The Idol Shocker: HBO Drama Ending One Week Early

Well, this is a bit of a shocker.

Whether you love it, hate it, or are watching because you can’t look away, The Idol Season 1 has been the topic of the conversation in recent weeks.

Initially set for a seven-episode freshman season, the HBO drama has now been confirmed to end with The Idol Season 1 Episode 5, which is set to air on Sunday at 9 p.m. on the premium cabler and streaming sibling Max.

The decision is a surprise, especially because the series has not been marketed as a five-episode run, leading to questions about what happened to the rest of the footage.

According to TV Line, the series’ runtime was changed after Sam Levinson took creative control and made some significant changes.

“The season ended up being five episodes when it was all said and done after Sam [Levinson] took over and made significant changes. The story only ended up requiring 5,” a source close to the show told the outlet.

Before its debut on HBO, the Lily-Rose Depp-fronted drama has been saddled with bad press.

It all started with a Rolling Stone article that featured several wild allegations about working on the show.

The show’s stars have rubbished the claims, so there’s no telling what really went down on the set.

Adding fuel to the fire that the show would not be sticking around at HBO: A recent Page Six report claimed the show was never supposed to be an ongoing series.

“The door is definitely still open — it’s definitely not a decision [yet].”

“At this point, this is normal in our process … we’re only two episodes in.”

The report claimed that Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye was not interested in another season after the response to the show.

However, HBO released a statement on the show’s future.

“It is being misreported that a decision on a second season of The Idol has been determined,” HBO wrote on Twitter.

“It has not, and we look forward to sharing the next episode with you Sunday night.”

The Idol Season 1 stars Depp as a musician named Jocelyn who sets out to “claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America,” the logline teases.

Her passions are reignited following a chance meeting with Tedros (Tesfaye), “a nightclub impresario with a sordid past.”

In addition to Depp and Tesfaye, The Idol stars Troye Sivan, Dan Levy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Eli Roth, Hari Nef, Jane Adams, Jennie Ruby Jane, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Rachel Sennott, Ramsey, Suzanna Son, and Hank Azaria.

What are your thoughts on the news?

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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.