HBO’s controversial series “The Idol” premiered Sunday night to 913,000 total viewers across Max and linear HBO telecasts, according to the network.
That’s not bad and on par with last year’s “Winning Time”, which pulled in a similar 901,000 viewers for its first episode ahead of going up to an average of 6 million viewers per episode.
The series, which stars Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd) and Lily-Rose Depp, didn’t quite match the premiere viewership for co-creator Sam Levinson’s other HBO hit “Euphoria” which scored 1.1 million viewers on its premiere night in 2019. It ended up with an episodic average audience of 6.6 million.
What the show needs to see here is growth which can happen. “The White Lotus” premiered to 944,000 total viewers, but as subsequent episodes aired, it grew to an episodic average audience of 9.3 million. “The Last of Us” debuted to 4.7 million total viewers and grew to an episodic average audience of around 30 million.
Thus all eyes turn towards how subsequent weeks will perform. The show consists of six episodes, so its overall fortunes will be known by early next month.
“The Idol” focuses on Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), an aspiring pop idol who, after having a nervous breakdown that causes her last tour to be cancelled, resolves to reclaim her title as the sexiest pop star in America.
She soon begins a complex relationship with Tedros (Abel Tesfaye), a self-help guru and the head of a contemporary cult.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series sits at a dismal 27% with critics and a not much better 63% with audiences.
“The Idol” will continue airing Sundays through July 9th.
Source: Deadline
