‘Haven’t even reached a climax’

Fans are not finding the situation to be idol-istic. 

Viewers who have been watching the controversial HBO show “The Idol” expressed confusion, after it was announced that the upcoming fifth episode will be the end of Season 1. 

“I thought it was gonna be 6 episodes, not 5?? What happened???” one fan wrote. 

Another outraged fan complained, “this needs 10 episodes…story hasn’t gone anywhere.”

The salacious drama – which has become infamous for its “nasty” sex scenes and nudity – is helmed by Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”) and musician Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, 33, who also co-stars. 

The plot follows troubled pop princess Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp, 24, daughter of Johnny Depp), as she becomes entangled in a strange and steamy relationship with self-help guru, club owner and cult leader Tedros (Tesfaye). 

“Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy, 39, is also in “The Idol,” for some reason. (Maybe he just needed a paycheck).

There’s been a lot of hand-wringing about how raunchy the show is – even though it’s tame compared to “True Blood” or even “Bridgerton.” It’s been slammed by critics for its graphic sex scenes, and it also attracted controversy for reports of its environment behind the scenes. In March, Rolling Stone reported that sources on the production described a chaotic filming environment, and called it “torture porn” and “rape fantasy.”

And now, fans of the show are aghast that Season 1 seems to be cut short. 

“5 episodes? Lmaooooo we haven’t even reached a climax,” one fan derided. 

“We need like 3 more episodes to wrap everything up not 1 lol,” another exclaimed on Twitter. 

“Seriously?  It hasn’t gone anywhere, where are they going to go in 1 episode, there are so many stories going on every which way,” another outraged viewer tweeted. 

So, what’s up with this? Did an episode really get yanked – maybe because of all the critical backlash around the show? 

Not so fast. In 2021, Variety reported that “The Idol ” would be a six-episode series. 

However, at the time of that report, Amy Seimetz was supposed to direct all six episodes and Joe Epstein was going to be the series showrunner. 

In Rolling Stone’s March report about behind the scenes chaos, and how sources on the production described the show as a “rape fantasy,” the outlet mentioned that Seimetz left the show in the middle of the production, and Sam Levinson took over directing and showrunner. 

So, somewhere in that shuffling behind the scenes, as the plans for the creatives in charge of “The Idol,” changed, so did the episode count, according to Decider. 

The Post reached out to HBO for comment.

“The Idol” will have its Season 1 finale on Sunday, July 2 (9 p.m.). HBO has not announced if it’s been renewed for a Season 2.