Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye is not feeling “discouraged” over the negative backlash to his new HBO series “The Idol,” People reports.
The limited series from “Euphoria’s” Sam Levinson centers on a troubled pop star (Lily-Rose Depp) who gets caught up in a wild romance with a shady nightclub owner (Tesfaye). Viewers slammed the series for its graphic sexual scenes, with fans of Tesfaye harassing him on social media for starring in the project.
Tesfaye said in a new interview with Variety that the negative response to the show was “very much expected.”
“We’re playing with genres with this show, we’re doing exactly what we wanted to do,” he said. “And none of this is a surprise.”
Tesfaye said “The Idol” “gives viewers a window into life as a famous person,” People reports. The artist serves as co-creator and executive producer on the show that debuted earlier this month.
“It’s almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous,” he told Variety.
“You’re surrounded by people who you’re not sure what their true intentions are,” Tesfaye added, and noted, “Nothing is worse than a yes-man, especially when you have a bunch of yes-men around you.”
Tesfaye previously said movies like “Scarface” and “Basic Instinct” served as “a huge inspiration” for “The Idol,” according to People.
Meanwhile, HBO has responded to a Page Six report that the music drama series will not return for a second season.
As Deadline reports, the outlet quoted a source as saying, “This was never meant to be a long-running show, it was always … a limited series.”
An HBO insider allegedly said, “The door is definitely still open — it’s definitely not a decision [yet]. At this point, this is normal in our process … we’re only two episodes in.”
The cable giant took to social media to respond to the report.
“It is being misreported that a decision on a second season of The Idol has been determined,” the tweet read. “It has not, and we look forward to sharing the next episode with you Sunday night.”
“The Idol” airs Sundays on HBO at 9 p.m. ET and streams simultaneously on Max.
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!