**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**
“Look at what she’s overcome…”
The Idol premiered on June 4th 2023 on HBO and Max with its first episode. There will be five episodes in total that will air weekly. The drama series stars Lily-Rose Depp, The Weeknd, and Rachel Sennott. Each episode runs for approximately 58-60 minutes.
After recovering from a nervous breakdown, a pop star named Jocelyn tries to get her career back on track when she begins a relationship with a contemporary cult leader named Tedros.
Here is the trailer:
The Idol has already stirred up a lot of controversy even before the premiere aired due to its sexually explicit and vulgar content, but is this show worth watching? Let’s find out…
The Pros:
Lily-Rose Depp steps into the role flawlessly.
She oozes style, perfection, and sex appeal and truly embraces this role. I’d love to see some more character layers and I’m hopeful that we will get there, but when you think about a pop star like Britney Spears (I assume that’s what they are going for), Lily-Rose Depp is checking off all the necessary boxes and then some.
She has been commanding the screen with her electric presence.
There are a lot of characters in this one so it’s hard to see who else could steal the show, but so far I am also loving Rachel Sennott (Bodies Bodies Bodies) and I think she could be a real contender if she gets enough screen time.
Something to talk about…
There has been a lot of controversy along with many negative reviews about this show even before it aired. Let’s be honest, that gives people something to talk about and the show is pushing enough envelopes to strike up a conversation with its audience. Whether it’s love or hate, this show will definitely be a topic of discussion for weeks to come.
On another note, I like the music so far and I also think that the series is shot in a stylish way. It needs a lot more than that to keep me coming back for more, but it has some potential. It actually started off pretty strong, but it did go off course as the episode continued…
I’d personally like to see the series focus more on Jocelyn and her rise to fame, but it looks like we are heading in a totally different direction.
The Cons:
Contrived and vulgar…
The dialogue is atrocious and so crude. It feels forced and very unrealistic. This series is clearly trying to make a statement and be outrageous with its sexual content, but a lot of it is not coming off in an organic way, which makes it simply feel silly and shallow.
I also think that the series is focusing on the wrong things and it thinks it is edgier than it actually is. The premiere episode dragged for a while and if things don’t pick up soon, a lot of people will probably tune out.
So am I in or out?
I’m 50/50 on this one…
This series is not as bad as critics are saying and it does have some glimmers of potential, but a lot more needs to happen to keep me tuning in each week.
I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Idol in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
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