The Idol (HBO)

he/him
Excitement over the epic “Gimme More” needle drop aside, the trailer isn’t giving a whole lot away. If there’s even anything to give away, or if it really is just a long music video in episodic format.
 
he / him
It's giving Vox Lux, but with a cult twist instead of a demonic twist, meets Charli XCX's Crash campaign.

I am living.
 
Excitement over the epic “Gimme More” needle drop aside, the trailer isn’t giving a whole lot away. If there’s even anything to give away, or if it really is just a long music video in episodic format.
That's really what the trailer is screaming in our face, isn't it. It's almost like this became a show by default; a record label would never spend this money on a video anymore, and a studio would never spend this money on a film, because the returns on both have diminished so much. But on television, they can justify it with six or eight weeks of virality and ostensibly driving people to their streaming service.

I actually wouldn't be surprised if this show is held up as the final token of Peak TV's spending blitz from the past few years and signals the end of an era.
 
he/him
That's really what the trailer is screaming in our face, isn't it. It's almost like this became a show by default; a record label would never spend this money on a video anymore, and a studio would never spend this money on a film, because the returns on both have diminished so much. But on television, they can justify it with six or eight weeks of virality and ostensibly driving people to their streaming service.

I actually wouldn't be surprised if this show is held up as the final token of Peak TV's spending blitz from the past few years and signals the end of an era.

For sure. I kind of live for the pure delusion and ambition behind this whole thing. Abel said it was inspired by how Prince made full length feature films, like Purple Rain, that just acted as vehicles for his albums. That’s not something a lot of artists have the opportunity to do on this scale (like it really is a handful), so I really do love that he’s taking it while he can, even if it ends up being a mess.
 
It's getting increasingly hard to see this show having a future beyond these six episodes. Based on the reviews it's not likely to be an awards magnet for HBO, they've spent an absolute fortune on it already with the extensive reshoots, and the writers' strike is hitting them in the pockets every single day.

Is it really going to attract - and retain - enough of Abel's fans to make it worth HBO's while continuing?
 
he / him
It's getting increasingly hard to see this show having a future beyond these six episodes. Based on the reviews it's not likely to be an awards magnet for HBO, they've spent an absolute fortune on it already with the extensive reshoots, and the writers' strike is hitting them in the pockets every single day.

Is it really going to attract - and retain - enough of Abel's fans to make it worth HBO's while continuing?
Surely The Idol was only ever intended to be a one-season mini-series and not continue beyond that.
 
Surely The Idol was only ever intended to be a one-season mini-series and not continue beyond that.
Neither the publicity material, nor anyone involved in the show, has stated that this is a miniseries. It's usually made explicit from the start if that is the intention.
 

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