The Weeknd "expected" a negative reaction to 'The Idol'.
The Weeknd expected a backlash from the show
The 33-year-old singer stars in, and co-created, the drama series, and he claims to be unsurprised by the backlash against the show.
Asked if it was something he expected, The Weeknd told Variety: "No, no, that [was] very much expected."
The singer - whose real name is Abel Tesfaye - admits to being inspired by directors such as Brian De Palma and Paul Verhoeven.
And despite the negative reaction, he remains upbeat about the future of the show.
He explained: "Brian De Palma is a huge inspiration for all this, and of course Verhoeven. But look, we’re playing with genres with this show, we’re doing exactly what we wanted to do. And none of this is a surprise. I’m excited for everyone to watch the rest of the show."
Lily-Rose Depp plays an aspiring pop star in the series, and the actress previously admitted to loving the role.
The 24-year-old star - who is the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis - confessed to being "obsessed" with her on-screen character and described the show as the most "important project" of her career.
The actress told i-D magazine: "I’ve dreamt of roles like this for forever. I just don’t think that you could give an actress a greater gift than a role like this.
"This has been the most meaningful and important project that I’ve ever done, and the thing that I’m the proudest of. I don’t know where to begin.
"Jocelyn is the most wonderfully complex character. She’s so fascinating. A mystery. After a year of living with that character, I’m still obsessed with her. I just want to keep digging deeper."
Tagged in Johnny Depp The Weeknd