The Weeknd’s controversial HBO series The Idol has been canceled after just one season.
The grungy series from Abel Tesfaye and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson was officially given the boot by HBO on Monday (August 28), who commended The Idol for its “provocative” nature despite the cancelation.
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“The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response,” an HBO spokeswoman told Deadline.
“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.”
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While HBO only released viewing data for the first two episodes, the premiere reportedly drew a same-day audience of 913,000 across HBO and its streaming service Max, while the second episode dipped to around 800,000.
However, it wasn’t enough to save the show, as rumors began to circulate during its run that the series was due to be canned one week earlier than its original finale date.
The Idol followed a Los Angeles club owner and cult leader, Tedros (The Weeknd), who entered into a complicated relationship with a rising pop star, Jocelyn (Lily Rose-Depp).
The cast also included Troye Sivan, Jane Adams, Suzanna Son, Power Book II: Ghost actor Melanie Liburd, super-producer Mike Dean and more.
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The show was mired in controversy from its inception, with Rolling Stone publishing a disturbing article back in March that claimed that the series had fallen into a “shitshow” after its original director Amy Seimetz unexpectedly departed.
The publication spoke with 13 cast and crew members, with one person describing the series as “sexual torture porn.”
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“It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show,” another crew member added. “And then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better.”
The Weeknd hit back at the claims almost immediately, taking to Twitter to share a clip from The Idol in which his character Tedros refers to the publication as “irrelevant.”
There was also plenty of backlash during the show’s actual run, including one queasy sex scene that left a lot of viewers feeling extremely uncomfortable. The Weeknd responded to those criticisms as well, saying that it was supposed to make viewers uncomfortable.
“There’s nothing sexy about it,” Tesfaye explained in an interview with GQ. “However you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters. It’s all those emotions adding up to: this guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here.”
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He continued: “The sex, it’s so gluttonous. Especially in Episode 2. ‘Gluttony’ is the only word I can think of [to describe it]. [Tedros] can’t believe he’s there. He comes off like such a loser. Those moments are the humanity that you find in a psychopath, the chink in his armor.”
In other news, the Grammy Award-winning singer broke a serious record during a recent show in London earlier this month. According to Live Nation UK, The Weeknd “broke Wembley Stadium’s record for sales with their traditional concert set up with the stage at one end of the stadium with 87,000 tickets sold.”
