Few series have stirred up more dislike than the one meant to propel Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd into superstardom. In theory, both were already hugely popular, but the crash of The Idol hit hard, suggesting they might not have been quite the, uh, idols they might have expected to become. She had the ultimate showbiz genes (Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis' daughter), and he was one of the world's most successful musicians. The Idol was the perfect vehicle for them to reach a zenith they'd never descend from: total stardom. Spoiler alert: it went terribly wrong.
Premiering grandly at Cannes, The Idol immediately generated animosity. Initial reviews praised Lily-Rose Depp's charisma but also began the train of thought that would eventually sink the series: Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) was not just the worst actor ever to have graced my screen, but his clear interference in the series' development had fatally wounded it. It became evident that his control over the production had turned what could have been a shining series into a grotesque farce. Suspicions were confirmed: Amy Seimetz's exit from the project, aiming to give it a distinctly feminine perspective, exposed Tesfaye as a troubled, envious artist, eerily resembling the character he played in the series. Sam Levinson's role in this drama was never quite clear. The creator of the extraordinary Euphoria was also behind The Idol, so he bears some responsibility for its downfall.
The worst part about The Idol isn't its sheer mediocrity but the glimpses it offers of how amazing it could have been. Its initial episodes kick off with bursts of energy and personality... only to collapse moments later. And Lily-Rose Depp, whose aura of superstardom is so otherworldly that it'd be impossible for the camera not to capture it, wholeheartedly commits to the series. A series that, furthermore, speaks about that: commitment, abyss, the inability to fully describe (and hence, create from scratch) the magic of mass entertainment. From The Idol, we can salvage her, Hank Azaria, and Jane Adams (characters clearly meant for a better series), Da'Vine Joy Randolph (potential 2024 Oscar winner for The Ones Who Stay) and that indescribable, magnetic presence that is Moses Sumney. Almost everything else is better off forgotten. When the onslaught of negative reviews became uncontrollable, HBO started pretending The Idol didn't exist. Depp, a truly deserving candidate for an Emmy and a Golden Globe, wasn't even considered for any of these awards. That's the level of disgust we developed for her series. For her, someone who doesn't know what failure in life is (after all, she was born into a lavish world of success), it probably doesn't matter as much. But for The Weeknd, The Idol's shipwreck hits him hard. And it shows. And I'm glad.