HBO’s show “The Idol” has been cancelled after heavy viewer criticism after the first season was released earlier this year. The controversial series which was directed by “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson and starred Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, and Lily-Rose Depp, will not be returning for a second season. An HBO spokesperson released a statement about the cancellation of the series saying, “The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response. After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers have decided not to move forward with a second season. We’re grateful to the creators, cast, and crew for their incredible work.” According to Deadline, the cancellation did not come as a huge surprise. “It also came after extensive reshoots following the departure of director Amy Seimetz, as revealed by Deadline in April 2022, and a reduced order, taking its total number of episodes to five,” wrote Deadline.

The show received an immense amount of criticism surrounding the overtly explicit sex scenes and mass amounts of nudity in the series. Co-creator and director, Sam Levinson, has recently been under fire after any viewers have similar criticisms towards his show “Euphoria.” Levinson defended the series while at the Cannes Film Festival by saying, “It’s funny, I think that sometimes things that might be revolutionary are taken too far. I think we live in a very sexualized world.” Depp, who plays the main character, also defended the series by saying,  “I think that something about Jocelyn is just that she’s a born and bred performer. I think that extends to every aspect of her life, not just her professional life.” She continued “I think that the way that she dresses, for example, is her trying to tell you something all the time or say something to the people that she’s around or express herself in some kind of way. And I also think that the occasional bareness of the character physically mirrors the bareness that we get to see emotionally in her.”