- HBO denies claims The Idol won’t return for a second season.
- The network posts a tweet supporting the show, which has faced controversy and negative reviews.
- Despite lower live viewership numbers, delayed viewing places The Idol’s premiere ahead of The White Lotus and Euphoria.
Despite a New York Post report claiming The Idol would not be returning for a second season, HBO has come out in support of the controversial series starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd. HBO took the unusual step of denying the report on Twitter, stating that a decision has not yet been made and they look forward to sharing the next episode on Sunday night.
The New York Post article claimed that the show was always intended to be a limited series, but an HBO source asserted that the door is still open for a second season. The Idol, which stars Depp as a pop star and The Weeknd as a club promoter, faced negative publicity even before its launch, with an explosive Rolling Stone article detailing behind-the-scenes drama and accusations of creating “sexual torture porn.” The show premiered to scathing reviews at the Cannes Film Festival and debuted on HBO earlier this month to a low “D” grade from TVLine readers.
Although live viewership numbers have fallen from 913,000 for the series premiere to around 800,000 for Week 2, delayed viewing has pushed the premiere ahead of similar shows The White Lotus and Euphoria at the same point in time. It remains to be seen whether The Idol will be renewed for a second season, with many viewers still tuning in despite the controversies and unfavorable reviews.