HBO's new show The Idol has been littered with controversy since its Cannes Film Festival premiere in May and has received an unfortunate update for its future. The Sam Levinson-created and Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd-led series will not be returning for a second season.

Page Six reports that The Idol will not be returning for a second season. Granted, Page Six's report adds a quote from a source who claimed that the series was never intended to be a “long-running show” and was always meant to be a limited series.

The Idol tells the story of an aspiring pop star, Jocelyn (Depp), and her relationship with Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye). Tedros is a self-help guru and the leader of a cult.

Plenty has been made of the sex scenes in the series, yet the viewership numbers have probably kept Warner Bros. and HBO happy. The premiere episode garnered 913,000 total viewers. The second episode dipped to about 800,000 viewers, but the series is still outpacing the likes of The White Lotus and Euphoria with its total average episodic audience. Sometimes any press is good press — even if it's overwhelmingly negative.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Galactus with an arrow pointing at Jeff Van Gundy with Marvel Studios Fantastic Four: First Steps logo behind them.
Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Galactus first look gets wild Jeff Van Gundy comparison
Bob Dylan, whose voice has sounded great at the 2025 Outlaw Festival, performing at the Grammys in 2002.
Bob Dylan goes viral for revamped voice at Outlaw Festival
Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise, who talked about his desire to retire, meeting fans at the Olympics.
Tom Cruise makes bold retirement declaration

Sam Levinson, who created the hit series Euphoria, also co-created The Idol with The Weeknd, and Reza Fahim. Levinson also directed all five episodes of the series. While The Weeknd is primarily known for his musical work, he had a part in the Safdie brothers' Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler in 2019 as a younger version of himself. The Idol gives him his first chance to lead a project. Lily-Rose Depp has been in a variety of projects — her latest film role being in Wolf with 1917 star George MacKay — and she will soon be seen in Robert Eggers' Nosferatu remake.

Episode 3 of The Idol will premiere on June 18.