debut in June with some branding it as “rape-fantasy porn.” On Rotten Tomatoes, The Idol has a cringeworthy 19% approval rating among critics. It didn’t fare much better with regular viewers, with just 41% ranking it favourably.

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In the lead up to its release, Rolling Stone published an expose that included over a dozen people alleging problems both in front of and behind the camera.

“It was like, ‘What is this? What am I reading here?’ It was like sexual torture porn,” one person claimed of their experience working on the drama.

“What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century; 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,” a second production member told the publication, adding: “It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.”

Sources also said that changes Euphoria creator Levinson added to the series contained “disturbing sexual and physically violent scenes.”

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One scrapped scene allegedly showed The Weeknd smashing Depp’s face and getting an erection.

Depp, who is the daughter of model Vanessa Paradis and actor Johnny Depp, defended the production, telling Page Six through her rep that Levinson is “the best director I have ever worked with.”

“Never have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input and opinions more valued,” she said.

Meanwhile, in a post to his Instagram, The Weeknd threw shade at Rolling Stone calling the outlet “irrelevant” and “past its prime.”

But over the course of the series’ five episodes, The Idol became a talking point on social media as fans ruthlessly criticized its storyline and acting.

One episode ended with what British GQ dubbed “the worst sex scene in history,” while Variety asked: “Why are The Weeknd’s acting skills non-existent?”

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On social media, viewers routinely lambasted The Weeknd with one person declaring the Grammy winner “should stick to music.”

Another critic said Depp’s talent was wasted, writing, “You deserved so much better. this show was incredibly abusive and honestly I don’t know how you’re defending it.”

Still, the singer tried to claim that the negative reaction was expected by the creative team behind the show.

“We’re playing with genres with this show, we’re doing exactly what we wanted to do,” he told Variety in an interview. “And none of this is a surprise.”

But controversy wasn’t enough of a selling point to get audiences interested. After attracting 913,000 watchers in its debut, the second episode lost 100,000 viewers. Planned for six instalments, the series ended early with episode five.

Following last month’s finale, The Guardian called The Idol “one of the worst programs ever made” and said The Weeknd’s performance “should be tried at The Hague.”

“After all the sex, nudity, swearing and scandal surrounding The Idol, we were braced to be shocked. We were braced to be appalled. But nothing can prepare you to be so incredibly bored,” they wrote.

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X: @markhdaniell

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