Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn and Abel Tesfaye as Tedros. | Warner Bros. Discovery
The Idol co-creators Sam Levinson and The Weeknd have spent the past few months insisting that their upcoming Max series is really a provocative piece of heightened commentary about the perils of fame rather than the self-indulgent piece of “torture porn” it’s been accused of being. The Idol’s latest trailer makes it seem like it might be a little from column A and quite a bit more from column B — all the while trying very hard to show you how willing it is to “go there.”
Sex is an important part of the twisted power dynamic that exists between The Idol’s spiraling superstar Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), and Tedros (Abel Tesfaye), the manipulative, new age cult leader who comes into her life after she has a very public mental breakdown….
