User reviews

Some artists are not meant to be actors. The Weeknd is a good singer, a great artist but not a good actor. There is 0 chemistry between Lily Rose and The Weeknd, the romantic scenes are cringe. Lily Rose does fine but the series lacks direction. The character of Jocelyn is loosely based on Britney Spears. The show does address Hollywood's obsession with romanticizing mental illness and how they don't care if a pop star who is supposed to set some standards in the society is just out there spreading herself. Unfortunately, this series lacks a good direction, the cast could have been better. I guess Jared Leto would have done a fab job but lets see what more this series can bring.

The first episode starts with some promise - the first twenty minutes or so give a variety of perspectives, fun performances, some quippy dialogue, interesting shots, an idea of whats to come. But then the episode slowly goes ... nowhere.

You can sense that the show is trying, in some sense, to be topical. To be of the moment and to reflect current pop culture, money, sex, power, etc. But, ultimately, I don't think it has a coherent thought to follow or even an interesting/unique perspective to offer.

Jocelyn seems a bit vacant. Her motivations are unclear, her character lacking. The full episode doesn't give much insight as to who she is, how she got there, where she wants to go, what drives her, or even why she wants to be a pop star. This all could be purposeful, to make her seem vulnerable and directionless. But I can't say that it's compelling as of yet. And Tedros is even less compelling.

It's not encouraging that I'm more intrigued by the side characters than by the leads. But I'm willing to watch another episode to see if the storytelling gains some kind of narrative/thematic focus.

This hasn't been a good first impression. Usually the first episode should give you an overall first impression of what the show will be and feel like, and a strong first impression at that. But after watching this first episode I have to say that it feels all too familiar and not in a good way.

It's just Euphoria, but this time it's about fake Los Angeles industry folk that are, judging by this episode, stereotypes you've seen before in other films about the industry.

Sure, it looks pretty but that's because Sam Levinson has people who know how to shoot things with vibrent colours and on 35mm film. Nobody is particularly bad in it but but there are absolutely no standouts so far.

Not a promising start.

"The Idol" kicks off with its first episode, titled "Pop Tarts & Rat Tales," but expectedly fails to live up to its potential. Set in blistering heat and uncomfortably overexposed lighting at the mansion of a pop star, Jocelyn, fresh out of the mental hospital attempting to get back in the game. The episode follows Jocelyn's management team as they navigate the aftermath of a humiliating photo leak on social media. Regrettably, the banter between the characters falls flat, leaving viewers with insufferably annoying individuals who fail to entertain in any meaningful way.

One of the show's strengths should have been the cast, featuring talented actors like Dan Levy and Rachel Sennot, known for their comedic prowess. However, their performances suffer due to the lackluster material they are given. With no compelling characters to root for or view the drama through, the episode feels like a never-ending trainwreck that fails to engage the audience.

Additionally, The Weekend's involvement in the series is disappointing. Rather than attempting to act, he simply appears as himself, lacking vocal inflections, body language, or facial expressions that would indicate any effort to portray a character. His aimless wandering around the set leaves much to be desired, especially for fans expecting to see his talent extend beyond his music.

The second half of the episode takes an unpleasant turn, shifting the setting to Tedros' supposedly depraved nightclub. The strobing lights and poor lighting make it difficult to discern details, adding to the overall unpleasant viewing experience. Furthermore, a peculiarly long scene featuring Jocelyn engaging in self-pleasure seems more fetishistic and creepy than empowering, lacking the intended impact and instead veering into uncomfortable territory.

It becomes clear that "The Idol" lacks self-awareness, as evident in a later scene where Rachel Sennot's character comments on Tedros' "rapey-vibe," and Jocelyn surprisingly responds positively to it. This unfortunate dialogue choice raises questions about the show's writing quality and the decision-making process behind such an awful script. Every attempt at satire such as this falls flat on the floor, or perhaps beneath ground level to become exactly what it attempts to satirize. Sleazy, gratuitous, and pretentious.

Jocelyn's insecurity over her first pop-song single soon to be released is her main relatable aspect. Her conversation with Tedros in which she plays part of the song shows promise of character development. Unfortunately it is immediately followed by an awkward and out of place BDSM scene. It is frankly embarrassing that they referenced Basic Instinct, which is infinitely more provocative.

