Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye is reflecting on the end of his controversial HBO series, The Idol.
Following Sunday's season finale, the "Blinding Lights" singer commemorated the episode via Instagram with a series of behind-the-scenes photos of the cast on set. His post was also accompanied by a statement on his gratitude for the series.
"The finale. grateful to share this moment with you all as the season comes to an end," the Grammy winner captioned his post. "Continue to push the vision no matter how bumpy the journey."
“Jocelyn Forever 🎭” he concluded, referencing his costar Lily-Rose Depp’s character and the finale episode's title.
The series, co-created by director Sam Levinson, has made headlines for its overtly explicit sex scenes and nudity. Addressing the matter during a Cannes Flim Festival press conference for the series, Depp defended the show by saying: "I think that something about Jocelyn is just that she's a born and bred performer. I think that extends to every aspect of her life, not just her professional life."
"I think that the way that she dresses, for example, is her trying to tell you something all the time or say something to the people that she's around or express herself in some kind of way," she added, "And I also think that the occasional bareness of the character physically mirrors the bareness that we get to see emotionally in her."
Levinson also defended the series, saying, "It's funny, I think that sometimes things that might be revolutionary are taken too far. I think we live in a very sexualized world."
While appearing on ELLE’s December 2022/January 2023 issue, Depp claimed she wasn't "interested in making anything puritanical."
"I'm not interested in making anything that doesn't challenge me, or challenge other people, honestly," she continued, "I think this show is fearless, and that's something that I've been really excited and proud to dive into. I can't wait for you guys to see it."
The actress added that Levinson and Tesfaye made her feel "incredibly safe and protected" on set while filming the intimate scenes.
He is "a really good friend who's had my back," she shared at the time. "We've gone on this wild ride together. It was a first for both of us in a lot of ways."
In addition to the show's excessive nudity and sex scenes being questioned, The Idol — which was also the subject of a Rolling Stone exposé — has been criticized for its storylines, with The Guardian calling it "one of the worst programs ever made." The Weeknd's own performance, in particular, has been criticized.
And despite the controversy and abbreviated season, star Da’Vine Joy Randolph told Variety: "Everyone’s intention is to have a second season."
"This was never intended to be a limited series. HBO has been very happy with it — so much so that there were rumors that we were canceled, and then HBO went on Twitter, which I think they rarely do," she added. "Nothing is official, but HBO is quite happy."
Season 1 of The Idol can now be streamed in full on Max.
