The Idol (2023)

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 4, 2023
User Score
2.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 267 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 267
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 267
  3. Negative: 213 out of 267
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  1. demned
    Aug 15, 2023
    9
    отличный сериал. просто отличный. после всех этих черных русалочек и прочего хлама.
  2. JeffRson
    Jul 26, 2023
    10
    Solid characters. Solid Plot. Perfect soundtrack and talented artists. A critic and caricature of the hollywood music industry, at times provocative, at times comical, at times deep on the struggle to develop a genuine creative practice in an environment that puts money first.
  3. Miarael
    Jul 25, 2023
    1
    It's just disgusting to create such a TV show. I love the weeknd music but this is his worst ever project, all that sex and all the stuff are really but really disgusting
  4. Fabiancsc
    Jul 24, 2023
    3
    What a pity that something that promised quality resulye in endless bad performances and a mediocre scripIt
  5. Hyrus
    Jul 21, 2023
    0
    boring as ****

    borin

    im just making sure the minimum characters for a review is hit bc i dont have much to say



    it was boring
  6. Soulshocker
    Jul 14, 2023
    0
    We are a culture in deep decline, glorifying violence and mental illness. Evil permeates this world, this series if proof of it. It's like they are saying: let's not feed a positive and hopeful story, but shove horribleness down their throats.
  7. vehliks
    Jul 9, 2023
    0
    awful show, awful ending, awful cast, awful charakters, awful plotlines, awful writing, awful dialogues, awful sex scenes
  8. Exceladeogun
    Jul 8, 2023
    2
    The Idol

    After five weeks of torture, The Idol ends on a chaotic and laughable note, without any trace of redeemability. With a plot that aims to shock, The Idol is told from a tastelessly sexual male gaze oriented point-of-view. It has a lot to say but fails to bring that to the screen. It offers more questions than answers. The Idol would have had a better story without Tedros (The    The Idol

    After five weeks of torture, The Idol ends on a chaotic and laughable note, without any trace of redeemability.

    With a plot that aims to shock, The Idol is told from a tastelessly sexual male gaze oriented point-of-view. It has a lot to say but fails to bring that to the screen. It offers more questions than answers. The Idol would have had a better story without Tedros (The Weeknd's character), which would have allowed for a better foray into the music industry. Scenes of Dyanne (played by Blackpink's Jennie) promptly getting and potentially losing her record deal could have been expanded on to show the inner workings of the music industry; Nikki, the music executive, is also a despicable character that could have been explored better. At the end of the series, The Idol tries to make us believe that Jocelyn is the mastermind, and that Tedros is a pitiable and innocent man that got entrapped by her; utter ****

    The plot hinders whatever great acting could have come from this series. The Weeknd and Tedros are horrible and one-dimensional, and it's risible that his portrayal is meant to give off vibes of a manipulative cult leader, when he's nothing more than a 'rap*y cu*t' with a rattail (brilliantly described by Rachel Sennott's Leia). Lily Rose Depp deserved a better script for her first film project.

    The best thing The Idol has to offer is the generic yet catchy tune that's 'World Class Sinner/I'm a fr**k'.

    In summary, The Idol was a missed opportunity at showing the inner workings of the music industry and the exploitation that occurs behind the scenes.

    2/10 (one point for World Class Sinner and another point for Da'vine Joy Randolph.)    … Expand
  9. tavaresun
    Jul 3, 2023
    0
    holy moly this is god damm trash series, just blame yourself if you waste your time with this bullsh*t
  10. pangipingu
    Jul 3, 2023
    0
    Hands down, the worst TV show I've seen in my life. Even IRIB series are better than this **** Can't imagine how ashamed HBO executives must be. Someone should remind Levinson Jr. that pushing people's buttons is not necessarily a good thing.
  11. truerock
    Jun 28, 2023
    8
    The HBO series The Idol includes a lot of graphic sex and nudity. It portrays issues that have generated a huge amount of analysis in the press and continues to be extremely relevant and critical to today's social context.

    The series has garnered incredibly poor reviews which reflects individual's inability to perceive the difference between real world reality and the fiction in a film    The HBO series The Idol includes a lot of graphic sex and nudity. It portrays issues that have generated a huge amount of analysis in the press and continues to be extremely relevant and critical to today's social context.

    The series has garnered incredibly poor reviews which reflects individual's inability to perceive the difference between real world reality and the fiction in a film or literature. Sometimes it is comical how people involve themselves in fictional entertainment and somehow forget that it is not real.

    In the case of The Idol the subject of the series and the series itself are actually very close to each other. I just finished reading a review in my local newspaper of the Idol where the critic completely lost himself in the character Tedros portrayed by Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, aka The Weekend, and was beside himself in his obvious emotional hatred of Tesfaye. Yes, it is absolutely universally accepted the Tesfaye is not a good actor, or a good person - perhaps even loathsome. But, in the context of The Idol that would be type-casting Tesfaye for the Tedros role. And, that is the issue of reality and fiction in The Idol having a juxtaposition that professional critics (and most individuals watching The Idol) cannot separate.

