Is The Idol any good? Audiences and critics are deeply divided. The show, created by Sam Levinson, the man behind Euphoria, has proven deeply controversial. Starring Lily Rose-Depp and The Weeknd, The Idol focuses on the relationship between disgraced popstar Jocelyn (Depp) and DJ/cult leader Tedros (The Weeknd). Controversy has surrounded the show since its production days, with criticism leveled at the likes of The Weeknd.
Viewing figures may paint the show as a success. However, audiences and critics alike have absolutely panned the show. On Rotten Tomatoes, the holds a 25% critic score and a 58% audience score. Episode 2, the most recent episode to be released, was viciously mocked for its sex scenes and incredibly cringey dialogue. Furthermore, sources indicated that HBO is unwilling to greenlight the show for a second season. Despite this, there is likely one major reason it hasn't been outright canceled.
The Idol Surpasses First-Week Viewing Figures For Other HBO Hits
According to HBO, the premiere of The Idol received 3.6 million views in its first week, surpassing the first-week totals of Season 1 of The White Lotus (3 million) and Euphoria (3.3 million). Furthermore, The Idol continues to top the rankings at televisionstats.com, a site that attempts to quantify online engagement for television shows. However, the site does not account for viewing figures. It is simply a representation of how much a show is being searched for and talked about on social media.
Despite this, is The Idol in a bubble? Viewership dropped 12% between episodes 1 and 2. Furthermore, viewership will likely continue to drop after the overwhelmingly negative reaction to the show's second episode. By the end of its first season, The White Lotus was averaging 9.3 million viewers. Meanwhile, Euphoria was averaging 6.6 million. Unless things drastically turn around, it's unlikely that The Idol is going to reach these sorts of numbers before the end of the show. The reaction to The Idol is reminiscent of the reaction to Morbius, another media property everyone talked about but no one actually watched. While The Idol's future remains to be seen, it just goes to show that social media should not be used as a gauge of success.
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