Breaking. “The Idol,” starring The Weeknd, opened to just 232K viewers on the HBO channel Sunday night.
More viewers will be claimed by HBO on streaming. The show was widely panned by reviewers for having mindless sex and no plot. Pop star The Weeknd was dubbed for having no acting talent.
The Idol is a rare misstep for HBO, home of cutting edge but quality shows. On Rotten Tomatoes, “The Idol” sits at 23%, which shows the enmity most reviewers had to the show. The public feels pretty much the same, citing The Weeknd’s bizarre appearances and the non stop vulgarity and coarseness.
Director Sam Levinson brought us “Euphoria,” a startling series about teens and their parents that includes sex, drugs and psychosis. But the “Euphoria” characters have hearts and souls, which is what makes it work. “The Idol” is just idle, with no real purpose except to titillate — but the come is so childish no one can take is seriously.
