There’s no denying that as a society, we are obsessed with celebrities. We can never know enough about how they live their glamorous, aspirational lives of fame and fortune. With such a culture of scrutiny and curiosity around the inner lives of our favorite actors, singers, and influencers, many creatives are becoming more and more interested in dissecting their own industry, looking at what it takes to maintain the mantle of a superstar and what it does to the human psyche. At least, that’s whatSam Levinsonclaims he is trying to do withThe Idol.
Levinson’s attempt to dissect the imploding starlet was marketed to viewers as a boundary-pushing, subversive work that would shock audiences with its originality and reckless abandon. What he andAbel Tesfayedelivered was a different animal entirely.The Idolfollows a young superstar (Lily-Rose Depp) as she attempts to return to her career as a famous pop singer after a hiatus following a mental health crisis. What could have been an interesting examination of what the stress of ultra-fame could do to a young woman quickly becamea formulaic and disappointing start for the series, leaving many viewers wondering what they can watch instead.
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What’s Wrong With ‘The Idol’?
From its inception, controversy has surrounded this series, and there is a myriad of issues, both onscreen and behind the scenes, that make it hard to watch for many viewers. Before the series was even released,it was already being torn apartby rumors of a toxic set, massive rewrites, and suspicious creative motives. When the series was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, many critics confirmed audiences' fears that the storyline was nothing more than a sexist rape fantasy crafted by Levinson and Tesfaye. Levinson already hasa bad reputation for his portrayal of womenand feminine sexuality in series likeEuphoria, which is rife with storylines that degrade women, and his collaboration with Tesfaye isn’t helping the situation. In fact, Tesfaye (also known asThe Weeknd) is receiving most of the internet’s ire over the series. It began with his demand that theyrework the seasonto focus less on a woman’s point of view, and continued to snowball when rumors of his strange on-set behavior started swirling.
How Is ‘I Hate Suzie’ Similar to ‘The Idol’?
If you like the premise ofThe Idolbut are simply looking for something…better, don’t worry, there is another series that explores similar issues with much more success.I Hate Suzie, which premiered in 2020, is a dark comedy that explores the pitfalls of fame and shines a light on how working in the entertainment industry uniquely affects women. The series centers around Suzie Pickles (Billie Piper), a former teen pop star who is struggling to advocate for herself and find a balance between her career and her personal life. Interestingly, the series starts in a very similar way to thefirst episode ofThe Idol(in fact, maybe a bit too similar for coincidence) as we meet Suzie in the middle of a magazine photo shoot at her home for an article. In an instant, her life is shattered when in the middle of production, she discovers that her nude photos have been leaked online, simultaneously revealing to her husband that she has had an affair. In the wake of this scandal, she has to piece back together her life while deciding what to prioritize and what she truly wants out of life.
How Is ‘I Hate Suzie’ Different From ‘The Idol’?
With such a similar premise,I Hate Suziecouldn’t be further fromThe Idolin terms of tone, content, and messaging. Although in the same situation and facing the same struggles, Piper’s character is the polar opposite of Depp’s. While Suzie has many flaws, she is intelligent, funny, autonomous, and she even has a personality! Take notes, Sam Levinson. Through Suzie’s journey, viewers get a glimpse into what it’s like to be a woman in the industry, and the unique challenges that they face. The series explores themes of family and motherhood as she struggles to maintain custody and a healthy relationship with her young son, while illuminating how women are marginalized by many other institutions besides show business. Unlike Jocelyn, Suzie is nothypersexualized or victimizedas she is often facing the consequences of her own actions. Instead, the show creates a nuanced exploration of what it means to be a successful woman, with a relatable and feminist basis that seeks to shed a light on “idols,” not just exploit them.
The most likely explanation for the difference between these shows and how they resonate with their audience is thatI Hate Suziewas created by women. Just like Levinson and Tesfaye, Piper co-created the show, and the simple fact that the character was written by a woman is bound to make the story more authentic and relatable. Piper used the series as a metaphor to tell her own story, and like Levinson, she was also interested in telling a story that could be “hard to receive” or “unpalatable” for viewers. However, Piper didn’t have to resort to torture porn and neon lights to make an impact on viewers. Instead, she presented fans with a portrayal of an authentic woman who tries her best and makes mistakes. When discussing the inspiration behind the show,Piper shared with Colliderthat “the amount of guises and heads you have to have as a woman to attend work, to attend to being a mother, to attend to being a sexual being… So much so that there is a point where you don’t even recognize yourself anymore.” With women at the helm,I Hate Suzieis able to subvert the masculine gaze that shacklesThe Idoland abandon fantasies of what it means to be feminine, and how women deal with the struggles of fame.
While we’ve only seen the first few episodes ofThe Idol, it seems very unlikely that the rest of the season will be able to subvert the current narrative, but only time will tell. Until then, if you’re looking for another show that tells a similar story with more compassion and a firmer grasp of its subject matter,I Hate Suzieis the perfect place to start.
