The Idol has been one of the most talked-about television ventures of the past two years. The TV brainchild of Sam Levinson, Reza Fahim and The Weeknd — the latter of whom is involved in just about every part of the process as the show’s co-creator, co-writer, exec producer and lead actor — it gathers a group of Gen Z’s most fawned-over talents. That list includes Lily-Rose Depp, Troye Sivan, Rachel Sennott and BLACKPINK’s Jennie.
The show has caused chaos both online and at its Cannes Film Festival premiere with its sleazy take on the life of a bad girl popstar and the cultish creep she falls for. But the production’s controversy began months before it started airing, with a Rolling Stone report alleging that The Idol’s set was a toxic working environment, plagued by last-minute script rewrites and budget issues. Now it’s been announced that the show’s series finale (titled “Jocelyn Forever”) will air this week, giving the season a five-episode run despite the original order being for six. Curious!
You can read our review of A24’s The Idol here, and discover everything else you know about the show below.
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What’s the plot of The Idol?
HBO’s logline for the show reads as follows: “After a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) last tour, she’s determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest popstar in America. Her passions are reignited by Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), a nightclub impresario with a sordid past. Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?”
In an interview with W magazine, Sam Levinson explains how The Idol came to be: “Abel came to us with a pitch. He said something that I’ll always remember: ‘If I wanted to start a cult, I could.’ What he meant is that his fans were so loyal and devoted that they would follow him anywhere. That was the germ of the idea for The Idol: what happens when a popstar falls for the wrong guy and no one speaks up?”
Who’s in the show’s cast?
The Idol is led by Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, who assumed the lead role of the self-help-guru-slash-cult leader. The show’s popstar character is played by Lily Rose-Depp, making her television debut after seven years in film.
Popstar Troye Sivan — now segueing back into acting with this and coming-of-age HIV drama Three Months — is in the show along with Rachel Sennott, who received acclaim for her unhinged comedy Shiva Baby last year and the A24 slasher Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. Suzanna Son, who appeared in Sean Baker’s Red Rocket, has reappeared in the cast after apparently being cut. Hari Nef, Schitt’s Creek’s Dan Levy and horror director Eli Roth are also due to star.
Troye is not the only musician in the mix: both BLACKPINK’s Jennie and Moses Sumney are main characters in the show. Tyson Ritter, the once-frontman of The All American Rejects, is cast in a recurring role too, alongside Kanye West’s super producer Mike Dean. Melanie Liburd, star of This is Us, has a recurring role too, alongside Teen Wolf’s Maya Eshet.
Is Britney Spears in The Idol?
Back in November 2022, the same day The Idol was announced, Britney jumped on Instagram and revealed that, since her conservatorship had ended, she’d shot a movie called The Idol. Of course, The Weeknd’s project is a show rather than a movie, but the serendipitous announcement, especially considering the show’s plot, had people thinking Britney, who starred in the 00s movie Crossroads, would be making a return to acting. The rumour was apparently debunked by Britney’s team, who, according to TMZ, claimed she had no plans to return to acting. Maybe her version of The Idol was a homemade project instead?
But then, after it was decided the show would go through a major rewrite and reshoot, Britney was filmed hanging out with The Weeknd and Sam Levinson. Does this mean that Britney will star in one of the remaining episodes? One of the trailers was soundtracked by her glorious anthem “Gimme More” — could it have been foreshadowing something special?
Is there a trailer, first-look images or BTS photos?
Yes! You can watch the trailer above.
We got our first glimpse of the show — and confirmation of Rachel Sennott’s casting and Troye’s return — from a post shared by The Idol Updates Twitter account in July 2022 featuring the pair and Lily-Rose Depp filming scenes in a red convertible. There are also additional trailers, which you can see below:
And who’s behind the camera?
Much like The Weeknd’s involvement here, during The Idol’s initial production there was a multi-hyphenate team behind the camera too. His confidant Reza Fahim took on several roles, as co-creator, co-writer and executive producer. He’s an LA nightlife entrepreneur turned writer, which might suggest that the show could be loosely based on some of his own experience in that world.
The show’s six episodes were all set to be directed by Amy Seimetz, who’s acted in indie films like Upstream Colour and Lean on Pete, and major TV shows like Stranger Things and The Girlfriend Experience. She’s worked behind the camera too, directing several episodes of the latter TV show and Atlanta. However, during the restructure, Amy left and the show went through extensive reshoots. Sam Levinson is now listed as the director of all episodes.
As well as A24, Bron Studios are part of the show’s creation, and so the series shares executive producers with movies like Licorice Pizza, Joker and House of Gucci.
The show’s cinematographer is Arseni Khachaturan, who last worked on Luca Guadagnino’s Bones & All. Kirsten Coleman, who worked alongside Donni Davy on Euphoria’s beauty looks, headed up the make-up department. Euphoria’s Intimacy Coordinator Mam Smith was on board too.
How many episodes will there be?
The show was originally reported to be a six-episode-long miniseries (think: We Are Who We Are, The White Lotus and Normal People) but has now been revealed to have only five episodes, with the season finale, titled “Jocelyn Forever”, airing on 2 July 2023. Was the final episode scrapped due to fear of further backlash? Did things get shifted around with the crew changes? Will any of this ever be revealed? Who knows!
What’s the release date for The Idol?
The series started airing weekly on 4 June on HBO and Max.
Will there be a season 2?
HBO have only said that the decision to make a second season of the show has not yet been determined, responding to to a report in the New York Post’s Page Six.
This story has been updated with new details and republished.