The Idol Has Been Reduced Down To Five Episodes

Image via Instagram, @theweeknd

Amid a flurry of controversy and cringeworthy clips, HBO’s show The Idol has been reduced down to five episodes.

The series has raised a number of eyebrows (including our own) following concerns about the depiction of sex and power dynamics. This became even more concerning to potential fans following director Amy Seimitz’ departure from the show – reportedly due to executive producer Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weekend) wanting to move away from her focus on the female perspective.

 

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When it came out this week that the show would be ending on episode five, viewers were convinced it must be a result of the widespread backlash.  However, a source has said that the decision to pare it back has nothing to do with criticism, and was simply a decision made by director Sam Levinson early on when he took over from Amy.

According to TV Line, a source shared that “the season ended up being five episodes when it was all said and done after Sam took over and made significant changes. The story only ended up requiring five”.

Rumours also have been flying that there won’t be a season two of the show thanks to the media response, but HBO have shut this down in a tweet, saying no such thing has been confirmed.

It is being misreported that a decision on a second season of The Idol has been determined. It has not, and we look forward to sharing the next episode with you Sunday night.

— HBO PR (@HBOPR) June 15, 2023

You can watch The Idol’s season finale (if you’re brave enough!) on July 2nd.

• HBO
• Lily-Rose Depp
• Sam Levinson
• the idol
• The Weekend