‘The Idol’: Suzanna Son Not Returning To HBO Drama Series Amid Creative Overhaul

EXCLUSIVE: More details about the creative overhaul of HBO drama series The Idol are starting to emerge.

Deadline broke the news yesterday that director Amy Seimetz had exited the series, which comes from pop star The Weeknd and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson.

Suzanna Son, the breakout star of Sean Baker’s Red Rocket, is one of the cast members who is not expected to return.

The series follows a female pop singer who starts a romance with an enigmatic L.A. club owner turned secret cult leader. Son was playing a cult member.

Abel Tesfaye, who performs as The Weeknd, co-created the series with Levinson and Reza Fahim. He is understood to have been unhappy with the creative direction of the show, which is thought to have already filmed footage for around four or five episodes.

The crux of the issue appears to be that Tesfaye, who headlined Coachella this year and played the Super Bowl halftime show last year, felt the show was leaning too much into a “female perspective”, according to sources, with co-star Lily Rose Depp’s character rather than his own. Rose Depp remains on board and a key part of the show following its creative overhaul.

The Idol was thought to have received a seven episode order and it’s not clear whether that will remain or whether the order will be trimmed slightly.

HBO is not commenting beyond its statement on Monday (see below) and Son’s reps also declined to comment.

“The Idol’s creative team continues to build, refine, and evolve their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction. The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series. We look forward to sharing more information soon,” an HBO spokeswoman told Deadline.