I didn’t watch or hate-watch The Idol, the HBO/Max series starring Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp. I saw some clips and, obviously, I covered some of the controversies with the show. It was really hilarious to watch, over the course of about a month, the buzz and promotion for The Idol to go from “this is a sexy TV show about exploitation” to “no, we’re in on the joke, Abel’s character is supposed to come across like a loser and a charisma-vacuum” to “this is a limited series, we never promised a second season, and there’s definitely not one missing episode.” So, yeah, after all of that, The Idol is not getting a second season. Find something else to hate-watch.

The Idol is one and done at HBO. The controversial series from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson and Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, will not be returning for a second season.

It’s not a huge surprise given the critical and commercial reception of the show, which starred Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp. It also came after extensive reshoots following the departure of director Amy Seimetz, as revealed by Deadline in April 2022, and a reduced order taking its total number of episodes to five.

Some of the cast did mention the possibility of a second season during interviews, though show insiders said that creators did not come into the production process with a plan for a multi-season arc.

“The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response,” said an HBO spokeswoman. “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.”

[From Deadline]

First of all, are we already back to calling it HBO? I’m not complaining – the rebrand to “Max” was one of the dumbest corporate strategies I’ve ever seen. As for no second season… ten bucks says that HBO was perfectly willing to throw money at Sam Levinson to make a second season, but he was just too busy exploiting the actors on Euphoria. Plus, didn’t they film most of it in Abel’s mansion? Abel probably didn’t want to let those people into his home again.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Sam Levinson, Lily-Rose Depp and Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye attend “The Idol” photocall at the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2023 in Cannes, France.,Image: 778496867, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Olivier Huitel / Avalon

Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp attend “The Idol” photocall at the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2023 in Cannes, France,Image: 778498062, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Olivier Huitel / Avalon

Abel ‘ The Weeknd ‘ Tesfaye, Lily-Rose Depp and Director Sam Levinson photographed during the photocall for The Idol as part of the 76th Cannes International Film Festival at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France on 23 May 2023.,Image: 778513454, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards / Avalon

Premiere of ‘The Idol’ during the 76 Cannes Film Festival. Featuring: Abel Tesfaye The Weeknd, Lily Rose Depp, Sam Levinson Where: Cannes, France When: 22 May 2023 Credit: IPA/INSTARimages **UK, USA AND AUSTRALIA RIGHTS ONLY**

Premiere of ‘The Idol’ during the 76 Cannes Film Festival. Featuring: Abel Tesfaye, The Weeknd, Lily-Rose Depp and Sam Levinson Where: Cannes, France When: 23 May 2023 Credit: Aurore Marechal/Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**

HBO Original Series ‘The Idol Premiere Afterparty at Cannes Film Festival. Featuring: Lily-Rose Depp Where: Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France When: 22 May 2023 Credit: Robert Smith/INSTARimages