The Idol, the new HBO series from creators The Weeknd, Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim, and starring the rapper and Lily Rose-Depp, has been panned in the wake of its premiere of its first two episodes at the Cannes Film Festival.
The show, which is set to begin airing June 4 on HBO, was a rare TV project to screen at the annual cinematic event in France, at the Grand Théâtre Lumière.
The Idol has already garnered controversy on the heels of a March report in Rolling Stone that dubbed it ‘torture porn’ and detailed a series of troubles amid production, citing multiple insiders.
It is the story of ‘a rising pop idol’ named Jocelyn (Depp) as she enters into a ‘complicated relationship’ with ‘a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult’ and nightclub manager named Tedros (The Weeknd), according to a synopsis from producers.
A review penned by The Hollywood Reporter’s Lovia Gyarkye dubbed the forthcoming drama ‘more regressive than transgressive.’
Reviews are in: The Idol, the new HBO series starring the rapper and Lily Rose-Depp (pictured), has been panned in the wake of its premiere of its first two episodes at the Cannes Film Festival
The report noted how the network has sought to amplify the sex-fueled debauchery in marketing the series, advertising it from ‘the gutters of Hollywood’ and the ‘sick & twisted minds’ of Levinson and the Toronto-based rapper, whose full name is Abel Tesfaye.
The show was described the show as ‘an older, even more stylized version of Euphoria’s second season,’ referencing another HBO series from Levinson.
A scene in which a music exec argued with a director to ‘stop c***blocking America,’ Gyarkye said, was indicative of ‘the show’s intention and puts a metaphorical hand up at incoming haters: Sex sells, and The Idol revels in that.’
The report noted that the scenes in the show are marked by Levinson’s ‘efficient and stylish direction’ and a variety of vibes.
‘Some of them have momentum, others are contradictory and most of them are confusing,’ Gyarkye said. ‘It makes you wonder if in trying so hard to be transgressive, the show ultimately becomes regressive.’
The report noted the gratuitous displays of nudity for Depp’s character Jocelyn, noting, ‘Rarely does a scene go by without the camera showing flashes of her breasts or a**.
‘You start to wonder if this is building to anything, and by episode two it seems likely that it’s probably not.’
Jocelyn tells an associate she likes Tedros ‘rapey’ vibes at one point, according to the report, adding that ‘there’s a strenuousness to the sex scenes between Depp and Tesfaye that kills any sense of eroticism.’
The Weeknd plays a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult and nightclub manager named Tedros on the forthcoming series
Depp has received plaudits playing ‘a rising pop idol’ named Jocelyn on the show
A number of people noted how the show includes lingering shots of Jocelyn’s figure, and compared the fictional pop star’s story to that of Britney Spears
The salacious show is set to begin airing June 4 on HBO
Gyarkye noted that the series ‘shows glimmers of potential when it stops trying so hard to be shocking.’
A Variety report penned by Matt Donnelly and Zack Sharf noted that the show’s initial pair of episodes touch on seedy topics such as ‘revenge porn photos of bodily fluids on Depp’s face, masturbation with ice cubes, nightclub-owning scam artists and vile Hollywood sycophants.’
The screenings were met with a ‘five-minute standing ovation,’ according to the publication.
Deadline’s Damon Wise referenced the previous controversies over the series, noting that in a case of life imitating art, the crazy scenes surrounding the premiere would not have been out of place on the screen in a story that, at least as far as anyone could tell, is a satire on the sensation-saturated world of contemporary pop culture, where good is bad and bad is the bare minimum.’
Wise described the series as ‘one part giallo, one part erotic thriller and thus two parts Brian De Palma,’ also drawing a comparison to Charles Manson.
‘Could there be a clue in Nikki’s assertion that Jocelyn’s look is “a little Sharon Tate” and the fact that Tedros has assembled a loose family of misfits as he tries to break into the music industry?’ Wise said.
The Los Angeles Times review, penned by Mary McNamara, noted that the series has ‘a similar penchant for graphic sex, cute clothes and self-destruction’ to Euphoria.
It was described as ‘a, well, naked attempt to bring the TikTok generation back to cinemas with a tantalizing nepo-baby vibe, along with hints of scandal.’
The show was described by the LA Times as ‘a, well, naked attempt to bring the TikTok generation back to cinemas with a tantalizing nepo-baby vibe, along with hints of scandal’
One review said the series ‘shows glimmers of potential when it stops trying so hard to be shocking’
The report from the newspaper noted a number of disturbing sequences that might justify the ‘torture porn’ label, including discussion of a mental breakdown, how sexy Jocelyn is wearing a hospital bracelet in a video shoot, an intimacy coordinator being dismissed and a graphic revenge porn sequence.
It notes that Jocelyn’s ‘naked, and near-naked, breasts are on constant display’ and while there are ‘several sex scenes that are graphic (especially aurally) even by HBO standards, the term “porn” is not inaccurate … it’s tough to imagine anyone would consider any of the action erotic when it is so ham-fisted.’
Depp’s performance was commended by a number of critics, as THR’s Gyarkye called it ‘persuasive,’ while Wise described it as a ‘highly sexualized performance … grounded and often vulnerable, discomfitingly addressing the fine lines between porn and art’ and ‘power and exploitation that have faced young women in the music industry for years.’
The cast of the series is rounded out by Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney, Jane Adams, Dan Levy, Jennie Kim, Eli Roth, and Hank Azaria.
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