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The Idol<\/em><\/a> co-creators Sam Levinson and The Weeknd<\/a> have spent the past few months insisting that their upcoming Max series is really a provocative piece of heightened commentary about the perils of fame rather than the self-indulgent piece of \u201ctorture porn\u201d<\/a> it\u2019s been accused of being. The Idol<\/em>\u2019s latest trailer makes it seem like it might be a little from column A and quite a bit more from column B \u2014 all the while trying very hard to show you how willing it is to \u201cgo there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sex is an important part of the twisted power dynamic that exists between The Idol<\/em>\u2019s spiraling superstar Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), and Tedros (Abel Tesfaye), the manipulative, new age cult leader who comes into her life after she has a very public mental breakdown. Sexual attraction seems to be what draws first Tedros and Jocelyn together, and the new trailer details how the duo \u2014 as a unit \u2014 set themselves to infusing some of their personal erotic energy into her public persona as a performer. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n All of this tracks with The Idol<\/em>\u2019s story about Jocelyn working to reestablish herself as America\u2019s sexiest pop singer while being drawn further into (and probably financing) Tedros\u2019 burgeoning cult of personality. But rather than exploring these ideas with any degree of nuance, The Idol<\/em>\u2019s newest trailer makes the show seem like it might err on the side of being risqu\u00e9 simply for the sake of titillating and \/ or scandalizing viewers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n