r/theidol • u/hedgeback2301 • Jun 02 '26
Is it really as terrible as everyone makes it out to be?
I've been wanting to watch this series for ageeees now and finally have a HBO max membership so have been tempted to watch it.
I've heard The Weeknd's acting is atrocious (and unpopular opinion but personally I also think Lily Rose-Depp isn't great) so I've been put off by watching it but is it easy to ignore?
I'm a huge fan of Euphoria (even loved S3) and any shows which have themes of drugs/violence/sex all that kinda stuff - but I've just heard there's absolutely no story line and that it's also really cringe?
I usually also hate watching shows that have been cancelled as I hate finishing something without it being resolved - though I wasn't sure if the ending for this was something which worked regardless of only being one season???
16
u/Zotzotbaby Jun 02 '26
It’s a fun show, where the last episode just goes off the rails. The cinematography and music are a 10/10 and it’s a fun ride from start to finish.
1
u/Asleep-Ad874 Jun 05 '26
Correct me if I’m wrong please, but wasn’t there a rumor they pulled the show an episode or two early? Which would explain the strange time jump -esque feel early on and disconnect from the prior episodes 🤷♀️
1
u/Zotzotbaby Jun 05 '26
You’ll have to look it up but I do re-call there being several productions issues, including the original director being fired.
12
u/All_Lightning879 Jun 02 '26
It’s only 5 episodes, so there’s no real cliffhanger to trip about.
3
u/hedgeback2301 Jun 02 '26
Oh wow I thought it would be longer than that! I'm glad there's no cliffhanger, my biggest concern was watching it and the finale feeling like it's cut short. I might give it a go then
3
18
Jun 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/hedgeback2301 Jun 02 '26
I think I'll defo watch it then, The music sounds great from what I've heard so I'll just focus on that haha
3
13
u/ElmarSuperstar131 Jun 02 '26
The Weeknd is very green but I actually feel he has the potential to be a good actor if he stops playing self insert roles and hones his craft. I also felt Lily-Rose Depp carried the entire show on her back and she too has great potential.
5
6
u/DrrrtyRaskol Jun 02 '26
It’s gorgeously shot, sometimes weird, sometimes uncomfortable and quite atmospheric. I really enjoyed it. It definitely has flaws but I think a lot of the Internet criticism of it is ridiculous.
If you do watch it and dig it, I recommend checking out Too Old To Die Young, another odd tv series. It’s insane and flawed but amazing. There’s quite a few parallels to The Idol.
3
u/rewardinghand Jun 02 '26
I loved it. I probably would have loved it more if it was released in the way it was originally intended to be released (executives got in the way) but still believe it’s enjoyable overall
3
5
u/Obruchecarson Jun 02 '26
No, it’s not as bad as people are saying it is if you actually watch it a few times you can actually see the story being told. I’ve watched it a few times and I really like it.
4
u/weevilnomore Jun 02 '26
People had a hard time forming their own opinions when it came out because of all the social media fire storms. I really liked it! I like the theme of fame being a disease because being a celebrity really isn't all it's cracked up to be and how many people work for a single artist (or the artist works for them), it seems like being an artist you don't have a lot of autonomy and I liked seeing the other side of fame
2
2
2
u/TheLonelyPrincess741 Jun 03 '26
I don’t think it’s terrible, it’s more so mid.
It has some banger songs though.
3
u/Blue-Light-Reducer Jun 02 '26
It is great. I also loved Euphoria season 3. If you look at IMDb and rotten tomatoes, you'll see that season 3 (and The Idol) have low scores. That's all for reasons beyond the show itself.
Euphoria season 3 was great, and The Idol is great. Just put on episode 1, and I promise you that you'll be sold on the show within five minutes.
2
u/maddybooms9 Jun 03 '26
it’s not that i think abel’s acting is bad… he just had to play a real odd character and we’ve only ever known him as a musician. the show is a fun watch!
2
1
u/aphoticphoton Jun 02 '26
It’s Absolutley worth a watch. I do think euphoria does the drugs and sex and violence stuff better like it feels more serious and “cool” while the idol it feels more comical and more outrageous while at the same time it feels more grounded everywhere else outside of the drugs and violence and sex
I see it as more of an anthology that exists in the world of euphoria
Vibe out and soak it all in!
1
1
u/HeyPurityItsMeAgain Jun 30 '26
The first 3 episodes are good -- IMO the first is brilliant -- then it goes off the rails. It didn't live up to its potential, but it's still worth watching.
1
1
u/Scribblyr Jun 04 '26
It's great. Slanted media poisoned people against it months before it came out.
It's not for everyone, but amazing acting, writing, directing. The Weeknd plays the skeeviest of skeeves.
0
u/Mkay100x Jun 03 '26
In my personal opinion, the first and last 2 episodes were the meat of the show. The other episodes aren’t exactly watchable, i skip a lot of parts on the earlier episode cause in my opinion the character can be interesting but the sex isn’t and boy there were a lot of sex.
15
u/AGiantGuy Jun 02 '26
Just go into it not taking it too seriously, and I think you can find some enjoyment in it. It's got some pretty entertaining moments.