‘The Idol’ Gets Double Cancellation Blow: HBO Axes Show After Being ‘Canceled’ by Viewers

HBO’s The Idol has come to an end. The controversial series created by Sam Levinson & Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, will not return for a second season. It’s not surprising given the show’s critical and economic success, which starred Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp. It also followed significant reshoots following director Amy Seimetz’s departure, as announced by Deadline in April 2022, and a decreased order, bringing the total amount of episodes to five. During interviews, some of the performers mentioned the idea of a second season, but show sources say that the creators did not come into the production process with a multi-season narrative in mind. Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who portrayed one of Depp’s pop diva Jocelyn’s managers, previously stated that the first season was purposefully left open-ended to allow for a second season.

THE IDOL has been cancelled after one season at HBO. pic.twitter.com/x9JnnIkn30

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 28, 2023

HBO’s Idol was one of its most provocative original series, and HBO is delighted with the audience response, a spokesperson said. A second season has been decided against by HBO, along with its creators and producers.” We appreciate the amazing effort made by the creators, cast, and crew.” HBO only disclosed the viewership figures for the first two episodes. The first episode reportedly had a same-day audience of 913,000 across HBO and Max, while the second episode had a somewhat lower audience of 800,000. According to HBO, a decrease in Week 2 was due to linear viewing rather than viewing on Max, which makes sense given that the series was likely aimed at a younger demographic than the normal linear TV viewer.

Statement from an HBO spokesperson on the cancellation of 'THE IDOL':

“’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… pic.twitter.com/Dr7tmruSlp

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 28, 2023

The Idol, The Controversial Series Created By Sam Levinson Will Not Return For A Second Season

HBO has cancelled the controversial series The Idol after only one season. HBO has decided not to renew the controversial series created by Sam Levinson and Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye, which received mixed reviews from reviewers and audiences alike. Despite an original mention of six scheduled episodes, Season 1 terminated after only five episodes. Many speculated that the studio was pulling the plug on the show early on owing to hate-watching, while it was later reported that it was a communication misunderstanding. When whispers of a second season’s cancellation began to circulate in June, HBO’s public relations staff jumped in to declare that no decision had been made. “The Idol was one of HBO’s most controversial original programmes, and we’re thrilled by the strong audience response,” a spokeswoman for HBO told The Hollywood Reporter. “After much consideration and thought, HBO and its creators have decided not to renew the show for another season.”

We appreciate the amazing effort of the creators, cast, and crew.” While several actors signed on for the show believing it would be a limited series, star Da’Vine Joy Randolph stated in an interview that The Idol was always intended to have a second season and that HBO was ‘pleased’ with how it turned out. Despite her remarks, HBO discontinued showing viewer data after the first two episodes. The première received 913,000 views across HBO cable and Max (previously, HBO Max), a 17 per cent decrease from co-creator Levinson’s last popular series Euphoria (1.1 million viewers). After Episode 2’s viewership dropped marginally to 800,000, the studio stopped releasing data. At the time, HBO blamed the loss in viewership on linear television viewers, which made sense given that The Idol is aimed at a younger demographic, the majority of whom would prefer streaming services over TV channels. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Idol received a 19 per cent average rating, with significant grounds of criticism being the extremely graphic sexual scenes & the lack of direction.

• Also Read: MrBeast Reveals Mental Struggle: ‘Dying Mentally’ While Filming Nonstop for Upcoming Weekly Content