Official word has dropped that THE IDOL with Lily-Rose Depp and Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd)is not going forward for a second season. The show just got too battered and bashed. The internet was abuzz from early on that the show was a hot mess and it never recovered from that stink. Added to that was the labeling of it as ‘torture porn’ and the zero acting skills of Tesfaye. All circling the show kept positive throughout and even defended their work but in the end, it was not a strong work. An official statement from HBO said – “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 not to move forward with a second season. We’re grateful to the creators, cast, and crew for their incredible work.”
The show did have some saving grace like the supporting cast. There were solid & fun performances from Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jane Adams, and Hank Azaria but the biggest star that outshone them was the swirling negativity that just wouldn’t go away. Even the basic plot of the show was decent: A pop star looking to stay relevant gets influenced by a new mentor that everyone else finds repulsive. The mentor proved dominant, rash, and dangerous but the pop star proved more manipulative in the end, turning the tables on the mentor and rendering him impotent. That all got scrambled, diffused, and weakened by those early production woes and the weak performance of a key character.
THE IDOL now joins a number of one-season wonders at HBO. It joins such shows as JOHN FROM CINCINNATI, LUCK, VINYL, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, WATCHMEN, TELL ME YOU LOVE ME, HERE AND NOW, THE NEVERS, FAMILY TREE, HELLO LADIES, CAMPING, RUN and others.