    The issues covered in The Idol are extremely important and extremely relevant in the context of today's social environment. But, I rate film on the quality of its product. Obviously, with an HBO/Cinemax/Discovery budget the size here - it is an almost automatic that the quality of the technical aspect of the film will be good. The editing, cinematography, staging, costumes, etc, etc will be good. The creative aspect of the film... casting, writing, acting, directing (and, well editing) can not necessarily be purchased for any amount of money. Talented people are talented and paying them more money does not make them more talented.

    So - anyway - casting Tesfay to play the role of a bad character is a completely rational thing to do. And lets' be clear... Samuel Levinson creates film that stares at things that normal people cannot abide. I find myself looking away when I can't stomach what is in his film - but, what is in Levinson's film is relevant and worthy.

    And to reiterate - the subjects of The Idol are important, complex and currently not well understood (in my opinion). I've only watched part of The Idol. I may change my rating when I have seen more of the series.

    And... oh... I almost forgot to comment on the blatant nudity and sex in The Idol. I'm not going to fractionate the issues of sex and nudity in films, literature or just life in general. Obviously, sex and nudity are an aspect of reality and there are a lot of very, very strong opinions regarding all kinds of aspects of them - especially in today's environment. I watch films that I find difficult to watch. Difficult to watch because they contain depictions of the most horrible things humanity has. Nudity and sex in and of themselves are not bad things - of course. Depicting them in film and literature is something beyond the scope of my film review of The Idol.

