When “The Idol” was first introduced, creator Sam Levinson had high hopes for his “provocative” drama, anticipating it to become a summer sensation. However, as the series concluded, television critics delivered their final judgments, and the consensus is clear: it stands as one of the most colossal misfires of the season.
Starring Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp and renowned pop star The Weeknd, “The Idol” failed to impress audiences and critics alike. The Telegraph boldly labeled it “undoubtedly the worst T.V. show of the year,” while the Guardian condemned it as “one of the most abysmal programs ever produced.”
In scathing words, the Guardian’s Leila Latif described the series as a “painfully monotonous televised non-event” that culminated in a “dampened, lackluster finale.” Latif criticized Depp’s portrayal of troubled pop singer Jocelyn, deeming it “feeble, vacant, and replete with chain-smoking emptiness.” The reviewer’s critique of The Weeknd’s performance was even more severe, suggesting it should be brought to trial at The Hague, referring to the International Criminal Court’s location in the Netherlands.
“We braced ourselves for shock, for appalling, but nothing could prepare us for such an excruciating sense of boredom,” Latif lamented. She further criticized “The Idol” for sporadically attempting to make points about feminism and the #MeToo movement, claiming it hindered the overall enjoyment of the series.
Echoing similar sentiments, The Telegraph’s Ed Power characterized the show as cringe-inducing, toe-curlingly naff, and imbued with a consistent and undeniable awfulness throughout. He asserted that the final episode confirmed its status as the worst TV show of the year and a potential contender for one of the most disastrous productions of all time. Power likened it to the Dark Side of the Moon of dreadful television, expressing disbelief that it managed to materialize in the first place.
Power directed criticism towards the vacant performance of Depp and the stilted delivery by The Weeknd. He highlighted the potential damage inflicted upon HBO, a network long revered as the gold standard for prestigious television, now tarnished by their association with this colossal blunder.
Chris Vognar of Rolling Stone magazine acknowledged that while HBO has faced mishaps, “The Idol” presented an atonal mishmash of vague character motives, narrative dead-ends, and remarkably unsexy sex scenes. In Vognar’s view, the series finale failed to make a significant impact, offering a marginal improvement over what preceded it. However, he questioned whether this could be considered faint praise or a small victory.
Lovia Gyarkye, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, deemed the finale so disorienting that Levinson’s prediction of “The Idol” becoming the biggest show of the summer now appeared ludicrous. Gyarkye criticized the show’s gratuitous nudity, juvenile eroticism, thin plot, incoherent narrative, lack of character development, poor acting, pacing issues, and inconsistent tone. Despite these shortcomings, she acknowledged that the season contained glimpses of inspiration, showcasing the potential that “The Idol” failed to realize fully.
Attempting to decipher the series’ identity, Gyarkye questioned whether it was an erotic drama exploring power dynamics in an S&M relationship or a satire on the absurdities of the music industry. The show’s apparent aim to be edgy and twisted came at a cost, resulting in appalling dialogue and a confusing and messy plot that only gained momentum in the penultimate.
