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'A Pornhub-homepage odyssey': HBO's 'The Idol' draws eyebrow-raising reactions at Cannes

'The Idol' was heavily criticized after its premiere in Cannes, with some calling the show 'regressive'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The world of television is very peculiar and there are shows that get tons of publicity without doing anything at all. This is simply because they are so controversial and people react to them as soon as they hear something about them. One such title is 'The Idol,' an upcoming HBO series that focuses mainly on young pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and her tumultuous life. The series also stars Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, who plays a pivotal role in the pop star's life. However, as soon as the first look at the series was released, viewers realized that Sam Levinson's series will be met with a lot of backlash from both critics and audiences when it comes out and that's exactly what happened at the Cannes Film Festival, where the first two episodes of the series were screened for members of the industry.

The entire cast of 'The Idol' was present at the premiere, striding down the red carpet in their extraordinary gowns and suits. All eyes were on Levinson, however, as everyone wanted to know if this show was as controversial as they expected it to be. They got their answers when the Cannes screening ended and the first wave of reactions surfaced on various social media platforms.

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Critics dub the series 'a Pornhub-homepage odyssey'

As expected, the reactions are extreme and some even went on to call it “regressive.”

The Hollywood Reporter called the HBO series “more regressive than transgressive” and “predictable.” The review added, “Rarely does a scene go by without the camera showing flashes of her breasts or ass. You start to wonder if this is building to anything, and by episode two it seems likely that it’s probably not.”

On the other hand, Eric Kohn, the executive editor at IndieWire, noted that viewers should prepare themselves for hearing extreme things about the shows. He wrote, “Yeah, THE IDOL has the EUPHORIA vibes you might expect but it’s really more like somebody put BLACK SWAN, SUCCESSION, and SECRETARY in a blender and let it rip. Prepare yourself for quite the discourse.”

When social media users asked if the show was as good as the above-mentioned titles, Kohn replied, “By the way, this doesn’t put it on the level of any of those!”

Kyle Buchanan of ‘The New York Times’ dubbed the series “50 Shades of Tesfaye: A Pornhub-homepage odyssey.” Meanwhile, Variety’s Ramin Setoodeh noted that the first two episodes garnered “strong reactions,” ranging from “I hated it” to “the TV version of clickbait.”

'The Idol' receives standing ovation at Cannes

Despite such reactions, Levinson and the entire cast of the series received a 5-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.

The early reactions to 'The Idol' coming out of Cannes shouldn't be surprising, considering all that has been said about the creator, Sam Levinson, and the show. It was reported that the series was frequently rewritten and had a poor working environment. The original director, Amy Seimetz, left the series in the middle of production and was replaced by Levinson. Let's see how viewers react to the series when it arrives at HBO.

‘The Idol’ will premiere exclusively on HBO on Sunday, June 4, at 9 pm EST.

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