“Pornhub Odyssey” or masterpiece? First reactions to the new series “The Idol” from the “Euphoria” creator

The HBO series “Euphoria” is all about drug-addicted young people who fall in and out of love and don’t really know what to do with their futures. What initially sounds quite banal is compelling and impressive, especially thanks to the magnificent cast (which includes Zendaya, Sidney Sweeney and Hunter Schafer). No wonder creator Sam Levinson has won countless awards with his series.

At the Cannes Film Festival, Levinson presented the first two episodes of his new series “the idol”, which will air on HBO on June 4, 2023 (and can also be found on Sky a day later in Germany). A lot has been reported in advance about the new production. However, that was not only because the “Euphoria” makers are behind “The Idol”, but mainly because of wild stories about the shooting that quickly circulated in Hollywood.

Director Amy Seimetz (“She Dies Tomorrow”) even left the project because she felt the series’ message had shifted too much towards “sexual torture porn”. And judging by the reactions of the Cannes audience to the first few episodes of the series, Torture Porn may not seem that far from the truth…

“Torture Porn”, “Trash” and Standing Ovations: That’s “The Idol”

“The Idol” is about singer Jocelyn (played by Lily-Rose Depp), who tries to return to her superstar status after a nervous breakdown, relying on numerous provocations to do so. The mysterious club owner Tedros (The Weeknd) wants to help her and also starts an affair with her. But Tedros is anything but sincere and honest and pursues his own goals…

A look at the first reactions via Twitter to the two episodes of “The Idol” quickly shows: the new HBO series will be discussed a lot! Because despite the solid five-minute standing ovation after the screening in the presence of creator Levinson and the two protagonists Depp and The Weeknd, not many journalists are initially positive about ‘The Idol’, at least on Twitter:

Ramin Setoodeh van Summarize the comments: “The comments range from ‘I hate it’ to ‘the TV version of clickbait’ to ‘I don’t want to see Lily-Rose Depp naked anymore'”. The trailer already shows that sex will play a major role in the series. So there certainly doesn’t seem to be a lack of nude scenes. Only not so many people in Cannes are enthusiastic about it…

“‘The Idol’ of 50 Shades of Tesfaye [der bürgerliche Nachname von The Weeknd]: A Pornhub odyssey starring Lily-Rose Depp’s areolas and The Weekend’s messy rat tail,” writes Kyle Buchanan of the and jokes that the new streaming platform Max should be advertised with this series of all things.

Eric Ohn has the “Euphoria” vibe found in “The Idol”, but thinks the series is more of a mix of “Black Swan”, “Success” and “Secretary” – which actually sounds pretty exciting. He is sure that “The Idol” will provide a lot of conversation.

Tatiana Siegel, also from is sure that “Euphoria” fans will get their money’s worth, but also notes that she hears statements like “I hate it”, “garbage”, “I’m disgusted” and “She’s better than me” in the audience thought” – which presumably refers to actress Depp – has heard.

But everyone agrees: “The Idol” will be a talking point. From June 5, 2023, viewers in Germany can then see for themselves on Sky how good or bad the new Levinson series is.