‘The Idol’ Trailer Teases a Spectacle of Fame and Trauma!! Check It Out!!

We’re now less than one week away from the answer we’ve all been waiting for — will Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Sam Levinson, and Reza Fahim hit a high note with their new HBO series, The Idol, or will it instead fall flat among an already divided viewership? The marketing team has been busy pushing image after image, along with a plethora of teasers and trailers, and today, we have the show’s official trailer, presumably giving us our final look at what’s to come when the entertainment industry shows its dark and seedy underbelly with The Idol’s arrival on June 4 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT with streaming available on Max.

The trailer opens on a rags-to-riches American dream as we meet our two leading characters — Tedros (Tesfaye) and Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp). For Jocelyn, all her dreams are about to come true as the burgeoning pop musician has just struck up a friendship with Tedros who promises to carry her to the packed-out stages of stadiums and beyond. As the booze flows, we see Tedros controlling Jocelyn’s every move, quickly leading the pair into a toxic relationship driven by greed and lust. While the teaser was filled with risque moments, it wasn’t nearly as pearl-clutching as the wave of negative reviews coming from its time at Cannes.

Along with Depp and Tesfaye, the series also stars Troye Sivan, Dan Levy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Hank Azaria, Suzanna Son, Eli Roth, Jane Adams, Jennie Ruby Jane, Hari Nef, Mike Dean, Rachel Sennott, Ramsey, and Moses Sumney. Co-created by Euphoria’s Levinson, it should come as a surprise to no one that The Idol will be packed with the sexualization of — particularly — women and younger people with the age gap between the leading man and woman totalling almost ten years.

What Are People Saying About The Idol?

In the mindset of no press is bad press, The Idol has it set. From an overhaul last year that saw not only several cast members replaced but also the original director, Amy Seimetz stepping down following creative differences, the series has been making headlines. The creative team even found themselves in Rolling Stone after accusations of a toxic work environment came out, something that Tesfaye and the others at the top have strongly denied. Celebrating its grand premiere at Cannes, the show shocked audiences for all the wrong reasons with many leaving the screening with their stomachs churning.

Whether you side with the accusers or the people backing the project, one thing is for sure — at the very least, the first episode of The Idol will draw in high viewership numbers. Check out the trailer below.