Here’s everything we know about The Idol Season 2, including any renewal and release date updates, cast, plot speculation, and more.
Sometimes, controversy works in a show’s favor: Game of Thrones earned notoriety early on for its graphic sexual violence, gore, and deaths; the criticism of Netflix’s Jeffrey Dahmer series caused its binging figures to rocket even higher; and the likes of Family Guy and South Park wear it as a badge of honor.
On other occasions, it’s the harbinger of failure. Enter The Idol, the new HBO drama from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. After Amy Seimetz departed the project, it was accused of being transformed into a “rape fantasy”, and while the early slaughtering reviews may have spiked some curiosity, its five-episode run attracted dismal viewership.
But, nevertheless, there’s interest from fans in the next chapter of Jocelyn’s story – so, here’s what we know about The Idol Season 2, including any renewal and possible release date information.
Is The Idol Season 2 happening?
As of July 2023, The Idol Season 2 has not been green-lit.
Page Six reported that any chances of a second season had been nixed after The Weeknd’s “egomaniacal” behavior on set, but HBO then tweeted: “It is being misreported that a decision on a second season of The Idol has been determined. It has not, and we look forward to sharing the next episode with you Sunday night.”
It is being misreported that a decision on a second season of The Idol has been determined. It has not, and we look forward to sharing the next episode with you Sunday night.
— HBO PR (@HBOPR) June 15, 2023
The Weeknd described the show as a “five-hour film” in a GQ profile, indicating it may remain a limited series. However, Da’Vine Joy Randolph told Vulture that she believes the series was “intentionally” building the foundation to return.
“I see Season 1 as setting up the world in great detail and character development, to set up a season two where it’s like, now we’re really going to get in the sh*t,” she said.
“When you finish a project, it’s always like, “Is there a possibility for Season 2?’ And they’re always like, ‘Yeah, for sure!’ It’s everyone’s desire and intention to do a Season 2, and until we hear differently, that’s the plan.”
Is there a The Idol Season 2 release date?
No, The Idol Season 2 doesn’t have a release date.
It hasn’t even been confirmed yet, but if it is announced in the coming weeks, we’d expect it to arrive in 2024, if not 2025.
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Randolph reiterated to Variety: “I think that everyone’s intention is to have a second season. This was never intended to be a limited series. Nothing is official, but HBO is quite happy.”
The Idol Season 2 cast: Who would return?
If The Idol Season 2 goes ahead, we’d expect to see the following stars in the cast:
- Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn
- Abel Tesfaye as Tedros/Mauricio Jackson
- Suzanna Son as Chloe
- Troye Sivan as Xander
- Jane Adams as Nikki Katz
- Hank Azaria as Chaim
- Moses Sumney as Izaak
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Destiny
- Jennie as Dyanne
- Eli Roth as Andrew Finkelstein
There are a few question marks. In the final episode, Leia (Rachel Sennott) parts ways with Jocelyn after Rob (Karl Glusman) is accused of rape. She knew the allegations were completely fabricated by Xander and Tedros, and after all the chaos of the past episodes, she’d clearly had enough. It’s unclear whether this would be her hard exit from the show or if Jocelyn would try to rekindle their friendship.
Hari Nef played Talia, a Vanity Fair reporter who covered Jocelyn’s comeback and also wrote the exposé on Tedros in the final episode. She could return if she becomes a reliable foot soldier for Jocelyn’s team.
The Idol Season 2 plot: What would it be about?
We don’t have official plot details for The Idol Season 2, but we’d assume it’d follow Jocelyn in the next stage of her career.
The finale ended with Jocelyn on top of the world: she had all of Tedros’ followers under her wing as a formidable supporting line-up, and in a shocking twist, we discovered she’d been lying about her mother’s abuse. It’s all just a story, and she was in control the whole time.
She also brought Tedros on stage and declared her love for him in front of the audience, much to the baffled rage of Nikki, Chaim, and Finkelstein. There’s fertile ground for another season: will Jocelyn fire her team and start anew; how will Tedros deal with being a lapdog after having so much power; and will there be any consequences for how Rob was treated? We’ll have to wait and see.
That’s everything we know about The Idol Season 2. In the meantime, check out our other coverage of the show below: