How many episodes of The Idol are there?

Cameron Frew
A close up of Lily-Rose Depp in The Idol

Now that the The Idol, HBO Max’s controversial drama from Euphoria’s Sam Levinson and The Weeknd, has ended, here’s a guide to have many episodes there are in its season.

Coming after the near-unanimous praise of Succession and Barry’s feel-bad chaser on Sunday nights, HBO has waded into far more divisive waters with The Idol.

Co-created by Levinson, Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye, and Reza Fahim, the series revolves around fictional pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and her icky relationship with a club owner, and how it impacts her career in the wake of a “mental break.”

The first three episodes have lived up to the show’s reputation, with provocative, explicit imagery and dialogue that cuts as hard as it cringes – so, here’s how many episodes The Idol has in store for us.

The Idol episodes & release schedule

There are six episodes in the first season of The Idol.

In terms of their release schedule, you can find release dates for every episode below:

  • Episode 1: ‘Pop Tarts & Rat Tales’ — June 4, 2023
  • Episode 2: ‘Double Fantasy’ — June 11, 2023
  • Episode 3: ‘Daybreak’ — June 18, 2023
  • Episode 4: ‘Stars Belong To The World’ — June 25, 2023
  • Episode 5: Jocelyn Forever’ — July 2, 2023
  • Episode 6: Didn’t happen

There was supposed to be a sixth episode in the series, but according to TVLine, Levinson “took over and made significant changes, [so,] the story only ended up requiring 5.”

In the UK and other territories, all episodes will drop the following day. You can find out exactly which time and platform for your location here.

The official synopsis reads: “After a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) last tour, she’s determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America.

“Her passions are reignited by Tedros (Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye), a nightclub impresario with a sordid past. Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?”

The Idol Episodes 1-3 are available to stream on Max now, while Episode 4 will drop on June 25. You can check out our other coverage below:

Related Topics

About The Author

Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, Oscars enthusiast, and a staunch Scot. He earned a First-Class Honours Degree in Multimedia Journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University, accredited by the NCTJ and BJTC. He began his career at UNILAD, starting as a Junior Journalist and becoming Entertainment Editor prior to joining Dexerto. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.