Following a huge amount of controversy ahead of its premiere,The Idol has finally landed on our screens - and viewers have taken to Twitter to discuss the new drama starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd.
Directed by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, the story follows a pop star, Jocelyn, who wants to reclaim her stardom following a nervous breakdown. Discussing the episode, one person wrote: "The Idol is simultaneously awful self-parody, a pretentious art project, and grotesquely exploitative of its subject matter. Sam Levinson's dialogue is about as natural as a chicken nugget. The Weekend's performance is awful. It feels like a show made by CIS men 'cause it is."
Another person added: "Just watched #TheIdol and Jesus Christ it’s like a student film with a big budget. Sam Levinson is trying to be deep but his writing is just fucking weird. Also The Weeknd’s character is [expletive] creepy as [expletive] and makes me hate the actual Weeknd."
A third person added: "HBO's run from the White Lotus to The Last of Us to final seasons for both Barry/Succession and going to 'The Idol' right afterwards is possibly the worst downgrade I've ever seen." However, others did enjoy it, with one writing: "Everyone hating on The Idol before it even came out is so embarrassing now because the way the first episode was actually so good," while another joked: "Me having waited for #THEIDOL to be the most offensive tv ever and it was just a lengthy music video."
So what is the show about? The official synopsis reads: "After a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn’s 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, 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?"
The show has been surrounded by controversy due to reported behind-the-scenes drama, where the original director Amy Seimetz was replaced with Sam, who reshot major portions of it. According to IndieWire, sources claimed that show bosses wanted the show to go in a different direction and that it was "leaning too much into a female perspective", which led to the show being rewritten. The show was also slammed by some critics, who called it gratuitous.
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Speaking at Cannes Film Festival, Sam spoke about The Rolling Stone’s report of behind-the-scenes drama, saying: "We know we are making a show that is provocative. It is not lost on us, but it’s an odd one. Because when my wife read me the article, I told her, ‘I think we are about to have the biggest show of the summer.’ In terms of the specifics of what was in it, it just felt completely foreign to me. But I know who I am."
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