Why 'The Idol' Was Not Renewed for Season 2

After much built-up hype, questions of the release date, a relatively star-studded cast, and an eyebrow-raising plot, The Idol finally released...and never took off. The five-episode HBO Max original series (originally meant to be six episodes) was met with extremely low viewership with a little over a million for episode one and decreasing numbers with each week. 

Since its finale episode, many doubted it was going to return for another season — doubts that have since been confirmed. The Idol has officially not been renewed for Season 2, and while it's relatively obvious why that is, some still do ask the question: Why was 'The Idol' cancelled? According to sources who spoke to Page Six, it was never part of the plan to make a second season in the first place. 

"This was never meant to be a long-running show, it was always … a limited series," a source said.

HBO Max representatives put out a statement, saying: "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 series was certainly provocative, one of the most talked about shows on the Internet, though not necessarily all for good reason. The drama series was heavily criticized for its hard-to-watch sex scenes, even harder-to-watch acting by The Weeknd, and a try-hard attempt to provide commentary on the exploitation of young female pop singers in the music industry that ultimately just didn't land.

Additionally, before the show was even released, Rolling Stone published a scathing exposé about the behind-the-scenes of the show, in which it was filled with negative remarks about the process. Things seemingly started going downhill when director Amy Seimetz suddenly departed in April 2022, giving Sam Levinson complete control.

"What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century," one production crew member told Rolling Stone in early 2023. "The things that we subject our talent and stars to, the forces that put people in the spotlight and how that can be manipulated in the post-Trump world. [However,] it went from satire to the thing it was satirizing."

"Levinson ultimately scrapped Seimetz’s approach to the story, making it less about a troubled starlet falling victim to a predatory industry figure and fighting to reclaim her own agency, and more of a degrading love story with a hollow message that some crew members describe as being offensive," another insider said.

One source added, "It was a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it."

That said, even with the negative reviews after the series dropped, Lily Rose-Depp has continuously firmly supported the show, the process, and her co-stars. When asked about the explicit sex scenes during an interview with Vogue Australia, Rose-Depp called them "really intentional and something she "was excited about doing."

"For me, the whole character and the show and [Jocelyn's] arc was really a collaboration through and through," she added. "We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that...I’ve never felt more respected and more safe on a set, honestly. And I think the trust that we all built with each other, you and I, and Sam and I, and Abel [Tesfaye] and I, that can only make for a really safe-feeling set."