Whether you love it or hate it, odds are that you’re watching HBO’s new series with The Weeknd, “The Idol.” If you’re not, there’s still plenty of time to join the 3.6 million viewers that streamed the series’ premiere episode in its first week on their service. According to HBO, this represents one of the biggest-ever streaming debuts (and viewership debuts, for that matter) in the network’s history within that timeframe. To put things in perspective, “The White Lotus” premiered in 2021 with 3 million viewers in its first week, whereas “Euphoria” (also helmed by Sam Levinson) nabbed 3.3 million in 2019.
The second episode of “The Idol” is already out, and it’s caused no shortage of shocked, outraged, or entranced reactions online. While the show seems to have one foot in controversy and another in critique, it’s definitely caused a stir online that reflects in its commercial success. At least some credit has to go to the show’s cast and crew for that very reason, as it’s always possible that it will age like fine wine for its detractors. With two-thirds of the season to go, it’s still quite early to say whether numbers will keep rising by the finale or dip out eventually.
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“The Idol” Nabs Big Numbers For Its Premiere
Regardless, if you don’t like “The Idol,” The Weeknd is at least releasing a lot of new music- each week, in fact– to accompany it. As such, Abel die-hards can turn to tracks like “Family” and “Popular” to get a taste of the HBO series if they don’t want to see its lewd and provocative subject matter. What’s more is that the show might just open up more avenues for the Canadian superstar external to the show’s success. Recently, he expressed interest in writing and co-producing an album for Madonna after their collaboration for the series’ soundtrack.
Meanwhile, Twitter continues to dish out its hot takes surrounding the show, whether for its story, acting, or otherwise. Social media conversation has been integral to the show’s critical reception thus far, especially considering The Weeknd’s built-in fanbase, fans of “Euphoria,” and the 3.6 million views it got in its first week. It’s a lot of pressure and even more division, but maybe that’s exactly what a show like this aimed for. For the latest news, updates, and recaps concerning HBO’s “The Idol,” stick around on HNHH.
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