What's Happening With The Idol's Season Finale?

What's happening with "The Idol?" That singular query seems to have followed the show since its inception. What started out as intrigue over what "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson and Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye would deliver with their upcoming drama quickly morphed into a kind of morbid curiosity over the show's reportedly troubled production.

The controversy reached a fever pitch when Rolling Stone published a piece about "The Idol" and its behind-the-scenes issues, detailing how original director Amy Seimetz ("She Dies Tomorrow") departed the series in April 2022 allegedly as a result of the show not going the direction Mr. Weeknd expected. Seimetz was replaced by Levinson, who was previously executive producer who reportedly oversaw the show's transformation from an exploration of the trappings of stardom to what one source described as "sexual torture porn." Apparently 80% of the show was already in the can before it was scrapped in favor of Tesfaye and Levinson's new vision.

This whole debacle helped establish "The Idol" not as a highly anticipated "Euphoria" follow-up, but as a kind of lurid controversy magnet that might be worth watching just to see what all the fuss was about. Since then, the buzz around the show has maintained a similarly lurid quality, with "The Idol" infiltrating pop culture via memes that play on Tesfaye's character Tedros and his slimy, cringe-inducing dirty talk. And throughout its run on HBO, the question of "what is going on with 'The Idol'?" has remained front and center, usually as audiences react to the salaciousness of the whole thing. As such, it wouldn't be right if the season ended without yet more controversy. This time the confusion centers around whether HBO cut an episode and canceled the show outright before it finished airing. But the truth, for once, is actually far less sensational.

Before Amy Seimetz left "The Idol" and Sam Levinson overhauled the show, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed in November 2021 that the show had been ordered with six installments. But at some point during its rocky production, those six episodes were whittled down to five. Which meant that when the show wrapped up on July 2 with its fifth episode, there was some confusion over whether an episode had been cut, leading to speculation that "The Idol" had been canceled.

But as Abel Tesfaye confirmed to GQ back in June, the show basically constituted "a five-hour film," suggesting he and Levinson's changes following the departure of Seimetz had included cutting down the story to fit into just five episodes. And as far as the early cancellation rumors went, the official Twitter for HBO's communications team confirmed on June 15, 2023 that no "decision on a second season of 'The Idol' has been determined."

That remains the case as of this writing, following the season finale of "The Idol" on July 2, with no word on whether we'll be treated to any more of Sam Levinson's exploration of the gutters of Hollywood. What is clear, however, is that HBO did not cut an episode from season 1, and that the show seemingly only had five episodes in the can when it first debuted.

Controversy aside, "The Idol" always faced a tough challenge, not only having to live up to the hugely successful "Euphoria," but having to fill the gap left by both "Succession" and "Barry" ending prior to its debut. Unfortunately, the reviews as a whole haven't been all that kind, with critics attacking the show for a lack of plot and the aforementioned salaciousness. And it's true that "The Idol" often does appear to revel in gratuitous sex scenes rather than using those scenes as a way to propel any critique of modern Hollywood or the music industry.

That said, the show isn't quite the disaster critics would have you believe. As /Film's own Ryan Coleman wrote, "'The Idol' is still more original, interesting, and pleasurable than most series ordered out of the TV boom of the past half-decade." And while Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye may have put an entire generation off sex altogether with his over-the-top dirty talk, he certainly manages to embody the kind of abject ickiness you'd expect from a rat tail-sporting, club-owning cult leader.

Unfortunately, the positive aspects will likely be overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the show, which has continued throughout its run on HBO right up to the confusion over whether or not a potential sixth episode was cut. Even after its conclusion, the question of "what is happening with 'The Idol'" remains, as HBO is yet to reveal whether a second season will be forthcoming. Whatever happens, we'll always have the memes.