The Weeknd Debuts 'Sick and Twisted' Trailer for His New HBO Series 'The Idol'

The Weeknd is bringing the “sleaziest love story in Hollywood” to television.

The Canadian superstar has shared the first trailer for his new HBO drama “The Idol,” which debuted during the New Jersey stop on his “After Hours Til Dawn” tour on Saturday night.

The six-episode series, set against the backdrop of the music industry, was created by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and “Euphoria’s” Sam Levinson. Abel stars as Tedros, a “self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult” who lures Jocelyn, a rising pop star played by Lily-Rose Depp, into his “sick and twisted” world.

“Why don’t you just be yourself?” The Weeknd’s character asks Jocelyn in one scene, to which she replies, “Because there’s nothing about me that’s relatable.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRyHnzFn4HM

The cast also includes Troye Sivan, Steve Zissis, Debby Ryan, Melanie Liburd, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Tunde Adebimpe, Nico Hiraga, Anne Heche, and BLACKPINK’s Jennie.

This marks The Weeknd’s first starring role in a television series. He previously flexed his acting chops in Adam Sandler’s 2019 crime thriller Uncut Gems, and wrote and starred in a 2020 episode of the TBS animated series “American Dad.”

Production on “The Idol” kicked off in November, but the show has faced behind-the-scenes drama. In April, Variety reported that the director, Amy Seimetz, had exited and the series was undergoing a new creative direction, with changes to the cast and crew.

A premiere date has yet to be announced, with the trailer teasing “coming soon.”