    **************************************************************

    I had an additional thought. I have recently written 2 reviews of films I rated highly that had a rapper for one of the lead roles. This is the second time I have said I did not like the rappers acting. There may be something about a rapper's artistic skill set that I do not understand. I'm going to self-evaluate this issue in the future.    … Expand
  12. enut_butter
    Jun 27, 2023
    0
    Intensely bad. Degenerate, low IQ, poorly written, unlikable characters, terrible acting. HBO has been awful in recent years but this show indicates that whatever magic they may have been retaining is long gone. Just a despicable piece of television, through and through.
  13. giomax
    Jun 21, 2023
    0
    Should be illegal. Really bad. Lilly is just a nepo star who can’t act well but got the role because of the f weird and sickness fantasy of Sam and The Wekkend. By the way TW ruin his career with this snow cause you can see he is mirroring him self in this f up character
  14. Mindurbidniss
    Jun 20, 2023
    10
    Perfect antidote to these woke remixes and reboots. So many yeah it did it's portrayal of Hollywood characters as if the previous "hero" depictions are accurate. These are filthy, egomaniacal people who do filthy egomaniacal things daily. This is probably the most accurate portrayal I've seen of these people.
  15. TheWeekndXO
    Jun 18, 2023
    10
    The amount of paid Negative Reviews on here made me create an account after 8+ years of using Metacritic. I’ve watched every show that has a 8.5 or higher User Score rating on the website. This show is clearly not a 2/10. Not sure who’s paying to ruin the rating but they must really hate Abel, Sam or HBO. This show is next level and most people are just not mentally there yet. Also, ratingThe amount of paid Negative Reviews on here made me create an account after 8+ years of using Metacritic. I’ve watched every show that has a 8.5 or higher User Score rating on the website. This show is clearly not a 2/10. Not sure who’s paying to ruin the rating but they must really hate Abel, Sam or HBO. This show is next level and most people are just not mentally there yet. Also, rating a show negatively when only 2-3 Episodes are out is peak comedy. Most of these reviews are people talking out of their a$$ because they either feel offended or just do not understand the direction in which the show is headed.… Expand
  16. LatinCritic13
    Jun 17, 2023
    3
    The Idol is a big beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy that Sam Levinson and The Weeknd has ever came up with after Euphoria's success. The cinematography and the production design is immaculately crafted that captivates the glitz, glamour, and gurus of superstardom, but fails to deliver a concise story that actually feels like a sleazy expensive pornography movie.
  17. frozenpinky
    Jun 14, 2023
    9
    I love it. The Weeknd is by far the weakest link as you can SEE his acting. I wish he didn't cast himself as the male lead. But the show and where they're going is intriguing, fun, dark, and promiscuous. Only two episodes so far, but it looks like there's gonna be some drama with Jocelyn, her team, Tedros, and Dyanne.
  18. Acrofilo
    Jun 12, 2023
    0
    Its more and more obvious from a few years now that HBO is heavily leaning on AI and focus groups to decide where to take each story instead of having solid proposals from the get go. They try to make everyone happy and that's why these products are soulless. This one is also needlessly nasty.
  19. wtriplet
    Jun 12, 2023
    3
    It isn't as bad as some people are saying, but also isn't very good. The first problem is The Weekend can't act and he and Depp have the chemistry of 2 pot plants. The second problem is how slow and boring it is.
    But it is beautiful to look at. There are some interesting scenes between the side characters and Depp does a decent Britney impression. The whole thing could have been a decent    It isn't as bad as some people are saying, but also isn't very good. The first problem is The Weekend can't act and he and Depp have the chemistry of 2 pot plants. The second problem is how slow and boring it is.
    But it is beautiful to look at. There are some interesting scenes between the side characters and Depp does a decent Britney impression. The whole thing could have been a decent guilty pleasure, if not for The Weeknd.    … Expand
  20. Aristeia
    Jun 10, 2023
    2
    Pseudo edgy and quite boring unfortunately. So far, Depp and the weeknd have no chemistry whatsoever. The worst thing are the bought positive reviews on this website. Embarrassing
  21. Rebel_Panda
    Jun 9, 2023
    2
    "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"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.    … Expand
  22. Fitnesssforever
    Jun 8, 2023
    10
    Deserves way higher rating on all cites critics once again showed they are biased and can't appreciate any art that doesn't have "strong empowered woman character",critics hate anime for the same reason and now they are trying to downvote show not by objective measures,but because of their own sex negativity and purity culture ignore them this show is awesome and fantastic in all aspectsDeserves way higher rating on all cites critics once again showed they are biased and can't appreciate any art that doesn't have "strong empowered woman character",critics hate anime for the same reason and now they are trying to downvote show not by objective measures,but because of their own sex negativity and purity culture ignore them this show is awesome and fantastic in all aspects from writing to characterization to creative and unique direction storytelling masterpiece that I have no doubt will only get better we need more interesting,unique shows that push the boundaries are not afraid of promoting sex positivity and sexual liberation like Euphoria and this masterpiece. 10/10… Expand
  23. Progressivefit
    Jun 8, 2023
    10
    Amazing gorgeous sex scenes,great writing and character development awesome cinematography absolutely loved it from beginning to the end ignore whining prudes triggered by sexuality in 2023 since they are obviously insecure and mentally unwell and watch and enjoy this masterpiece of storytelling peak art that all true man of culture with taste will enjoy. This show and Euphoria areAmazing gorgeous sex scenes,great writing and character development awesome cinematography absolutely loved it from beginning to the end ignore whining prudes triggered by sexuality in 2023 since they are obviously insecure and mentally unwell and watch and enjoy this masterpiece of storytelling peak art that all true man of culture with taste will enjoy. This show and Euphoria are masterpieces no matter what prudes or radfems will say. 10/10 must watch.… Expand
  24. erolsabadosh
    Jun 8, 2023
    1
    Nicely shot and that's about where the positives end. The script is laughably bad and so is a lot of the acting. Torture to get through.
  25. milosz
    Jun 6, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm very positive after watching first episode, the negative opinions are just overreacting. I also love the music in this episode ( the scene in club with Madonna's Like a Prayer is especially climatic ) also dancing is great.… Expand
  26. Kairo98
    Jun 6, 2023
    0
    Just an horrible porn attemp, Idol where? trash Characters, Bad writing, only photography has any real value
  27. dtg12
    Jun 6, 2023
    10
    Finally a decent piece of television on HBO with pleasant lead and limited amount of preaching. Enjoyable
  28. Ilenaaase
    Jun 5, 2023
    1
    Jennie really deserves to play porn
  29. jbiunlkn
    Jun 5, 2023
    1
    The Idol plays out like an hour long perfume ad. It desperately strives to be edgy, but is ultimately dull and lifeless.
  30. DryedMangoez
    Jun 5, 2023
    0
    The show is absolute trash. And not in an "Ooo edgy" kind of way, it's just twisted nonsense.
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Most Discussed TV Season of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
27

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 24
  3. Negative: 16 out of 24
  1. The Observer (UK)
    Reviewed by: Barbara Ellen
    Sep 10, 2024
    20
    On one level, The Idol is yet another risible, cliche-riddled take on the music biz in which no cast member (Hank Azaria, Jane Adams) is permitted to speak normally. On another, it’s a post-#MeToo melodrama with a lead character whose heavily semaphored empowerment puts viewers squarely at fault if they dare to question the sleaze and cynicism on display.
    Read full review
  2. ABC News
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    Jun 9, 2023
    0
    The only thing shocking about this vanity production from The Weeknd, whose acting runs the gamut from A to B, is how shockingly bad it is. From its leering male gaze to its juvenile eroticism and cringy dialogue, the premiere episode hits a new low in creative ineptitude.
    Read full review
  3. The Times
    Reviewed by: Carol Midgley
    Jun 7, 2023
    40
    Here is a show purporting to satirise sexual exploitation while relishing it.
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