The first episode of "The Idol" fails to impress. With uninteresting characters, a lack of humor, questionable choices in visual presentation, and poorly written dialogue, the series struggles to find its footing. Despite the talented cast involved, their efforts are hindered by the subpar material they have to work with. Maybe future episodes will address these shortcomings and offer a more engaging and thoughtfully executed viewing experience. But I won't hold my breath.

Wealthy Hollywood airhead elites unironically pushing political agenda, both in front of and behind the camera. Boring, visually and cerebrally bankrupt. Unlelatable in every way. Soulless. Tries to be hip but comes across as insincere. Feels more like a reality series. Characters unlikeable each carrying the mentality of 'woe are we in our perfect world'. Unbelievable that this was written before the writers strike. Carries a feeling of being made by people with narcissistic personalities. If you're someone who dislikes thinking and just likes something for its pretty colors then this series if for you. Apprécier.

Unsure why this series is being review bombed. I feel maybe it's the type of show/film that isn't everyone's cup of tea, which is fine... except they marketed it to everyone. And it just... isn't. It reminds me of French cinema in that it's told somewhat like a docudrama.

While I think the first episode had "issues" there's lots of interesting things at play. I think the filmmaking is very well done - particularly the opening shot of the first episode. And also watching the stars team scramble when someone posts some unsavory content about the Depp's character on Twitter, ruining her plan to make a comeback.

Everyone is also saying The Weeknd can't act, should stick to music. I don't think that's necessarily fair - his character, so far - is poorly written. Can't imagine what another actor could bring to it.

I'm probably gonna watch all of it because I love Hank Azaria and he's really funny in his role here.

Not for everyone - not necessarily good - but interesting - something to keep an eye on, if you think you can.

If you could sum up the entire plot of the pilot episode in one word is "porn". It's literally what it revolves around from beginning to end, apart from a couple scenes here and there with a little dialogue, music and some visuals. Can't really tell what direction this whole series is heading towards, but what I can tell is if the upcoming episodes use the same exact formula as this one, it'll end up being absolutely generic, shallow with a depraved story. Even the dialogue is lacking and ain't all that intriguing, almost sounds ridiculous at times. I mean, who in their right mind screams «who has not had cum in their face» and act proud about it. Goes to show that writing surely isn't the strongest suit here.

Perhaps it was meant to be this way, perhaps what the creators intented was to showcase the harsh reality of female pop stars in the making, behind the scenes in Hollywood, being subject to corruption, malice, degeneracy and over sexualization. I don't know. But there's gotta be a better way to shine some light on to that, whilst maintaining a balance between that and telling a story at the same time. Honestly, don't wanna be too quick to judge. I'd definitely give the next episodes a chance, though it doesn't look too promising to say the least...

So I thought this was great. To me, it comes off as critical towards entertainment, and how crushingly exploitative and grueling it can be. The social dynamics in this episode were fascinating- information spread both online and within Jocelyn's "team" in different ways, but all revolving around her fairly innocent photo- which would not have been a big deal if she didn't happen to be an entertainment superstar. This show seems to be a pretty good representation of this level of celebrity and the insanity and soullessness of it. It's all a bit depressing, is it not??

I understand the negative reviews- this offers very little in terms of fun, joyful entertainment. This actually makes me think about what I'm watching, and how the structures of entertainment/21st century high society operate in reality and how idiotic it all is when you boil it down. I thought it was a pretty excellent watch from start to finish. Visually, like Euphoria this is a masterclass in filmmaking ability and creativity.

I have to admit, when they first announced that they're making a new TV show named "The Idol" and it's plot was revealed, I wasn't very interested and I wasn't going to watch it. However, when the first trailer came out and the casting was announced, then I was kinda hyped about that TV show (lol). The plot of the 1st episode was kinda interesting and the storyline was kinda well-written, even though there were some weird parts during episode 1. The characters were very interesting and well-developed, but not really likeable. However, I'm definitely looking forward to get to know, those characters better! The casting of "The Idol" it's so GOOD and each actor/actress has portrayed their characters perfectly. In my opinion, "The Idol" doesn't have any similarities to "Euphoria", because it's way more GRAPHIC, INTENSE and SEXIER. The opening scene was definitely unpredictable, promising and very JUICY. Also, the soundtrack of episode 1 was really good and I enjoyed every song, so far. The ending scene was probably the sexiest and kinda porn wannabe scene of episode 1. Overall, episode 1 was kinda enjoyable, definitely unpredictable, chaotic and I'm definitely looking forward for episode 2.

