According to Deadline, viewership has dropped by nearly 100,000 viewers between the premiere of the pilot and of the initial airing of episode two. The pilot garnered about 913,000 viewers between HBO’s streaming service Max and HBO’s network channels, while episode two only reached about 800,000.
The Idol is HBO’s new buzzworthy series targeting similar audiences of their acclaimed series Euphoria. The raunchy series was created by Sam Levinson (Euphoria, X), Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye (Uncut Gems, The 1989 World Tour Live) and Reza Fahim (The Idol).
HBO noted that the viewership on their streaming platform held steady and didn’t decrease drastically. The viewership dip allegedly occurred on their telecast network premieres. This makes sense due to the younger target audience of The Idol. Deadline mentions that viewers of The Idol are recorded as 21 years younger than viewers on HBO’s television networks.
This drop in viewership does not denote the success The Idol is attracting. Over the first week of episode one of The Idol being available on Max, the streams have only increased. The Idol has surpassed nearly four million watches in its first week available. This is ten million more than the premiere of The White Lotus (2021) and seven million more than the premiere of Euphoria (2019).
IMDb explains the series The Idol as: “after a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn’s last tour, she’s determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America. Her passions are reignited when she meets Tedros, a nightclub impresario with a sordid past. Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest, darkest, depths of her soul?”
The immediate hit series stars Lily-Rose Depp (Voyagers, The King) as lead star Jocelyn, Rachel Sennot (Bodies Bodies Bodies, Shiva Baby), Troye Sivan (Boy Erased, Three Months), Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek, The Big Brunch). It is produced in partnership with successful, New York based production company A24.
Keep an eye out for episode three of The Idol, airing Sunday, June 18, at nine pm, on HBO network channels and their streaming service Max.