The Idol won’t be getting more than a season at HBO.
The series from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson and Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) will not be returning for a second season.
It isn’t a surprise due to the critical and commercial reaction to the show, which was not good. It starred Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp. The show had behind-the-scenes turmoil following the departure of director Amy Seimetz and a reduced order of episodes down to five.
The creators didn’t go into the series with a plan for a multi-season arc, but cast and crew both mentioned the possibility of a second season in interviews. The first season was left open-ended for a possible second season.
Viewership for the series started off high with 913,000 viewers but continued to drop down after that. Critical reception of the show likely caused some of the issues with viewership as well.
Co-created by Levinson, Tesfaye and Reza Fahim, in The Idol, after a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn’s (Depp) last tour, she’s determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America. Her passions are reignited by Tedros (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?
Here’s HBO’s statement on the cancelation.
“‘The Idol’ was one of HBO’s most provocative originals & we’re pleased by the strong audience response. After much thought & consideration, HBO, as well as the creators & producers have decided not to move forward with a second season.”
We’ll have to see where the show goes from here, but it’s not going to be on HBO.
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