Is The Idol the most misogynistic TV show of the year?

After months of speculation over the controversial nature of the show, The Idol premiered this week. The sex and drugs-fuelled drama is the brainchild of Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, musician the Weeknd (born Abel Tesfaye), and Reza Fahim. It tells the fictional tale of young female pop star Jocelyn, portrayed by Lily-Rose Depp, who is navigating life as a hot commodity in Hollywood. Things take a turn when she falls under the spell of nightclub owner and cult leader Tedros, brought to life by Tesfaye.‌

When we meet Jocelyn, she’s taking part in a photoshoot for her album cover. Her silky robe, worn open to expose her bare chest, is accompanied by a rather unusual accessory: a hospital wristband. Highlighting the fact that Jocelyn is returning to work following a breakdown, a newer member of the team queries: “Aren’t we romanticising mental illness?” To this, Jocelyn’s record label manager insists that “mental illness is sexy” and urges her younger colleague to “stop c*ckblocking America.” She enthuses: “Will you let people enjoy sex, drugs, and hot girls?” It soon becomes apparent that those three things are hallmarks of the series.

Next, Jocelyn instructs one of her managers to axe the intimacy coordinator from the set, as she doesn’t want to be restricted. He’s swiftly locked in a nearby bathroom. But this drama pales in comparison to the major bombshell which occurs when someone leaks a picture of Jocelyn with semen on her face, sending her team into crisis mode. All of this happens in the first 10 minutes of the show. A standard welcome, by Levinson’s standards.

“It is certainly trying hard to shock and titillate us,” Vanity Fair said of the drama in a withering review, following the premiere of the first two episodes in Cannes. Voicing concern over the series’ misogynistic elements, Variety remarked: “The Idol plays like a sordid male fantasy.” However, criticisms of the show started long before Cannes. In March, Rolling Stone released a damning report claiming that the series had gone “disgustingly off the rails” and had ventured into “torture porn.” The article noted how the series’ original director, Amy Seimetz, left after working on much of the project. Tesfaye had reportedly felt that the series was leaning too much into a “female perspective.” According to the publication, The Idol headed into a different territory under Levinson’s direction, with “disturbing sexual content and nudity” overtaking the narrative.

The cast and crew addressed the controversy during a Q&A at the film festival. Depp steadfastly defended the project and her director, claiming that the “mean, false things” said were not reflective of her experience on set. Levinson’s comeback was all the more enlightening, as he admitted his initial response to the article was: “I think we’re about to have the biggest show of the summer.” And he may well have been on to something, as the controversy only seemed to heighten interest in the series. Following the Cannes reviews, searches for The Idol skyrocketed 1134%. By comparison, the esteemed Palme d’Or winner, Anatomy of a Fall, received just 8,000 searches.