Earlier this year, Disney+ released a brand new Star Wars series called “The Acolyte”, which told the story of an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.

The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

The show originally launched on Disney+ back in June and it was revealed that on the first day, the show pulled in 4.8 million views and over the first five days, the premiere episode drove 11.1 million views globally, where is was the biggest series premiere on Disney+ of 2024.

However, the show failed to meet fans expectations, and the viewership of the series dropped week by week, completely falling off the Nielsen streaming chart until the season finale.

Deadline has confirmed that “The Acolyte” has been cancelled and will not return for a second season.

This news shouldn’t come as a huge surprise following the series’ lacklustre reaction, which saw mixed reviews from critics and audiences. The series also was impacted by a huge negative reaction from many fans, who felt it was too progressive or “too woke”.

The online negativity against the series was no doubt a significant factor in the lack of viewership, but the series was also criticised for many other problems, such as bad writing, poor acting, massive plot holes, and that it simply wasn’t on the same level as previous Star Wars shows like “Andor” or “The Mandalorian”. The lack of viewership numbers for later episodes highlighted how few people returned after not enjoying the first couple of episodes.

Prior to the series’ launch, the show’s creator, Leslye Headland, said in multiple interviews that she had plans in place for multiple seasons. Sadly for fans of the show, the story won’t continue, as it is set hundreds of years before the events of “A Phantom Menace,” but I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney tried to wrap up the story in a book or comic to please fans.

Lucasfilm has been drastically reducing the number of Star Wars shows it releases on Disney+ as it shifts its focus back to theatrical releases. The failure of “The Acolyte” highlights how the Star Wars franchise has been strained by too many shows in recent years, with too many of them failing to meet expectations.

Roger’s Take: Since the second season wasn’t announced at the recent D23: Ultimate Fan Event, the show’s cancellation seemed just a matter of time.   “The Acolyte” has been a massive failure for Disney+.  This show didn’t perform well enough to justify the high production cost and will no doubt send a clear message to the creatives and executives at Lucasfilm that they’ve got to up their game with Star Wars content. The show might have been the biggest premiere on Disney+ this year, but that is also because there have barely been any major shows released on the streaming service this year.   ”

If you haven’t already done so, you can watch “The Acolyte” on Disney+ now.

What do you think about the cancellation of “The Acolyte”? Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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