Why did Disney+ and Lucasfilm axe The Acolyte? It's rare for the streamer to publicly announce a cancellation, and some believe the apparent review-bombing might have factored into Disney's decision.
The series, set during The High Republic Era, featured a diverse cast and was criticised by many Star Wars fans for taking what they considered to be major liberties with the franchise's established set of rules. It's impossible to figure out how many of The Acolyte's detractors were trolls and which of them were real fans with legitimate grievances.
Regardless, the decision to scrap the series just got a little bit more confusing.
Deadline has shared statistics from Luminate which reveal that The Acolyte was the second-most-watched TV series of 2024 on Disney+ behind only Percy Jackson and the Olympians. That had "over three billion minutes viewed," with the prequel to the prequels trailing behind with 2.7 billion.
So, why is Percy Jackson and the Olympians getting a second season when The Acolyte has been scrapped with a huge cliffhanger ending now likely to be left unresolved?
When Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman was asked about the decision to pull the plug on the show last year, he said, "As it relates to Acolyte, we were happy with our performance, but it wasn’t where we needed it to be given the cost structure of that title, quite frankly, to go and make a Season 2. So that’s the reason why we didn’t [renew it]."
While it would be easy to blame what appeared to be a deliberate effort to sabotage the series, that would arguably give those people too much credit.
For context, The Mandalorian reportedly topped 5.42 billion minutes of viewing during its initial seven-week run. It's taken The Acolyte since last June to amass 2.7 billion and, as it cost considerably more than The Mandalorian's first season to produce - like upwards of $110 million - Bergman wasn't lying when he said the show wasn't a good investment.
Also of note is the fact both Marvel Studios' Echo and Agatha All Along are said to have underperformed on Disney+ last year.
Doing the rounds to promote Squid Game season 2, Master Sol actor Lee Jung-jae addressed the negative backlash when he said, "My feelings were hurt. Especially for Leslye Headland—her feelings must have hurt a lot. I can only have faith that racism will end someday, even though it’s going to be hard."
"For some work, it takes time to gain traction, and I have strong hopes that people will like it as time passes," he added, sharing his hope that Star Wars fans might come to appreciate it more down the line.
In The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.
All episodes are now streaming on Disney+.