The Idol is expected to be very similar to Sam Levinson's other HBO series Euphoria, but there are already some apparent differences between the two shows. The Idol is set to premiere out of competition at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in May and will debut on HBO and the MAX streaming platform on June 4 at 9 PM ET. Some controversy has emerged regarding the show's immoral sexual content and demanding production changes, but it has not delayed Levinson's new project from reaching audiences in the spring of 2023. Amy Seimetz originally directed the Idol before Levinson took over and completely rewrote the original scripts, adding explicit elements that have become part of his directorial style.

From the few trailers alone, the similarities between The Idol and Euphoria are tough to miss. The most glaring commonality is the show's provocative content. Euphoria surprised many with its sexually explicit content and abrupt nudity. The Idol's trailers promise a similar level of provocative, sexual content, which may shock some audiences. There is also a common theme of party culture and heavy drug use. Euphoria explores Rue's struggle with addiction throughout both seasons. The Idol's trailer suggests that drug use will be a major part of the music industry's networking and party scene. Other similarities include an appeal to pop culture and using music as a major theme. Despite these similarities, there are some major differences between the two shows.

5 The Idol Focuses On Adult Characters

Lily Rose Depp Jocelyn The Idol dancing

Euphoria primarily focuses on popular high school kids with jock, cheerleader, and drug dealer characters. The Idol focuses on a mainstream pop star and other famous people. The Idol is set to follow the lives of entertainers, producers, and professionals in the music industry, all of whom are adults. Euphoria follows the lives of multiple high school students who are still minors. Most of the adults in Euphoria are the parents of the teenage protagonists.

Lily-Rose Depp, 23, plays an up-and-coming pop singer named Jocelyn and Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye. 33, plays a self-help guru and cult leader. From the trailers and a brief clip The Weeknd released in response to a Rolling Stone article, Dan Levy, 39, of Schitt's Creek fame, appears to play a manager or agent. Actor and director Eli Roth, 51, plays Jocelyn's uncle. Jane Adams, 58, plays a director for one of Jocelyn's music videos. The supporting cast comprises almost all adult actors except for Finley Rose Slater, who plays Young Jocelyn in two of The Idol's six episodes.

4 The Idol Already Stars Big Name Celebrities

Jennie Ruby Rose The Idol

Euphoria was responsible for making several of its cast members A-list celebrities after its first two seasons, but The Idol is kicking off with some of the biggest names in music in the world. Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye, co-creator of The Idol, is the most-listened-to artist ever on Spotify and the winner of four Grammy Awards. Jennie Kim, who is going by Jennie Ruby Jane as a stage name in her very first acting performance, is a member of the internationally famous Korean pop group Blackpink. Mike Dean, who plays a music producer in The Idol, is a prolific hip-hop producer in real life. Dean has won seven Grammys and has worked on many hit songs by Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, Drake, and The Weeknd.

Zendaya was already a Disney Channel star and a fan-favorite character in Spiderman: Homecoming when Euphoria began. Sydney Sweeney had supporting roles in Under the Silver Lake and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood before Euphoria made her a superstar, landing her a role on HBO's The White Lotus. Euphoria was Hunter Schafer's first credited acting role, although she was a prominent model before appearing as Jules. While other members of Euphoria's cast were active in film and television before the show's 2019 debut, actors Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira, Angus Cloud, and Maude Apatow were largely unknown in Hollywood before Euphoria.

3 The Idol Has 2 Main Characters, Not An Ensemble Like Euphoria

The Weeknd kissing Lily Rose Depp on the head in The Idol

The Idol will follow the main storylines of Lily-Rose Depp's Jocelyn and The Weeknd's Tedros as the show's only protagonists. Euphoria featured a variety of main characters and storylines that contained a large number of backstories for each character. The Idol will follow the complex and potentially toxic relationship between Jocelyn and Tedros as she works to become one of the most popular singers in the world with the questionable support of Tedros. Tedros is known to be a self-help guru and a cult leader, which sets him up to be a dangerous, untrustworthy character who likely has the power for persuasion and manipulation.

2 The Idol Will Feature A Broader Scope In Hollywood

The Idol car Los Angeles

Euphoria is set mostly in a small suburban town, while The Idol features scenes in Los Angeles clubs, mansions, studios, and stages. The scope of The Idol is clearly more far-reaching than the world in Euphoria. It represents not just the landscape of LA but also the exclusive, luxurious locations associated with Hollywood's elite music industry. Wealth and fame are major themes of The Idol that will determine its glamorous settings.

Euphoria romanticizes modern teenage life and consistently features high-school adjacent environments like house parties, quiet neighborhoods, and hometown bedrooms. The Idol will provide just the opposite, with plenty of sensationalized backdrops for the fame-seeking protagonists. It can potentially be this generation's Entourage as a televised fictional portrayal of Hollywood. It could also be culturally influential and trend-setting, like Euphoria. Music drove and complemented the narratives in Euphoria. Several popular songs were made specifically for the show. Many of its season 1 episode titles were influenced by lyrics and song titles.

1 The Idol's Plot Will Be More Structured Compared To Euphoria

The Idol Lily Rose Depp

The Idol will have a shorter season 1 runtime than Euphoria since it will have only six episodes, two fewer than Euphoria season 1. With a shorter on-screen duration and fewer characters, The Idol is set up to focus more directly on the strategies and schemes of its two main protagonists as they navigate the music industry. Euphoria broke new ground creatively through its abstract, meandering narrative style that interwoven plot with backstory and featured theatrical elements with artistic camera movements. The Idol appears to be more driven by its plot and character motivations, which indicates it will likely not take the creative liberties that made Euphoria so poetic and unique.