The Idol review: HBO’s inept satire of the music industry 

Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd star in a ‘risible, cliché-riddled’ dud

Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd in The Idol
Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd in The Idol
(Image credit: HBO)
The Idol | Official Trailer | HBO - YouTube The Idol | Official Trailer | HBO - YouTube
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I’m a fan of Sam Levinson’s series “Euphoria”, said Barbara Ellen in The Observer. It’s made for teenagers, but it has decent storylines and solid characters. Now, Levinson has co-created a six-part series for HBO (available to watch on Now) – and alas, it’s a “risible, cliché-riddled” dud. Lily-Rose Depp stars as Jocelyn, a pop singer who we meet “undulating sexily” at the shoot for her comeback single. Soon, the “central-casting evil music execs” who manage her are wondering how to respond to a photo that has leaked online, showing her with semen on her face. Then a club owner (played by the Canadian singer The Weeknd) turns up, brandishing cocaine. The series clearly aspires to be shocking, but its best hope is that it gets “so-bad-it’s-good” status.

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