After countless controversies ahead of its premiere, Idol is finally on our screens – and viewers have taken to Twitter to discuss the new Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd-starring TV series.
Directed by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, the story follows pop star Jocelyn as she seeks to regain her stardom after suffering a nervous breakdown. Discussing the episode, one person wrote: “Idol is at the same time a terrible self-mockery, an art project that brags about and grotesquely exploits its subject matter. Sam’s lines. Levinson’s as natural as a piece of chicken. The performance of The Weekend was terrible. It felt like a show made by people from the CIS- and because it was.”
WATCH: Lily Rose Depp and The Weeknd Star in Idols
Another added: “Just watched #TheIdol and Jesus Christ, it’s like a big budget college movie. Sam Levinson is trying to be deep but his writing is weird. Also, the character of The Weeknd is [expletive] scary as [expletive] and make me really hate Weeknd.”
© HBO Pop superstar Jocelyn meets nightclub owner Tedros
A third added: “HBO running from White Lotus to The Last of Us to the final season of Barry/Succession and moving into ‘The Idol’ right after is probably the worst cut I’ve ever seen.” However, others liked it, with one writing: “All the people who hated Idol before it came out were very upset by the way the first episode was really good”, while another joked. : “I’ve been waiting for #THEIDOL to be the most disgusting TV show ever and it’s just a long music video.”
© HBOLily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn in Idol
So what is the show about? The official synopsis reads: “After a nervous breakdown marred Jocelyn’s latest tour, she is determined to assert her status as the biggest and sexiest pop star in America. Passion. Her fascination is sparked by Tedros, a nightclub executive with a seedful past.Will her romantic awakening lead to new glorious heights or to the deepest and darkest places most in her soul?”
© HBOTHE IDOL, set in the music industry, revolves around a self-made guru and contemporary cult leader who develops a complicated relationship with a rising pop idol.
The film was beset by controversy due to behind-the-scenes drama, where original director Amy Seimetz was replaced by Sam, who re-shot main parts. According to IndieWire, sources claim that the show’s boss wanted the show to go in a different direction and that it “relyed too heavily on women’s perspectives”, leading to the show being remade. The series was also attacked by some critics, calling it gratuitous.
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Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, Sam spoke of The Rolling Stone’s report on the behind-the-scenes film, saying, “We know we’re doing a provocative show. We’re not losing interest, but it’s going to happen. Because when my wife read the article, I said to her, ‘I think we’re going to have the biggest show of the summer.’ In terms of the specificity of what’s in it, it feels completely foreign. But I know who I am.”
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Categories: Entertaintment
Source: HIS Education