HBO has canceled ‘The Idol’ after a controversy shrouded first and last season

After 5 episodes and weeks shrouded in controversy, HBO’s latest drama series, The Idol has been canceled after one season.

Deadline reported that the show’s director, Sam Levinson, and its creator and lead star, Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd) will not be returning for season two. Before the season one finale, HBO released an open-ended statement on X (formerly known as Twitter) about the show’s future, hinting that the series could continue.

Before Levinson’s involvement, The Idol was supposed to be directed by Amy Seimetz, and it was intended to be a dark satire about the music industry (via Rolling Stone). Instead, the show steered away from that direction. This led to backlash leading up to its release, due to allegations that cast and crew members were subjected to disturbing sexual content and “torture porn” during production. The Weeknd’s response to these claims was poorly received after he shared a clip of his character in-show mocking Rolling Stone, rather than addressing the issues presented.

The show went on to be met with poor reception from fans and critics alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Idol sits at an average critics’ score of 19 percent and an average audience score of 41 percent. Many viewers were upset about the finale’s outcome, how it showed “the worst sex scene in history,” and the only thing that kept them interested was BLACKPINK star Jennie, who played Dyanne.

While it’s unknown how long The Idol‘s shelf life will be on streaming, if you want to watch this drama series starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd, season one is available on Max.