If you haven’t heard it already, let us tell you all about The Idol cancellation rumours. The HBO series has so far not faired well. Viewers are mad and disturbed by what the show has to offer and, so are the critics. But, recently an important council has raised its voice against the show and, we think it might lead to this HBO series getting cancelled.
The Parents Television Council has asked HBO to cancel The Idol as the show houses torture porn and sexual abuse in its screenplay. The series created by the music world icon- The Weeknd, Reza Fahim, and Euphoria’s Sam Levinson has been the talk of the town for a while now. The drama is directed by Levinson under the production company banners of The Reasonable Bunch, Manic Phase, Little Lamb, People Pleaser, Bron, A24 and HBO Entertainment.
Since the show’s release porn and abuse-related comment has flashed on this show for a while now. However, it is not the first time a show will face cancellation due to controversies. In fact, here are five that we know of!
5 Shows That Got Cancelled Due to Controversies
House of Cards
This political drama was one helluva show on Netflix. Created by Beau Willimon, the show received a lot of praise and awards and featured a brilliant cast. The sweet land the show was living in shook tremendously when sexual allegations surfaced against the show’s lead – Kevin Spacey. Netflix ended up firing Spacey based on the sexual misconduct allegations and the screenplay was reworked, writing Spacey off the script. The show ended with a sixth season but, the episodes were reduced to eight and thereafter cancelled, and production shut down with no hope for renewal.
Also Read: Best Characters in The Idol That Make the Show Worthwhile
Wisdom of the Crowd
Another show was cancelled because of sexual assault allegations in the air. This series was based on the Israeli series of the same name and starred Jeremy Piven in the lead role. However, soon after the show started making its weekly appearance, sexual assault allegations against Piven kept stacking up. Thus, after the 13 episodes of the first season, it was cancelled by CBS and it has been that way since.
The Time Traveler’s Wife
There were a lot of expectations from this science fiction romance drama that is based on Audrey Niffenegger’s novel of the same name. It even had Doctor Who‘s Steven Moffat developing the series but, the controversial storyline of the series really trigger many bones. Although a set of viewers really loved the show and even raised a petition for the show’s renewal it all went in vain. Claims of child grooming being preached through the show made it absolutely impossible for HBO to continue the running of this series. Additionally, there was low viewership and after one season, the show was cancelled and has been removed from HBO on its streaming platform Max.
Who’s Your Daddy?
Imagine a series being cancelled before airing. Imagine FOX being the broadcasting company for something that scandalous and controversial. Seems unlikely, right? But, it has happened and Who’s Your Daddy? is the show. With that kinda name, it was highly probable that the show will get cancelled but, the reality show really pushed a lot of buttons with its format which included male contestants who are in for a $100,000 reward as they convince a certain someone who is adopted that they are their actual biological father.
The show was received so badly due to the illogical and hurtful format that it got terrible ratings that made Fox not broadcast the entire season and rather term the series premiere as a ‘special’. Ultimately, the show was cancelled.
Also Read: The Idol Episode 4 Ending Explained: Who is Rob and Why Does Jocelyn Get Intimate With Him?
Roseanne
As a sitcom, Roseanne was always well-loved by the audience. Headlined by Roseanne Barr, the show found its foot back in the upgraded world and was ready for a reboot. However, the tables turned not in favour of the show or its titular character when the latter posted a racist tweet against Valerie Jarrett, an African-American woman who was a senior adviser to Barack Obama during his presidency. ABC cancelled the show and repurposed it into a different one and removed Barr completely from it.
The Idol Trailer
The cast for the series includes Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn and Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd as Tedros, in major roles. The show features a considerable support cast that includes Suzanna Son as Chloe, Troye Sivan as Xander, Jennie Ruby Jane as Dyanne, Moses Sumney as Izaak, Jane Adams as Nikki Katz, Dan Levy as Jocelyn’s publicist, Eli Roth as Andrew Finkelstein, Rachel Sennott as Leia, Hari Nef as Talia, Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Destiny, Hank Azaria as Chaim, Melanie Liburd as Jenna, Kate Lyn Sheil as Amy alongside Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley, Nico Hiraga, Anne Heche, Maya Eshet, Tyson Ritter, Liz Caribel Sierra, Karl Glusman, Sophie Mudd, Charly Summer, Mitch Modes and more.
The Idol Episode 5 is scheduled to arrive on Max on July 2, 2023. The episode is titled Jocelyn Forever and is the season finale. Meanwhile, you can now watch all the episodes of the show, streaming on Max. To read our review for the same, click here.
There has been so much controversy with these few episodes and that in itself is really cool. That’s life in a nut shell. I found myself rewatching the four episodes a day enjoying it even more! It’s real and it’s gritty and should not be canceled. They are highlighting topics that are hard to see but man is it touching and relatable. Can’t wait to see what comes next!