The Weeknd's HBO series The Idol cancelled after 1 season

HBO's The Idol has been cancelled after one season. The show, which told the story of a pop idol (Lily Rose-Depp) who enters a complex relationship with a cult leader named Tedros (the Weeknd), was created by Euphoria showrunner Sam Levinson and Toronto R&B star the Weeknd. It premiered on June 4 after months of delays and only ran five episodes out of an originally planned six. It also starred Moses Sumney, Troye Sivan and Blackpink's Jennie Kim, with a soundtrack helmed by the Weeknd. 

"The Idol was one of HBO's most provocative original programs, and we're pleased by the strong audience response," said a statement from HBO. "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."

Even before its premiere, The Idol was plagued with rumours of a toxic work environment behind the scenes. On March 1, Rolling Stone published an exposé looking at why director Amy Seimetz left the series before it was complete, the Weeknd's concerns that the show leaned too far into a "female perspective" thus leading to rewrites and reshoots, and one production team member describing the series as "sexual torture porn." The Weeknd fired back on Twitter, sharing a clip from the show where his character complains about the irrelevance of Rolling Stone. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he explained: "I thought the article was ridiculous. I wanted to give a ridiculous response to it." 

Reviews for The Idol were divided. The Guardian called it "one of the worst programmes ever made," the New Yorker said the series was "hardly scandalizing," and Rolling Stone described it as "nasty, brutish, [feels] much longer than it is, and way, way worse than you'd have anticipated." The Independent argued that it "comes close to a profound insight into our times" in its four-star review. 

Its soundtrack is also proof of the show's success and ubiquity, with singles like "World Class Sinner/I'm a Freak" being deemed one of the songs of the summer by GQ and Pitchfork, and "One of the Girls" featuring Rose-Depp and Kim earning over 50 million streams on Spotify.

The Weeknd is currently on his After Hours Til Dawn tour, which is set to conclude in New Zealand in December.