2023-06-05 16:01:00
New series “The Idol” starts
Mit The Weeknd und Lily-Rose Depp
Lily-Rose Depp and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye star in “The Idol.”
© Warner/Home Box Office, Inc.
“The Idol” with musician The Weeknd has also started in Germany. Is the mixture of erotic thriller and show business satire worth it?
The new, dark, glossy show business series “The Idol” has started on the US streaming service Max. Music superstar Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye (33) and Johnny Depp’s (59) daughter Lily-Rose Depp (24) play the leading roles in the show by “Euphoria” series creator Sam Levinson (38). Musician The Weeknd is also responsible for the creative direction of the show as co-creator. In Germany, the six episodes of the first “The Idol” season appear on Sky and its streaming service Wow. New episodes are available every Monday – at the same time as they are broadcast in the USA.
That’s what “The Idol” is about
Pop star Jocelyn (Depp) has been on stage since she was eleven years old. After a private stroke of fate, the singer suffered a nervous breakdown and is now working on her comeback. A new single and stadium tour are planned. Jocelyn is preparing for this in her luxurious Los Angeles mansion. She rehearses her performances, tinkers with her music, and poses scantily clad for the cover of her new album—always flanked by a slew of executives, record label reps, and publicists.
At a lavish party in a nightclub, Jocelyn meets the seedy club manager Tedros (The Weeknd), who immediately casts a spell over the young woman. The two begin a toxic, mutually manipulative relationship. Tedros gradually meddles in Jocelyn’s professional life as well, and seems keen to take creative control of her career. Meanwhile, Jocelyn is doing everything she can to regain her rightful place on the pop Olympus.
The actors and their roles
“The Idol” marks the series acting debuts of co-stars Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp. While musician The Weeknd has been seen in a myriad of music videos, the 33-year-old now plays his first dramatic leading role in “The Idol.” Johnny Depp’s daughter Lily-Rose Depp, on the other hand, has been in front of the camera professionally for almost ten years, and played her first leading role in 2016 in Kevin Smith’s (52) horror comedy “Yoga Hosers”.
In addition to its two main actors, the new Max series offers a mixture of familiar faces and fresh young stars. For example, “Simpsons” legend Hank Azaria (59) plays Jocelyn’s manager Chaim, character actress Jane Adams (58) record label executive Nikki Katz and horror film director Eli Roth (51), who became particularly well-known through “Hostel” (2005), concert organizer Andrew Finkelstein.
Dan Levy (39), known from the sitcom “Schitt’s Creek”, also appears in front of the camera as Jocelyn’s publicist Benjamin, Rachel Sennott (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”, 27) as Jocelyn’s personal assistant Leia, ex-YouTuber Troye Sivan (28 ) as Jocelyn’s creative director Xander and K-pop star Jennie Kim (27) as Jocelyn’s backup dancer Dyanne.
Is “The Idol” worth it?
Series creator Sam Levinson seamlessly follows up on his previous hit production, Euphoria, with The Idol. Here as there, the plot revolves around lavish parties, sex and drugs. But unlike high school teenagers, “The Idol” focuses on a somber view of the music industry and the ubiquitous celebrity cult.
Pop star Jocelyn seems to have achieved everything before the start of the series. She is surrounded by a huge entourage of supposed helpers and supporters, but at times seems completely isolated. Because it remains open whether the people around her really care about her well-being or just want to benefit financially from her.
After the death of her mother, a career break and public humiliation, Jocelyn is particularly vulnerable to the highly manipulative self-help guru Tedros, who successfully intrudes into her life. The scenes in which Tedros gives the young pop star music and career advice are particularly convincing, as it seems as if superstar The Weeknd – who also wrote the scripts for the series – is sharing his own insights into the music business and star culture.
In addition, “The Idol” throws an unsparing look at the sometimes inhuman mechanisms of show business, behind which human abysses hide. Leading actress Lily-Rose Depp plays her role with full physical effort, which not all critics and viewers liked at the series premiere during the Cannes Film Festival. Series creator Levinson should already be familiar with this fact from his predecessor series “Euphoria”, which was awarded a total of nine Emmys.
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