After one season, The Idol, which starred The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, has been canceled.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson for HBO said, “After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers have decided not to move forward with a second season.”
The rep thanked the “creators,” “cast,” and “crew” for their great work and called the show “one of HBO’s most provocative original programs.”
They also talked about the “strong audience response” the show got while it was on.
Sam Levinson and the Starboy singer worked together to make The Idol. The Starboy singer also played the lead opposite Johnny Depp.
The series was about the pop star Jocelyn, who was played by Johnny Depp. She met a Svengali named Tedros, who was played by The Weeknd.
Before it aired, a staff member criticized the controversial show in a Rolling Stone article. They showed a disgusting behind-the-scenes picture and said that the project went “wildly, disgustingly off the rails” once Levinson took over.
It also got bad reviews after its debut at the Venice Film Festival, where it was called a “sordid male fantasy.”