By Melanie Mayberry, programming editor
On Sunday, June 4, at 9 p.m. ET, HBO (and Max) will debut the buzzy new HBO original drama series, The Idol, which stars Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny’s daughter) as a pop queen whose career is derailed by mental issues. She turns to a mysterious nightclub owner (singer The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye) for help but the relationship comes with new twists that she might not be able to handle. Thanks to the co-stars, the series should be a ratings magnet in the 18-34 age group for HBO which normally tends to draw a slightly older crowd.
But is the show any good? Rotten Tomatoes, which tracks critical reviews, currently gives The Idol a score of just 27 out of a possible 100, based on 15 reviews. Below is a sample of the reviews, and a show trailer. Enjoy.
“The Idol only pretends to expose exploitation, while actually reveling in it…” — Time Magazine.
““The Idol” is grim, gross, and vulgar. It’s full of preposterous recycled ideas and pornish sex that would be at home on HBO’s Cinemax, not the main HBO which we know loves Emmy awards.” — Showbiz 411.
“Nasty, brutish, [feels] much longer than it is, and way, way worse than you’d have anticipated.” — Rolling Stone.
“The same audiences that fell hard for Euphoria — another show about the terrors of being young — will likely do the same for this one. It is buzzy, brazen television that will do exactly what it set out to do: get people talking.” — Vogue.
“In The Idol, the substance-through-style is just as phony, uninspired and manipulative as the corporate machinations of the music industry Jocelyn is trapped by.” — Paste Magazine.
“(Director Sam) 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.” — Vanity Fair.
“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.” — Hollywood Reporter
To read more reviews of The Idol at Rotten Tomatoes, click here.
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