This episode introduces us to the wild world of Jocelyn, a singer who wants to reclaim her throne of the industry. And right from the beginning, the episode sets itself up as a critical take on the nowadays scene. It reveals how soulless the hidden side behind every celeb. This episode grabs your attention with its great exploration of the entertainment world and how exhausting it is on the superstars.

In my opinion what makes The Idol stand out is that it doesn't serve up scenes just for the sake of it, but it exposes the systems, making you understand the true meaning of fame, success, and the sacrifices people make to achieve them, and if its worth it or not.

Visually, this episode is a masterpiece. The cinematography, just like in Euphoria is considered a door to the shows theme.

But after all this show is not for anyone, so if youre easily triggered stay away.

At one point in the episode, Jocelynn says "I feel like people are just waiting for me to fail." It reminded me of the media sh** storm surrounding the show after the Cannes festival.

There's only one type of news article that scores better than celebrity fodder. And that's an article about a celebrity failing tremendously.

After watching the first installment of the miniseries, I can't help but think the awful reviews were, at the very least, an overreaction for the sake of clicks. And at the worst, a bunch of blatant lies.

Pop Tarts & Rat Tales was funny and entertaining. And the answers to all the questions critics have asked (one of the most frequent ones being "why would Jocelynn fall for Tedros?") are right there.

Additionally, critics seem to have mistaken the characters' words for the makers'. Yes, the dialogue is full of offensive statements. That means the characters are offensive.

This isn't the show that is going to rid the entertainment industry of misogyny. (I mean, come on, it's HBO. What did you expect?) But it's not adding to it, either.

I'm excited to watch what's next.

Having watched the first episode unfortunately I have to say it's bad. The main character isn't relatable, everything is dripping in political statements and adult content and even the great soundtrack and a few good visuals do not help the first episode being boring and just simply not interesting. Jocelyn, played by Rose-Depp is just weird and her behavior is not consistent which is bad writing. The whole story feels like it could be on adult sites and is just the "lore" before the 20 minutes of adult content. The whole thing is reminiscent of Euphoria but the story and character are written even more stereotypically. Overall, I give this 2 stars for some visuals and soundtrack. I will give this series a chance for two or three more episodes but this was honestly very disappointing, which is the word that sums up my feelings about this episode.

Right out of the gate, "The Idol" displays its shallowness. It seems like Levinson decided to take "Euphoria" and put it in a music industry setting, while simultaneously making every character completely vapid and unlikeable. There is literally no one to root for. The result is a series of scenes that are unintentionally funny, especially if you are in any way associated with the entertainment industry. Almost a "Dr. Strangelove" approach, but not as clever and without good acting.

Neither Lily-Rose Depp or The Weeknd display anything resembling real acting, or even how to be themselves. (For me, the fact that the star is Johnny Depp's daughter made me want to watch this even less.) Hank Azaria's character Chaim has some weird accent for some reason, and the list goes on from there.

Based on the first episode, I have little desire to follow any of these characters for the rest of the season. "The Idol" commits the unforgivable crimes of being both boring and employing cliched characters in the hopes it will create "magic". It didn't.

A lot of this so far almost confirms what i believed - that the controversy was purely speculation and marketing tactic, the content is nowhere near as graphic as i expected and feels way more implied, and people blowed it out of proportion without even watching, however this is no euphoria, and assasination nation was better so far to, it's good but nothings blown me away other then the cinematography, decent industry satire with good performances, definitely feels like it's going to build up more of a plot though as this is only a pilot, i'd recommend for the style more then anything honestly.

Just finished the first episode of the series and i'm impressed with the direction this is going i . Was not expecting it and its kinda refreshing. We'll have to see if this keeps mg interest though. So far though, Abel and Rose Depp are crushing their performances. I heard tons of rumours about rewrites and new directors, and so I was going into it with skepticism. It is very meta I feel and maybe takes inspiration from Abel's actual life as an Artist and maybe other female artists like Ariana Grande or Miley Cyrus and their careers having some type of influence on the character of Jocelyn. Lets see if they can keep this intrigue.

