THE TEAM behind HBO's Euphoria came together to bring viewers The Idol.
Many of the show's scenes were filmed at the Weeknd's home in Los Angeles.
Where was HBO’s The Idol filmed?
Production and principal photography for HBO's The Idol was filmed in several Los Angeles County locations, including:
- Bel-Air
- Encino
- SoFi Stadium
The Weeknd's Bel-Air mansion
To keep budget costs low for The Idol's reshoots, the Weeknd offered up his own residence as a filming location for the network.
The scenes where the Weeknd's lead character Tedros gathers his cult were shot on the property.
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The Grammy Award winner purchased the home in 2021 for a reported $70million.
The residence consists of nine bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a gym, a movie theater, a music studio, a sauna, and an indoor pool.
The 1.6-acre property's exterior also includes a sports court, an infinity-edge pool with a waterfall, and several entertaining spaces.
Regarding HBO's decision to shoot at the Weeknd's mansion, The Idol's showrunner Sam Levinson told W Magazine: "Quitting the show wasn't an option for Abel or me. It was a dream that we had together and we had to see it through.
"If we were going to reshoot from the beginning, I knew it had to be for less money.
"Sitting in Abel's house, looking around at the 40,000 square feet, I said, 'It's stunning here — you can't buy production design like this. What if we shoot it here?'
"Abel put down his drink and said, 'Do you have insurance?' I said yes. And he said, 'I'm okay with it.'"
The Weeknd commented: "My home belonged to the show; it was a hub of activity. We were trying to blur the line between fiction and reality.
"We had cameras going all the time. The bedrooms were now greenrooms; the bathrooms were for hair and makeup.
"We built a music studio in the basement so Mike Dean, who helped compose, and I could score the show while we were filming."
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Alyson Hannigan's old house
The Idol's production and filming also took place at Alyson Hannigan's former Encino residence.
Before the How I Met Your Mother star sold the home to David Lebensfeld in September 2022, HBO rented the space for the show's early stages of shooting.
The property is 3.3 acres and is estimated to be worth $16million.
The home includes five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a pool, a tennis court, and a spa.
SoFi Stadium
The drama program's final phases of shooting took place at SoFi Stadium.
Specifically, the scenes where Lily-Rose Depp's character gives her final monologue were filmed during the Inglewood stop of the Weeknd's After Hours til Dawn Tour.
Was The Idol canceled?
Levinson's drama series has been permanently canceled, per Deadline.
The series was "one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response," an HBO spokeswoman told Deadline.
The spokeswoman added that the network, creators, and producers decided not to move forward with a second season.
"We’re grateful to the creators, cast, and crew for their incredible work," the spokeswoman said.
The Idol, which made its debut on June 4, 2023, is still available for streaming on Max.
