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HBO's new show, The Idol, starring Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye and Lily Rose Depp in major roles, has been subjected to mass trolling on the internet ever since its release. The show began airing on Sunday, June 4, and has released only two episodes so far. However, things aren't looking good for the series and there are still four episodes left to air.
Episode 2, which was titled Double Fantasy and was released on June 11, saw an astronomical dip in viewership. According to Variety, while 913,000 viewers tuned in to watch the pilot episode, only 800,000 people watched episode 2. The viewership went down by almost 12% and this could mean that there is a huge chance of The Idol getting canceled.
The Idol on HBO: Netizens mercilessly troll dip in viewership, write "had no plans to watch more" on Twitter
A story by Variety said that Nielsen’s measurements indicated that episode 1 of The Idol was watched by 232,000 people on cable TV while 681,000 people streamed it on Max. Episode 2's cable viewership dropped to 119,000 viewers, but details of streaming viewership on Max haven't been revealed yet. However, even if the number remains at 681,000, it still means that there's a huge drop in total viewership.
However, the good news is that due to the delayed viewing of episode 1 on Max, its viewership has reached 3.6 million after a week, exceeding the viewership of hit HBO shows like The White Lotus and Euphoria.
However, fans were ruthless in calling out the show on Twitter. This is how they reacted to the viewership numbers of The Idol's episode 2 under a post shared by Discussing Film:
Fans on Twitter certainly didn't hold back and they were downright shocked by the product HBO had created. Some fans thought that even with a dip in viewership numbers, episode 2 still managed to get enough attention. They truly believed that nobody should watch the show, wanting it to desperately flop.
Many even wondered how HBO went from shows like The Last of Us and Succession to something like this. Show leads The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp have also been subjected to criticism for their cringe-worthy performances.
The Idol's synopsis
The official synopsis of the show reads as:
"After a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) last tour, she’s determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America.
It further continues:
Her passions are reignited by Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), a nightclub impresario with a sordid past. Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?"
Executive producers of the show include Sam Levinson, The Weeknd himself, Reza Fahim, Kevin Turen, and several others.
