“The Idol” — HBO’s new series starring Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye as a Svengali-like guru who takes a pop star (Lily Rose-Depp) under his wing — premieres June 4 after It made headlines on June 4 after its alleged “chaotic” production, “toxic” set and, according to some, “sexual torture pornographic” material.
Here’s a timeline of all “The Idol” controversies that have surrounded the series, from the replacement of original director Amy Seimetz to reports of traumatized crew members to the reception by critics, who have given it a dismal 25% approval rating to date. Is. rotten Tomatoes.
Amy Seimetz out, Sam Levinson as director (April 2022)
In April 2022, HBO stated that the show, which began filming in November 2021, would undergo a massive reshoots with significant reshoots and several new cast members. Then came reports that director Amy Seimetz, who co-created “The Girlfriend Experience,” would be replaced by Sam Levinson, who was producing the series and having tremendous success with “Euphoria” at HBO. .
Several original cast members, including the late Anne Heche, who died in August 2022, and Elizabeth Berkley were cut from the series entirely as HBO took “a new creative direction”.
Nearly a year later, Keibler issued a disapproving statement about Seimetz’s version, saying that his approach and production, “unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards.”
sources later said Rolling stone Seimetz was “set to fail” with a half-finished script and a tight schedule: “Amy was doing her best in an impossible situation, but she was going to lose it no matter what,” said one production member. Said. Seimetz has so far declined to comment.
Rolling Stone runs scathing article about how once female-centric series has become “‘torture porn'” (March 2023)
multiple anonymous sources told the outlet The show not only had production delays, costly reshoots, last-minute script rewrites and a “sense of chaos” on the set, but also a “poisonous” atmosphere.
A production member once told Rolling Stone, “It was like any rape fantasy any toxic man would have on the show – and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better.” Another called it “sexual harassment porn”.
HBO strongly denied the allegations, saying “the creative team is committed to creating a safe, collaborative and mutually respectful work environment.” Tesfaye also dismissed the story as “ridiculous” and denied the implication that “these are rapists trying to imagine a rape.”
depp also insisted that the Rolling Stone piece was off-base, saying, “It’s always a little sad and disappointing to see falsehoods being told about someone you care about. Wasn’t reflecting my experience of shooting.”
“The Idol” is praised – and banned – at Cannes (May 2023)
“The Idol” had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where the first two episodes played to a divided reaction.
Although the audience gave it a five-minute standing ovation, critic Kyle Buchanan blasted it as “50 Shades of Tesfaye: A Pornhub-Homepage Odyssey Starring Lily-Rose Depp’s Areolas and The Weeknd’s Greasy Rat Tale”.
Tatiana Siegel of Variety promised, “Sam Levinson fans will not be disappointed.”
Critics give it a resounding thumbs up (May 2023)
HBO only screened the series for a few outlets, but most reviewers hated it. At Rotten Tomatoes, it has a current score of only 25%.
of time Stephanie Zacharekwrote, “The Idol only pretends to expose exploitation while in fact enjoys it,” while Rolling Stone’s David Fear calling it “nasty” and “brutal,” and “way worse than you anticipated.” over at playlistRobert Daniels rebuked Tesfaye, saying that the series is “an extension of a music star’s misplaced self-belief of his potential movie star credentials. In short, it’s crude, gross, and sexist.”
However, the series has its fans. Vogue’s Douglas Greenwood Said, “It’s raunchy, shameless television that will do exactly what it set out to do: get people talking,” and the Mashable critic lex briscuso called it “a raucous, gripping ride”.
‘The Idol’ premieres Sunday, June 4 on HBO.
