Season 1, Episode 1: ‘Pop Tarts & Rat Tales’In the background of an early scene in the new HBO series “The Idol” you can hear Fiona Apple’s 1990s hit “Criminal.” The pop star heroine of the series, Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), is posing for her album cover. Areolas are not allowed per the nudity rider — a detail that neither Jocelyn nor her team seem to care about. As Apple’s track plays, two of the members of Jocelyn’s entourage describe her alternately as Brigitte Bardot and Sharon Tate — the latter reference, to the actress and Manson murder victim, is meant to make you shudder. Still, the use of “Criminal” stood out to me among the onslaught of cultural references Sam Levinson throws at the audience. (Levinson, who created the series with Tesfaye and Reza Fahim, wrote and directed Sunday’s premiere.)

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Persons: Fiona Apple’s, Jocelyn, Lily, Rose Depp, Brigitte Bardot, Sharon Tate, Manson, Britney Spears, Tedros, Abel Tesfaye, Donna Summer, ”, Sam Levinson, Levinson, Tesfaye, Reza Fahim, “ I’ve, Mark Romanek, Apple, Angelou Organizations: HBO, Apple, MTV