The Idol is a series that draws inspiration from the iconic Britney Spears, which is an intriguing concept. However, there are certain aspects of the show that, in my opinion, take it in a questionable direction. The excessive number of sex scenes and the frequent depiction of Lily smoking cigarettes seem to glamorize harmful behaviors that can have serious consequences. This approach may be off-putting for viewers who are concerned about the portrayal of such habits.

Furthermore, the show's choice to dress Lily in a provocative manner seems unnecessary and out of touch with the reality of the pop idol industry. While creative expression is important, it's essential to strike a balance that respects the sensibilities of the audience and the values associated with being a role model in the music industry.

Regarding Abel's performance, I share your sentiment that his acting falls short. The delivery of his lines feels unconvincing and sometimes lacks coherence, which can be frustrating for viewers seeking a compelling narrative. Stronger character development and improved dialogue could have enhanced the overall quality of the show.

In conclusion, while The Idol has an intriguing premise and draws inspiration from a renowned pop icon, it falters in certain areas. The excessive sexual content, the glamorization of harmful habits, and the lackluster acting from Abel hinder the show's potential. As a result, it may not resonate with viewers who prioritize a more balanced and cohesive storytelling approach.

No doubt whatsoever that this show is unnecessarily gratuitous with its nudity and ridiculous sex scenes. Not up for debate whatsoever, and I totally understand the controversy surrounding these things. Nonetheless, I am intrigued. My interest is almost solely based on following this ridiculousness. The Weeknd and Depp are both terrible actors, but the awfulness of their performances is almost too entertaining to miss. Rachel Sennott is legitimately funny and compelling as the assistant/best friend, and Levinson's direction is clearly portraying the battle for Jocelyn's reputation as a biblical tale that contains clear references to Satan, whom The Weeknd is more or less portraying. These frankly absurd elements are enough to keep me around for another week. This is definitely worth a watch, for better or worse.

This is definitely my favourite at the moment!! I thought it was going to be cheesy at first but I like the fact it then showed a more messed up and not so good side of the music business behind closed doors because we all think it's all hearts and flowers for big pop stars don't we and this shows the vulnerability of Jocelyn and how she has to carry on without her mum while staying true to herself people say it's romanticised mental health but it doesn't it actually makes us sit up and take notice of what it can do ,people are quick to judge everything by the negative!!! I feel like I can get to know the characters in this show and the show grabbed my attention from the off and believe me it's hard as I get bored very quickly. I think anyone with a negative view of this show then they need to go in with an open mind for sure !! I watched both episodes twice or 3 times and Depp plays her part Very well and hats off to the weekend , it's a 10/10 for me for sure .

The Idol's first episode is graphic, disgusting, and quite frankly make me feel a bit sick.

Hollywood is now totally dominated by satanism and over-sexualisation.

This episode demonstrates pure deprivation, similar to the fall of Rome.

I was, however, impressed with the sound design. The music did evoke emotions and was posited well. The cinematography was impressive too. Some of the frames were extremely well positioned. HBO have really upped their game in recent years.

The image grain also adds an alternative impact on screen. It provides a retro vibe.

Yet, this show makes me feel like the West is crumbling.

This show just demonstrates that we promote demonic over-sexualisation and women are harmed in the process.

The episode lays convincing groundwork for the setting and plot immersing you in the overly sleazy manipulative world of entertainment management. While many complain about the graphic nature and 'The Weeknd's acting skills I think it has a lot to offer and while it's not for everyone, i think unlike euphoria, it matches the age of its characters with its appropriate target audience. So while there are a lot of low reviews, I think the rating drag is being exacerbated by viewers outside the intended audience complaining the show isn't for them.

This show has scope to develop a compelling plot and has a fantastic cast, I just hope the poor reception is the bi-product of extensive marketing to the wrong audience and fades quickly as people tune out.

This is just so bad. There is very little story here. They are obviously betting on people tuning in for the provocative scenes and it might work. I mean people tuned in to late night Cinemax back in the day for the same reason. That's about the level of production we are looking at here

Also the acting is atrocious. The two leads would never have gotten this gig if they weren't known already. Depp clearly just gets work because who her dad is, and I don't really support nepotism. It takes jobs away from truly talented people who will never get the chance to shine. The Weeknd at least has some talent he just can't act

If this is what is passing for "premium" entertainment now I weep for the future.