Usually, anythinglinked to A24and most of HBO’s TV series has been receiving raved reviews and have gone to the extent of securing a large portion of Emmys. Unfortunately,The Idolcould not meet these high standards and ended up receiving so many negative criticisms that it received some “worst” titles including being called “TheWorst Reviewed Show in HBO History, By Far” by Forbes. The question is, how did it end up in such a situation? After all, Sam Levinson’s, one of the creators,Euphorianot only received great feedback but also locked up a Golden Globe Award and 9 Emmy Awards.
This article is all about unpacking the reasoning behindThe Idol’s negative criticisms. After all, it has been a trending topic for quite some time. With thesecond season being confirmed, it might be interesting to see what went “wrong”.
Toxic, Even for The Viewer
One big word that has been linked toThe Idolis “toxic”. Let’s begin with the toxic influence on the viewers. Yes,The Idolis no easy watch, but there have been many other shows and films that have approached brutal topics like addiction, mental illnesses, and the corruption of certain industries while ensuring that it doesn’t leave the viewers confused and with a negative impact.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said aboutThe Idol. The show becomes toxic to the viewer simply because it ends up glamorizing certain negative topics. By doing so, the viewers might end up developing a completely wrong impression of these topics.
Related:Is The Idol Season 2 Really Necessary?
Lack of Plot
Sometimes, it feels as ifThe Idolwas too focused on the cinematography, the whole glamour and the idea of “sex sells” that it failed to flesh out the plot. It is hard to ignore that the show has had a good storyline that attempts to bring out how toxic, corrupt, and harsh the entertainment industry is. However, this idea gets lost in the hyper-focus of elements like Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) being somewhat of a sex symbol.
Lack of Character Depth
As the show progresses, it hints at Jocelyn’s painful past, where her mother has taken an extremely abusive and toxic approach in forcing her to stardom. Moreover, the show also hints that both Xander (Troye Sivan) and Leia (Rachel Sennott) have a deep connection to Jocelyn and her past. None of these are revealed. This has ultimately madethe characterscome off as on-the-surface cardboard cutouts with no nuanced story.
Hopefully, the upcoming season would reveal these characters' psychological side and their backstories, in turn, giving them more substance and a proper storyline.
Hyper Sexualization
Another issue that many have been pointing out is thatThe Idolseems to be unnecessarily focusing on the sexual aspect of the series. Unlike,Euphoria, which also comeswith a lot of explicit content, this series seems to have been made to appeal to the male gaze, with some even comparing it to “torture porn”. Tedros (Abel Tesfaye) relationship with Jocelyn is very uncomfortable simply because of the way in which he violates her in front of everyone.
AsMiyashita points out, it is tiring to see “men creating unrealistic female characters on TV”.
Glamorization of Abuse
In a way,The Idolmakes a strong comment on how the entertainment industry glamorizes abuse. At the same time, the show seems to have fallen into its own trap, as its extreme attention to these abusive scenes fails to create the argument of how problematic the glamorizing of abuse is. Instead, it ends up using it as a “form of inspiration” for Jocelyn’s music, in turn, suggesting that abuse is necessary to create some brilliant pieces. This is a baffling stance since it has the ability to perpetuate abuse.
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The Production/Producers Issue
Even before its release,The Idolfaced a lot of criticism and complaints. There was news about the storyline being rewritten, theproduction team not being happywith what the end product was, and many complaining that what they ended up making was completely different from what they signed up for. Such issues can be seen as the first signs of the show’s unfortunate negative reactions.
In fact, the foundation of any creation is important and when the team behind the creation is not happy with where it is going, it has the ability to be reflected through the final product and that is what happened withThe Idol.
Behind-the-Scenes Toxicity
Another issue, which is also connected to the previous issue, is the ongoing ofwhat happens behind closed doors. According to aRolling Stonereleased a report on the toxicity of the working environment. Now, these accusations have been denied by HBO and the main stars of the show, but it is hard to ignore certain allegations when a whole team comes up with them.
The main reason behind these issues has been thereplacement of Amy Seimetzby Levinson. Regardless of whether these are true or not, the fact that these exist hints at the possibility of creative clashes, which might have impacted the lack of plot mixed with the hyper-focus on sexual elements of the series.
Stereotypical Characters
Even though the show tried to make a unique character through Jocelyn, she became yet another portrayal of a female celebrity who is being used by the corrupt and money-minded people of the industry. Perhaps, more emphasis on her background and her psychological status might have allowed her to bring out her own story.
At the same time, the other characters like Tedros; a toxic con artist, Leia; the ignored best friend, and even, Xander; the friend with a secret grudge against the protagonist, all seemed to be people that we have already seen before.
Misogynistic and Sexist
For a second, characters like Chaim (Hank Azaria) might have hinted out that they are trying their best to protect Jocelyn. But, at the end of the day, Jocelyn has become a victim of a patriarchal society. From Tedros’s lack of respect towards anyone around him, to everyone trying to emphasize on Jocelyn’s sex appeal, made it seem as if she had lost her independence to create her own creations without the so-called support of these people.
Fails to Actually Portray the Message Intended
Perhaps the biggest issue that broughtThe Idolso many negative criticisms is that the show seemed to have gotten lost in portraying the message it wanted to portray. Of course, the show seems to have had a clear theme of needing to expose the toxicity, the corruption, and how parasitic the entertainment industry can be.
It also attempts to focus on how child stars have gone through so much trauma, and how what sells today is this trauma and the sexual appeal of the icons. Unfortunately, it is not emphasized as it should have been and thus, the message seems to have gotten lost amongst the series.
