The Trailer For The Weeknd And Sam Levinson's New HBO Show Is A Sleazy Acid Trip

A couple years after Drake helped launch HBO’s hit series Euphoria, the rapper’s protégé The Weeknd is following in his mentor’s footsteps with a trippy new show of his own. The hitmaker is developing a juicy HBO series that combines the worlds of pop music with underground cults, which is basically already guaranteed to be a must-watch experience. Not only did The Weeknd write and produce the show, but he will also star in it, making his acting debut. Here’s what fans need to know about The Weeknd’s HBO show The Idol, because it’s about to be what everyone’s talking about.

The Idol will tell the story of a female pop singer who falls into an unexpectedly dangerous world when she learns the mysterious club owner she’s begun dating is also the leader of a secret cult. Naturally, The Weeknd himself will be playing the seductive cult leader, alongside Lily-Rose Depp who will star as the troubled rising pop star Jocelyn. This will mark The Weeknd’s first major acting role, following a cameo appearance as a version of himself in 2019’s Uncut Gems. The superstar singer is co-creating the show with Sam Levinson, who is best known for creating the psychedelic teen drama Euphoria for HBO, thus deepening the shared DNA between these two series.

The team behind The Idol has been keeping details about the show pretty mysterious, but here’s what fans can expect:

The Idol Release Date

HBO has yet to confirm a release date for the series, but the teaser trailer released on Sunday, July 17 promised it’s “coming soon,” so hopefully fans will be able to dive into the trippy world before the end of 2022.

The Idol Cast

The Idol boasts a buzzy cast of actors/musicians. Alongside The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, the series will also star Troye Sivan, Debby Ryan, BLACKPINK singer Jennie Kim, Rachel Sennott, and Hari Nef. The show will also feature Elizabeth Berkley, Tyson Ritter, Anne Heche, Melanie Liburd, Nico Hiraga, and Maya Eshet.

The Idol Trailer

The Weeknd himself premiered the first look at The Idol live during one of his concerts on July 16, and then the trailer officially dropped the next day. The clip focuses on the complex relationship between The Weeknd’s mysterious character and Lily-Rose Depp’s ambitious pop star Jocelyn, describing their connection as “the sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood.”