Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 1 of The Idol.HBO’s newest Sunday night viewing option, The Idol, has quite the premise, one that caused some controversy ahead of its release. With so much attention being placed on the show ahead of its June premiere, all eyes were on the series’ two leads, Lily-Rose Depp and Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd), who play Jocelyn and Tedros, respectively. As the first episode demonstrated, this Sam Levinson creation really takes its time, almost to a fault, on certain scenes, many of which are more sexually charged than might be needed. Much of the first half of the premiere is spent showing Jocelyn at a photoshoot and ensuing dance rehearsal. While The Idol is attempting to take us into a “day in the life” of this pop star, what actually ends up happening is Jocelyn becoming a background character, as the surrounding cast becomes far more interesting.

This is in no fault to what Depp does in the leading role, nor what The Weeknd does in his limited time towards the back half of the episode. This is more to do with the way the episode was written. There’s a point in every new show – for many it's in those first few scenes of a premiere – where it’s essential to establish what’s going on and what this show is all about or risk losing the audience. If you didn’t have any prior knowledge of The Idol, you’d probably think this show was about a PR team dealing with a nightmare client. That show would be entertaining. That’s what was shown from the jump, and it’s what ultimately became the most exciting thing when it was never intended to.

Related: 'The Idol': Release Date, Cast, Trailer, and Everything We Know About The Weeknd's New Show

Jocelyn’s PR Team Steals 'The Idol's First Episode

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Image via HBO

We’ll see if this trend continues as the first season progresses, but the supporting cast we're introduced to in the opening few scenes is much more interesting. There's Xander (Troye Sivan) as Jocelyn's creative director, with Nikki Katz (Jane Adams) as the star's record label executive. Both of these characters steal their scenes as Nikki is clearly not holding anything back, and we know everything about her just through her words and actions. The same goes for Sivan’s Xander, who is the only one that seems like he has any care in the world for everything going on. Jennie Ruby Jane has a more limited role as background dancer Dyanne, but certainly seems to be a character worth exploring. Vanity Fair writer Talia (Hari Nef) is even a part of this interesting bunch along with a slew of others, among them Live Nation representative Andrew Finkelstein (Eli Roth) who has only one concern, and it's money. When Dan Levy shows up as Benjamin and Hank Azaria as Chaim, Jocelyn's publicist and co-manager respectively, all of these supposed secondary characters draw your attention much more than the actual stars.

Perhaps this was done intentionally. If you look at the message attempting to be conveyed, everything going on in that first half is showing how Jocelyn really has no say in her career, and it’s up to everyone around her. She's a background character in her own life just as she is in this episode. By that account, the show’s reliance on these characters makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of the juice out of the two leads because we know what this show is supposed to be about, and whenever it begins to delve into the darker scenes involving Tedros, it seems likely we’ll be clamoring for more scenes with her PR team than what’s actually being shown.

‘The Idol’ Needs to Continue Incorporating Jocelyn's PR Team

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Image via HBO

There’s an ideal world where The Idol can give us more of what we want. While the premiere has seen some criticism, the second half of the episode, which is when the leads actually get to work together, was the dullest point of the premiere. That being said, The Idol took a slow-burn approach to introduce us to Jocelyn and Tedros, so the payoff will eventually come (hopefully!). The performance by Depp alone (particularly that opening scene at the photoshoot) gives us enough confidence that this character can eventually step into a more interesting position. What The Idol has accomplished already, though, is stringing together an entertaining group around its lead, which sometimes is the hardest thing to do.

Now that the leads have met, we can expect to see their twisted narrative begin to play out. What shouldn’t happen is an abandonment of screentime for all of these members of Jocelyn's PR team. Instead, The Idol would be best served if, from this point forward, it finds that balance of giving us just enough from its side characters that it doesn’t overshadow Depp or The Weeknd, but it also allows both of them to share the spotlight. The Idol is off to a rocky start, in part due to the press ahead of its release and a questionable first episode. Regardless, there’s a premise here that can make this thing work if fleshed out properly. What we saw in the second half was far more uninteresting than the chaotic first half centered on damage control. If the latter can remain central to this show, then The Idol has a chance to turn this ship around. We deserve to see more of Levy, Azaria, Sivian, and Adams!

The first episode of The Idol is available to stream on Max while new episodes of the show are released every Sunday evening.