Rumors began to float around social media that HBO‘s latest series, The Idol, has been canceled just two weeks after its premiere. After the show’s poor reception, the criticism it gained from viewers, and the controversy surrounding its production, news of The Idol’s cancellation made sense. Unfortunately, this might not be the case as HBO has decided to clear the air about the chatter online.
Over on HBO’s PR Twitter page, the news was shared that The Idol‘s future has not yet been determined, and they hoped fans would tune in for the show’s third episode this Sunday. This comes after The New York Post’s Page Six reported that the series wouldn’t return for a second installment, claiming it was “never meant to be a long-running show.”
The Idol was apparently slated to be a limited series. However, a source from HBO told the publication that a decision for a second season has not yet been made since the show is still so early in its release window.
“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.”
Episode two of The Idol came out this week and faced a lot of criticism compared to its premiere. Viewers claimed they witnessed the “worst sex scene in history” and that the quality of the show is garbage. Despite its standing ovation during its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, critics had given the show an average low score of 26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, audience reception was mixed, as it currently sits at a rotten average score of 58 percent.
The Idol is said to have six episodes in total. If you want to challenge yourself by watching this series with an open mind, episodes one and two are available to stream on Max, with episode three, titled ‘Daybreak,’ scheduled to come out on Sunday on HBO and Max.