The Weeknd is starting a cult with Euphoria's Sam Levinson (for an HBO drama series)

Fresh off of his appearance on American Dad!, where he played himself in an episode he co-wrote that was about how he has magic powers because he’s secretly a virgin who never uses drugs (it’s a good show), Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye has lined up another acting gig. As reported by Deadline, he’s going to co-write, produce, and star in a new project for HBO called The Idol that was co-created by The Weeknd, Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, and Weeknd’s producing partner Reza Fahim.

The show is about a female pop singer who starts dating “an enigmatic L.A. club owner” who also happens to be “the leader of a secret cult.” Deadline says The Weeknd is starring in the show, which presumably means he’ll be the club owner/cult leader, but he could just be some other guy in this world. Hell, he could play himself again, since it would be pretty easy to explain that a female pop singer is friends with The Weeknd. His American Dad! appearance was about how his songs are all fake and he’s actually afraid of talking to women or doing cocaine, and then maybe his The Idol role will be about how The Weeknd is actually a jerk who lets his friends and colleagues get swept up in secret Los Angeles nightclub cults. Wouldn’t it be interesting if he keeps playing a character in his music videos, as he did for all of the After Hours singles, but then he plays himself on TV? Then again, he might be playing the cult leader, who is not The Weeknd, so maybe it doesn’t matter.

This news comes after The Weeknd had a big 2020, to the extent that anyone could have a big 2020, culminating earlier this year in the double high-low punch of the Super Bowl Halftime Show and a controversial Grammy snub.