Behind HBO’s ‘The Idol’ Controversy: Critics Pan The Weeknd’s Explicit New Show Amid Negative Buzz

The upcoming HBO series, created by singer The Weeknd and Euphoria writer-director Sam Levinson, reportedly had a troubled filming and production process and is attracting controversy for its sexually explicit subject matter some critics say degrades its central female character and relies too heavily on shock value.

The Idol premieres on HBO June 4 and stars The Weeknd (credited as Abel Tesfaye) as a self-help guru and cult leader who enters a relationship with a pop star, played by Lily-Rose Depp, trying to revitalize her career (Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Rachel Sennott and Blackpink member Jennie are other stars in supporting roles). The show first made headlines for behind-the-scenes drama in April 2022 when Levinson took over directing duties from Amy Seimetz, who exited the project after Levinson and The Weeknd decided on a new creative approach despite having already shot roughly 80% of the show, reportedly feeling it had leaned too far into a “female perspective.” An article in Rolling Stone in March, based on the accounts of 13 anonymous cast and crew members, contained allegations the show features physically and sexually violent scenes one source compared to “torture porn” and suffered from a chaotic working environment due to delays, reshoots and the clashing visions between Seimetz, Levinson and The Weeknd. One source told Rolling Stone the show was initially billed as a dark satire about the exploitative nature of the entertainment industry, but after the show’s creative direction shifted, they said it became “the thing it was satirizing.” In response to the Rolling Stone article, The Weeknd tweeted: “@RollingStone did we upset you?” accompanied by a clip from the show in which his and Depp’s characters call the publication “irrelevant” and “past its prime.” After its Cannes premiere—one of few television shows to ever make it to the prestigious festival—the show was met with a five-minute standing ovation, which The Hollywood Reporter considered a “standard-measure” length. The show currently holds a 10% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 critics’ reviews, with several criticizing its “sleazy” approach to sexual content.

In its review of The Idol, Variety considered the show a “sordid male fantasy,” and considers Levinson’s treatment of Depp’s character “shameful” and characterized by “degradation and suffering.” The Hollywood Reporter wrote that a scene rarely passes without a nude shot of Depp’s character, and the show “ultimately becomes regressive” in its depiction of female sexuality, pointing to Depp’s character relinquishing her agency “at every conceivable moment.” The Daily Beast criticized the show for its “hideous, self-excusing presentation of rape culture,” citing a scene in which The Weeknd’s character asks Depp’s character if she trusts him. When she responds “no,” he chokes her head with a cloth and cuts only a hole for air by her mouth. In a two-star review, the London Evening Standard wrote that despite the frequent nudity, “sexiness is absent,” and the show instead “feels more like sleaze and torture porn.”

Depp pushed back on the Rolling Stone article in an interview at the Cannes premiere, calling the allegations “mean, false things” that she said were not reflective of her experience filming the show. She previously told Rolling Stone that Levinson is “the best director” she’s ever worked with. At Cannes, Levinson denied the allegations of a chaotic production environment, but said he knew The Idol would be provocative, and joked about the negative press it has received. “When my wife read me the [Rolling Stone] article, I looked at her and I just said, ‘I think we’re about to have the biggest show of the summer,’” Levinson said. The Weeknd said The Idol was intended to be “something special, something fun, to make people laugh, piss some people off.”

Levinson’s other HBO series, Euphoria, has faced similar criticism for what some have called excessive nudity and sexuality, particularly for a show focusing on teenagers. It also has had offscreen drama. Anonymous sources who worked on Euphoria’s second season, which aired between January and February 2022, told The Daily Beast the show’s production was marred by long work days that could stretch to 17 hours due to Levinson’s reported tendency to come to set without a plan, as well as numerous complaints made to the actors’ union about insufficient access to food and to restrooms. Fans noticed some characters seemed to be sidelined in the second season, including Kat, played by Barbie Ferreira, and McKay, played by Algee Smith. Ferreira—who won’t be returning for season three—reportedly clashed with Levinson over her character’s direction and reportedly stormed off set, though she denied these allegations. Sydney Sweeney, who plays Cassie, has said some of the nude scenes that were planned for her character felt unnecessary, though she clarified Levinson did not push her to film those scenes.

‘The Idol’: How HBO’s Next ‘Euphoria’ Became Twisted ‘Torture Porn’ (Rolling Stone)

‘The Idol’ Scandalizes Cannes With Five-Minute Standing Ovation for Lily-Rose Depp’s Masturbating Pop Star, Explicit Nudity and the Weeknd’s TV Acting Debut (Variety)