Last night, The Idol – one of the most controversial TV projects in recent memory – arrived in Cannes for its long-awaited world premiere.
You've probably heard a lot about it already, very little of it good, but if you need the lowdown: Euphoria writer-director Sam Levinson has teamed up with Abel Tesfaye, FKA The Weeknd, to tell the story of a Britney-esque pop starlet, played by Lily Rose Depp, who is drawn into Hollywood’s dark underworld by a sleazy producer. From the very first trailer, it was clear that the show was out to shock, but controversy began to mound long before the red carpet was unrolled.
By this point, a three-part making-of documentary of The Idol would arguably be as interesting as the series itself. To recap, back in April 2022, after already extensive filming, director Amy Seimetz left the project, and a statement was released explaining that the showrunners (it’s written by Levinson, Tesfaye and Reza Fahim) had “evolved their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction”.
This new vision was called out by Rolling Stone, who published an expose on the series in March 2023. The piece claimed that the original tone and content of the script had changed, and instead of it being centred on a woman’s fight to reclaim her own agency, it had reportedly become a degrading story that verged on torture porn. The article also claimed that there were some highly problematic incidents on set. One source said: “What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century. The things that we subject our talent and stars to, the forces that put people in the spotlight and how that can be manipulated in the post-Trump world. It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.”
Tesfaye hit back with a video clip from the series where he called Rolling Stone “a little irrelevant”, while Depp claimed that Levinson was “the best director” she had ever worked with and that she had never “felt more supported or respected in a creative space.”
Despite being trailed heavily since summer 2022 – including during The Weeknd’s shows – there was no sign of a streaming date (it is, of course, streaming on HBO in the US, Sky in the UK) until the date of 4 June, 2023 was finally released. This was followed with the announcement that it would be premiering in Cannes.
So, with the stars touching down in Cannes, the first two episodes were finally screened to an audience. Here’s what the critics made of it:
Variety
“The script seems calculated to fool audiences into thinking they’re observing how Hollywood operates, when so much of it amounts to tawdry clichés lifted from Sidney Sheldon novels and softcore porn…The Idol plays like a sordid male fantasy…
“Zeitgeist-shaking TV series can be a delivery device for subversive social critique. Trouble is, Levinson’s worldview seems corrupt. It shouldn’t take degradation and suffering to make Jocelyn stronger. Euphoria audiences won’t be too surprised by the shameful way he treats Depp’s character, as both she and the show appear trapped under The Weeknd’s thumb.” (Peter Debruge)
The Hollywood Reporter
“The Rolling Stone report…[claimed that] instead of subtly skewering the misogynistic and predatory nature of the business, The Idol became a forbidden love story — the stuff of a toxic man’s fantasy. Levinson’s The Idol unfortunately confirms that account.
“...The show’s intention puts a metaphorical hand up at incoming haters: Sex sells, and The Idol revels in that. To what end is not very clear. The Idol, like that second season of Euphoria, runs almost exclusively on vibes. Levinson applies his efficient and stylish direction to every scene. Some of them have momentum, others are contradictory and most of them are confusing. It makes you wonder if in trying so hard to be transgressive, the show ultimately becomes regressive.” (Lovia Gyarkye)
Deadline
“Until we know more, it’s hard to make value judgments about morality and ethics, or, more substantively, the arguments about the male gaze and female body rights that are coming in the water like a stealth torpedo. However it turns out, Depp is quite rivetingly game with, to put it mildly, a highly sexualized performance that also is grounded and often vulnerable, discomfitingly addressing the fine lines between porn and art, power and exploitation that have faced young women in the music industry for years.” (Damon Wise)
Vanity Fair
“Ahead of its premiere, The Idol was whispered about as a very risqué show. It is certainly trying hard to shock and titillate us. But there’s something oddly prosaic about what I’ve seen so far. There’s a slight awkwardness, too, as if Levinson and his actors are talking dirty for the very first time.
“Levinson’s whole deal is not for everyone—and often not for me—but The Idol offers up enough regular old entertainment to balance out his aggressive flourish and the bluster of his thematic ambitions. Just don’t approach the first two episodes with any notion that you are about to see something startling and transgressive. Maybe that stuff is coming in later episodes, but thus far, The Idol is way too Top 40 to rattle the squares.” (Richard Lawson)
Meanwhile, over on Twitter, others were a little more cutting in their snap-reviews:
And that discourse is going to be raging even more when The Idol finally comes to our screens next month.
The Idol is on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV from 5 June.
