‘The Idol’ among TV’s 5 biggest flops in history

HBO canceled “The Idol,” this week, marking another big swing and a miss for TV. 

The series — hailing from Sam Levinson of “Euphoria,” fame and starring Lily-Rose Depp and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye — followed a troubled pop princess (Depp) and her relationship with a sleazy nightclub owner and cult leader (Tesfaye). 

Critics and audiences alike slammed the show for being “nasty,” and overly salacious, while behind-the-scenes reports pointed to a troubled production. 

“The Idol” is far from the first high-profile buzzy show that crashed and burned. Here’s a look at some others. 

“Terra Nova”

The one-season 2011 Fox series had obvious ambitions to be the next “Lost.” It had big names attached — executive-produced by Steven Spielberg! – and a high-concept sci-fi plot, following James Shannon (Jason O’Mara) and his family as they fled their dystopian present-day reality to establish a colony 85 million years into Earths’ past (this means that there were dinosaurs). One scathing review derided the show as, “Stargate” by way of “Dr. Seuss.” The premiere reportedly cost $14 million. Neither that price tag nor the prestige of Spielberg’s name was enough to save “Terra Nova.” 

“Roadies”

The one-season Showtime dramedy seemed like a recipe for success — a show set in the music world created by Cameron Crowe (“Almost Famous”). Starring Luke Wilson and Carla Gugino, it followed the lives of the road crew for a touring rock band. Reviews were mixed, however, and audiences were dismal, with just 500,000 viewers tuning into the finale. It was Crowe’s first show, demonstrating that not all filmmakers’ skills translate well to TV. 

“Vinyl”

“The Idol” isn’t HBO’s biggest flop set in the music industry. “Vinyl” was a one-season series that aired in 2016. It boasted Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese among its creators, and its premiere reportedly cost $30 million. Set in 1970s New York, it followed Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale), a  record exec married to former Andy Warhol factory girl Devon (Olivia Wilde) and trying to navigate the transition from the era of “sex drugs, and rock and roll” into the disco era. 

Unfortunately, the show was too much of everything: too cocaine-fueled, too much yelling and loud emotions and rock ‘n’ roll cliches, too self-serious. HBO initially renewed it for a Season 2, but pulled the plug after low ratings (the premiere drew in just 764,000 viewers) and mixed reviews. Even a splashy roster of big names isn’t always enough to save a show. 

“Pan Am” 

This one-season 2011 ABC show was trying to ride the “Mad Men” wave: a period-piece following airline pilots and stewardesses in the ’60s. It boasted an all star cast featuring Christina Ricci, Margot Robbie (pre-fame) and David Harbour (pre- “Stranger Things”). It was slick and stylish, but critics slammed the writing, with one memorable review calling the scripts, “as inert and useless as a grounded jet.” Even the combined star-power of Robbie and Harbour couldn’t save this show. Maybe the world wasn’t ready for them, yet. 

“Emerald City”

This one-season 2017 NBC series was a dark, gritty rendition of “The Wizard of Oz” that tried to interpret the famous tale by way of “Game of Thrones.” It followed an adult version of Dorothy (Adria Arjona) through her travels, which included a land filled with drugs and murder; Dorothy getting waterboarded; flying monkeys as drones; Toto being a German Shepherd (a terrier apparently wasn’t dark and gritty enough), and he scarecrow (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, gamely trying to elevate this mess) suffering from amnesia. The munchkins, meanwhile, were an Indigenous-esque tribe. It all felt like it was trying way too hard to be “hardcore.” 

Apparently, the public felt that way, too.