The Idol: Twitter Revolts After Seeing Photos Of Amy Seimetz's Mean Girls-Like Take

For all intents and purposes, "The Idol" looks to be one of HBO's all-time misfires. Heralded as the next big series from "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson, the show came roaring in on a tidal wave of buzz. Accusations from behind the scenes that the show was tasteless and toxic only helped to fuel the whirlwind of controversy that surrounded it.

Sadly, however, "The Idol" failed to deliver as trashy fun or a serious takedown of the music industry, instead feeling like an amalgamation of plots from different stories mashed together. Now, fans are growing even more furious after seeing some of what Amy Seimetz, the original showrunner for the series, had in mind for Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and company via set photos that have been leaked on Twitter.

User @ViralMaterialz shared photos of a much different Jocelyn than the one viewers met on "The Idol." Compared to the gritty and grimy version we did see, these photos hint at a series that draws more from the early 2000s pop era and perhaps features a different kind of satirical look at the entertainment industry. They depict a bedroom covered in pink with life-sized Jocelyn cut-outs in an aesthetic that is more akin to "Mean Girls" than what we eventually got. 

Now, fans are crying for what could have been had the series stuck to its original approach. "I would like to see this," wrote @burgerworld666, and others quickly agreed. "This makes me so upset cause you can tell the original plot of the idol had a genuine vision," another user tweeted.

It's a sad comedown for fans who were hyped for "The Idol," especially considering how these photos paint a vastly different version of the show from what eventually came out after Sam Levinson and Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye tinkered around with Amy Seimetz's version.

Twitter user @jnobobsession added further fuel to the fire by sharing a post from young actor Arabella Grant's Instagram page. The post explained that Grant had been cast in a recurring role, possibly as Jocelyn's little sister, and that the role had been subsequently cut from the show after Levinson took over. The post contained photos of Grant onset posing with Lily-Rose Depp.

"RELEASE THE AMY SEIMETZ CUT," @davey0v0 tweeted in response. Similarly, @aphrdt8 wrote, "omg the idol could be my go to show only if they use this version instead of that final script."

It's easy to see why the removal of this aspect, in particular, didn't sit well with fans. Seeing how Jocelyn's larger-than-life presence as a pop star affected her little sister, if that was indeed the role, could have added more depth and layers to "The Idol."

It's unlikely, given how shaky things are at Warner Bros. Discovery at the moment, that we'll see a release of the Seimetz Cut of "The Idol" ala "Zack Snyder's Justice League." But these photos still offer a tantalizing look at what could have been.