Credits & Cast

Director: Sam Levinson

Writers: Sam Levinson, Abel Tesfaye, Reza Fahim, Clara Mamet, Marlis Yurcisin, Nick Bilton, Howard A. Rodman

Cast: Lily-Rose Depp, Abel Tesfaye, Rachel Sennott, Troye Sivan, Jane Adams, Jennie Kim, Hari Nef, Moses Sumney, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dan Levy, Eli Roth, Ramsey, Hank Azaria, Scott Tuner Schofield

Review

It’s been impossible not to read and hear about The Idol the past few months. From reports of on-set drama to creatives leading the product and, ultimately, stories surrounding a complete creative overhaul. What we have as a finished product was screened at Cannes Festival, met with a wave of negative reviews, and left the rest of us asking, “can it really be that bad?” The answer is a little bit yes and no as the show clearly shows signs of an exciting drama focused on a pop star heavily influenced by Brittany Spears and quickly jettisons into a boring dark romance.

We are introduced to Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) in the premiere—a mega-pop star with managers and publicists watching her every move. A photoshoot for her upcoming album is interrupted by a leaked photo being posted online, fearing Jocelyn with semen over her face. As Xander (Troye Sivan), Nikki (Jane Adams), Benjamin (Dan Levy), Andrew Finkelstein (Eli Roth), Leia (Rachel Sennett) and Chaim (Hank Azaria) attempt to deal with the problem and keep it from Jocelyn, she practices her choreography and smokes what felt like a cigarette every two minutes.

At least in the first twenty minutes, the dialogue is snappy—at times ridiculous—but it feels self-aware. “Are we sexualising mental illness?” one character asks as Jocelyn poses, now topless, for a photo while wearing a medical bracelet. “Mental illness is sexy; stop trying to cock block America,” responds another.

For a brief time, I was ready for this ride. I felt like this was a show very self-aware and trusting of its audience. And then comes series co-creator Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd) as club owner Tedros, who quickly jettisons any sense of tongue-in-cheek, the potential for a female-led and focused series, and instead introduces a dark fantasy.

Tedros appears at one end of the club, surrounded by women, and grabs a mic as he calls out to Jocelyn, “You’re so beautiful, I must dance with you.” And so the second half of the episode plays out with overlong seductive dances and stilted dialogue scenes, and it only worsens when Jocelyn invites Tedros over to her place. It’s obvious he’s a creep. The show isn’t particularly hiding it, and there’s a second agenda written all over him. And maybe that could be interesting if it didn’t feel like the episode was directed by two people clawing at each other for creative direction.

Reports are that Amy Seimetz (She Dies Tomorrow) had directed a lot of the series before leaving, and Sam Levinson (co-creator and creator of Euphoria) took over, choosing to re-shoot a lot. The reason? Reportably too much of a female focus for Tesfaye. Whether or not the report from Rolling Stone was factual matters not. Not when it’s how the premiere feels.

I can’t help but think about Spring Breakers while watching The Idol. A movie unjustly reviewed poorly by critics as fans who simply didn’t get it. Maybe I’m wrong about The Idol, and this is just as smart and aware as both that film and the first twenty minutes felt like it was; when the credits rolled, I’m wondering if there’s any point in bothering with the second episode.

Score