Disney just dropped the news that they're canceling The Acolyte after only one season, and it's caught everyone—fans and cast alike—off guard, especially since the showrunner had big plans for the series. The Acolyte told the story of twin sisters Osha and Mae as they dealt with their different paths in the Force after being split up as kids.
The Acolyte's unique take on the Star Wars universe caught viewers' attention and equally attracted fan backlash. With Disney citing viewership dropping and production costs soaring, cast members like Lee Jung-Jae, who played Jedi Master Sol, mentioned he was "surprised" by the move.
Lee told Entertainment Weekly,
“I was actually personally really looking forward to watching a Season 2 with her at the helm.”
Disney's stakes in the production costs of The Acolyte Season 2 and its viewership decline
The Acolyte started with a bang and a Deadline report from August 19, 2024, said the show launched on June 4, 2024, and pulled in a solid 4.8 million views on day one, making it Disney+'s biggest series launch this year. After just five days, the show racked up 11.1 million viewers, thanks to the
However, its glorious days did not last long; by week three, it fell off Nielsen's Top 10 originals list. The final episode earned its spot on the chart at No. 10 but only garnered 335 million minutes of watch time, which is considered relatively low for a Star Wars finale.
Like other streaming services, Disney has stringent standards for renewing expensive shows, so this drop in viewership was a setback. Deadline says each season of The Acolyte cost over $100 million to produce.
Even though Disney+ has renewed popular Star Wars series like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, the platform was unconvinced about renewing The Acolyte, going by these numbers.
The divided reception of The Acolyte Season 2 and its creative choices
Besides the viewership concerns, The Acolyte had a mixed reaction from Star Wars fans. Critics seemed to enjoy it, giving it a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, but some long-time fans weren't as into it. Variety mentioned that the show took daring storytelling chances and explored the theory, saying:
“Some critics and fans loved how the show challenged the traditional perception of the Jedi as infallible and wholly virtuous,”
On the flip side, some fans thought the way the show reworked Jedi principles didn't fit with the classic good-versus-evil theme central to Star Wars. This creative clash might've made it more challenging for Disney to renew the show.
Lee Jung-Jae shared his thoughts on the storytelling in The Acolyte, giving a shoutout to showrunner Leslye Headland for her direction, saying:
“I really loved Leslye’s writing. I thought that she was a great writer and director who was very talented in the storytelling, as well as creating characters and creating meaningful structures within the story,”
Despite the divided fanbase, Lee remains hopeful about a potential future for The Acolyte:
“Honestly, I am hoping that maybe there could be changes in the future because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Disney seems to be sticking with its classics, like The Mandalorian, which has made its way into movies. This might show they're not keen on projects that wander too far from what the franchise is about. According to Deadline, Leslye Headland had some ideas for The Acolyte Season 2, but Disney decided to pass on them because of the costs and the mixed reviews.
Although The Acolyte has been canceled, fans can still explore the mystery-thriller series on Disney+.
