Sam Levinson’s controversy-shrouded series The Idol premiered on June 4 and exceeded 3.6 million viewers in its first week on HBO and Max. The heated debates around the series’ themes and sexually explicit visuals seem to have only helped fuel the viewership. The numbers coming in are surprising, to say the least, but it’s the reality.
According to a report by Deadline, HBO confirmed that as it stands, The Idol’s debut is outpacing hit shows such as The White Lotus and of course, Levinson’s other hit Euphoria.
If we compare The Idol with Levinson’s last (and pretty amazing) production, Euphoria garnered an audience of 3.3 million in the same time period. The series starring Zendaya launched to 1.1 million viewers in 2019, and The Idol began off 17% behind it. However, after a full week of availability, The Idol‘s controversies seem to have exceeded Euphoria‘s chaos.
The Idol has clearly surpassed Euphoria in terms of debut viewership numbers, despite Euphoria ranking among HBO’s most popular programs like Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, and House of the Dragon. Because of the relatively youthful target audience for the show’s sleazy and chaotic premise, The Idol also maintained a steady viewership after the debut of the second episode as well, but a decline is still evident.
The star-studded ensemble of The Idol, led by Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd, as well as the early reviews from critics who panned the series with (mainly) unfavorable comments, may have contributed to the interest that drove viewership. But curiosity won’t keep the show going. The number of viewers for The Idol’s second episode, which aired on Sunday night, was 800,000, which is a 12% decrease from the 913,000 viewers who saw the show’s premiere.
Euphoria‘s average episodic audience was a whopping 6.6 million at the end of Season 1, and we’re yet to find out if The Idol can keep up with it. For now, The Idol looks to be off to a strong start.