It was originally reported that the series would be six episodes long, but it has now been announced that it will be just five episodes. According to TVLine, who broke the news, the series will actually end with episode five.
The show has received mixed reviews from fans and critics since its launch. The Standard’s reviewer, Jo-Ann Titmarsh, called the depiction of women “extremely troubling” with Lily-Rose Depp spending “most of her time semi-naked or performing sex acts. She has no real agency”.
One fan said on Twitter: “The idol is neither pornographic nor subversive it’s just bad, sometimes things are just poorly made and should be criticized for being so.”
There were already whispers about the series’ possible cancellation before it was released, but HBO has since pushed back. On June 15, they said it had been “misreported” that a second series was or was not in the works.
The controversial series follows aspiring pop star Depp, as she falls under the spell of a club promoter played by The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye), a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult.
Why is the Idol ending an episode early?
TVLine reported that the show’s finale, titled Jocelyn Forever, is set to air this Sunday.
HBO’s reps declined to comment on why, but a source told the publication, “The season ended up being five episodes when it was all said and done after Sam [Levinson] took over and made significant changes. The story only ended up requiring 5.”
The New York Post had also reported on the series being cut short and quoted an inside source who said: “This was never meant to be a long-running show, it was always… a limited series.”
Rumours of the series’ cancellation were in the mix before it released. However, HBO has since pushed back.
Earlier this month, HBO tweeted the denial stating, “It is being misreported that a decision on a second season of The Idol has been determined. It has not, and we look forward to sharing the next episode with you Sunday night.”
As of the tweet, a second season has not been confirmed.
