The Idol Trivia | 60 facts about the controversial series

“The Idol” is the new HBO series created by Sam Levinson, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, and Reza Fahim.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the new series.

1. The Idol is an American drama television series
2. It is created by Sam Levinson, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, and Reza Fahim
3. The series focuses on an aspiring pop idol (Lily-Rose Depp) and her complex relationship with a self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (Tesfaye)
4. Appearing in supporting roles are Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney, Jane Adams, Dan Levy, Jennie Ruby Jane, Eli Roth, Rachel Sennott, Hari Nef, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Mike Dean, Ramsey, and Hank Azaria
5. The series also marks the final television appearance of Anne Heche
6. Heche died on August 11, 2022
7. The Idol’s first two episodes premiered on May 22, 2023, at the 76th Cannes Film Festival
8. There it received highly unfavorable reviews by critics for its graphic sexual content and themes
9. It began airing on HBO on June 4, 2023
10. The Idol focuses on Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), an aspiring pop idol who, after having a nervous breakdown that causes her last tour to be canceled, resolves to reclaim her title as the sexiest pop star in America
11. She begins a complex relationship with Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), a self-help guru and the head of a contemporary cult
12. On June 29, 2021, the Weeknd announced that he would be creating, executive producing and co-writing a drama series for HBO alongside Reza Fahim and Sam Levinson
13. On the same day, Ashley Levinson and Joseph Epstein were announced as executive producers for the series
14. With Epstein also serving as a writer and the series’ showrunner
15. Mary Laws was also announced as a writer and will serve as a co-executive producer
16. Alongside Tesfaye’s co-manager Wassim Slaiby and his creative director La Mar Taylor
17. Amy Seimetz was signed on as the director and as an executive producer
18. On November 22, HBO gave the production a series order for a first season consisting of six episodes
19. On January 14, 2022, Deadline Hollywood reported that Nick Hall had joined the production as an executive producer
20. Following his move to A24 to oversee creative for the company’s television slate
21. In the initial announcement, Tesfaye revealed that he would be starring in the series.[24] On September 29, 2021, it was reported that Lily-Rose Depp had signed on to play the female lead opposite Tesfaye
22. On November 22, Suzanna Son, Steve Zissis, and Troye Sivan joined the main cast, while Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley, Nico Hiraga and Anne Heche were announced as recurring characters
23. On December 2, Juliebeth Gonzalez joined the cast as a series regular, while Maya Eshet, Tyson Ritter, Kate Lyn Sheil, Liz Caribel Sierra and Finley Rose Slater were cast in recurring roles
24. On April 25, 2022, Variety reported that the show was set to undergo a major overhaul, with “drastic” changes in the cast and creative directions
25. On April 27, Deadline Hollywood reported that Son, Zissis and Gonzalez were not expected to return
26. In July, actors Rachel Sennott and Hari Nef, along with Jennie Ruby Jane joined the cast
27. Moses Sumney, Jane Adams, Dan Levy, Eli Roth, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Mike Dean, Ramsey, and Hank Azaria were confirmed as cast members on August 21 in the second teaser trailer
28. On March 1, 2023, Rolling Stone reported that Son and Sivan remained in the cast despite the overhaul
29. Principal photography began in November 2021 in and around Los Angeles, California
30. Production was temporarily paused in April 2022 due to Tesfaye co-headlining the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with Swedish House Mafia on short notice
31. On April 25, Variety reported that Seimetz had left the project amid its creative overhaul, with roughly 80% of the series already filmed
32. HBO released a statement following Seimetz’s exit, saying: “The Idol’s creative team continues to build, refine, and evolve their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction. The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series. We look forward to sharing more information soon”
33. Levinson reportedly took over Seimetz’s directing duties
34. According to IndieWire and other sources, Tesfaye wanted to tone down the “cult” aspect of the story, and felt concerned that the show was “leaning too much into a female perspective”
35. Levinson embarked on a reshoot and rewrite of the series
36. Scrapping Seimetz’s approach to the story – a troubled starlet falling victim to a predatory industry figure and fighting to reclaim her own agency – to instead depict a love story, with a heavier emphasis on sexual content and nudity
37. Production resumed in late May 2022
38. It was paused again in early July, just as Tesfaye began embarking on his After Hours til Dawn Tour
39. Scenes from The Idol were filmed in September at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California during Tesfaye’s tour
40. Audience members were notified of the filming before the concert commenced
41. The series’ soundtrack, The Idol Vol. 1, is set to be released on June 30
42. The soundtrack will include songs created by the Weeknd himself and supporting cast member Mike Dean, among others
43. “Double Fantasy” (featuring Future) was released as the lead single from the soundtrack on April 21, 2023
44. “Popular”, a collaboration with Playboi Carti and Madonna, was released as the second single from the soundtrack on June 2, 2023
45. The Idol premiered out-of-competition at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2023
46. There the series received a five-minute standing ovation following the screening of its first two episodes
47. This is also where Sam Levinson announced that the show was taking place in the same universe as his other HBO series, Euphoria
48. It marks the fifth television series to be screened at the festival after Carlos, Too Old to Die Young, Twin Peaks, and Irma Vep
49. The series began airing on HBO and Max on June 4, 2023
50. The Idol received generally negative reviews from critics
51. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a rating of 26%
52. Based on 38 critic reviews
53. With an average rating of 4.4/10
54. The site’s consensus reads: “Every bit as florid and sleazy as the industry it seeks to satirize, The Idol places itself on a pedestal with unbridled style but wilts under the spotlight”
55. On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average, the series holds a score of 29 out of 100
56. Based on 19 reviews
57. Indicating “generally unfavorable reviews”
58. The premiere drew 913,000 viewers across HBO (for the premiere and three replays) and Max on Sunday
59. This marks a sizable step down from the first-night numbers for the final season of Succession
60. It’s about level with a handful of other recent HBO drama debuts including Winning Time (901,000 viewers) and season one of The White Lotus (944,000)