Presented at the Cannes Film Festival, the series from the creator of Euphoria is widely assassinated by critics, a few weeks before its release on HBO.
[Updated on May 23, 2023 at 2:54 p.m.] For festival-goers, it does not pass. The Idol premiered its first two episodes this Monday, May 22, 2023, with creator Sam Levinson and cast members The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp in attendance. Since this screening, the series has been murdered by specialized critics. In the United States, Variety denounces “a mass of clichés inspired by porn”, while the journalist of the New York Times, Kyle Buchanan calls the series “an odyssey in the form of the home page of Pornhub”. “Sexist, pornographic… No,” criticizes Gregory Ellwood, journalist for The Playlist.
In France, the critics are not kind to the series either: “terrible writing, clichés in shambles and nauseating remarks”, lists Anaïs Bordage of Slate, while Alexis Roux of So Film judges The Idol of “falsely trash, immediately forgettable”. Finally, Renan Cros, host and editor-in-chief of Cercle Series on Canal, described the two episodes as a “beautiful mess”: “Rather gripping when it’s a true/false cruel biopic of Britney Spears, really ridiculous and embarrassing when it transforms into Fifty Shades of Grey: Popstar Edition.” The series debuts on Max, HBO’s new streaming platform, from June 5, 2023.
The Idol is the new event series from the creator of Euphoria, which depicted the unbridled life of a group of teenagers. For the occasion, Sam Levinson takes up his favorite themes such as sex and drugs, but this time explores the toxic relationships of a young couple embodied by Lily-Rose Depp and The weeknd.
The first episodes of season 1 of The Idol will be presented out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival before being broadcast to the general public on the (HBO) Max platform from June 5, 2023. Like the rest of the programs on the American platform, it will be accessible in France via the Warner pass on Prime Video.
Lily-Rose Depp plays Jocelyn, a depressed young pop star with a bright future ahead of her. When she feels ready to return to the front of the stage, she meets Tedros, owner of a nightclub. It’s love at first sight, but what looks like a dream will turn into a nightmare. Tedros is also the leader of a strange sect and drags Jocelyn down a downward spiral that could end the young woman’s career.
The six episodes of the first season of The Idol will be available on the HBO Max streaming platform from June 5, 2023. In France, Prime Video subscribers must have the Warner pass to view this series. To do this, you must subscribe to the Warner Pass (7-day free trial) in addition to your Prime Video subscription. As a reminder, a subscription to Prime Video costs 6.99 euros per month. The Warner Pass requires an additional payment of 9.99 euros per month.