It's one of the most anticipated series of 2023 - and the public finally got a glimpse of HBO's new series 'The Idol' last night.
The show is about a troubled pop star (Lily-Rose Depp) who is particularly vulnerable after the death of her mother, and is seduced by the charismatic leader of a cult (Abel Tesfaye - who has announced he is retiring his persona as The Weeknd.)
The show - which was co-created by Tesfaye and Sam Levinson, the man behind 'Euphoria' - had already generated controversy while it was being made, with reports in Rolling Stone suggesting that there was turmoil on set, with last-minute revisions, a chaotic working environment and budget issues causing problems - although this has been roundly denied by its creators. The rumoured sexually explicit content, meanwhile, has also raised eyebrows with some, with one source dubbing it 'torture porn'.
However, the first two episodes of the show debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last night and while it received a 5-minute standing ovation for Levinson and its stars, the first critical reactions are in - and it's fair to say they're pretty. mixed...
