Yahoo Lifestyle The Acolyte: Cancelled Star Wars Series Didn’t Perform Well Enough to Justify Cost, Says Disney Exec
The Disney brass was “happy” enough with how The Acolyte performed this summer, but the live-action Star Wars series’ “cost structure” ultimately dictated its cancellation after one season, an exec has shared with Vulture.
The Acolyte premiered in June on Disney+, with the eight-episode season wrapping up in July. Set during the final days of the High Republic era, the mystery thriller centered on a former Padawan (played by Amandla Stenberg) who reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes and then discovers the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
More from TVLine
Doctor Who Season 15 Trailer Teases New Companion, Emojibots, Ruby's Return and 'Deadly Games'
Yep, the Latest Doctor Who Christmas Special Just Did That - Grade It!
Critics lauded the show for taking a fresh approach to the Star Wars universe, but a vocal contingent of fans rejected the series, with some labeling it as “woke” for casting a Black LGBTQ actor as the lead. On Rotten Tomatoes, the critics’ score for The Acolyte stands at 78%, but the users’ score is just 18%.
The Acolyte made its Nielsen steaming Top 10 debut with the release of its first two episodes, which racked up nearly 500 million minutes viewed. Two weeks later, it fell out of the Top 10 ranking, though six weeks later — with the release of its finale — it returned, in the bottom spot.
Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman, assessing the state of past, present and future Star Wars TV projects for Vulture, said that “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].”
Bergman went on to say that they’ve seen “some growth” with the recently launched Skeleton Crew, while “the reviews have been excellent”; Andor Season 2 (due out April 25) is “excellent” (he’s seen all episodes); and Ahsoka Season 2 and “a number of additional series” are “in development.”
The story of the Mandalorian and Grogu, meanwhile, will resume with an eponymous feature film hitting theaters May 22, 2026.
The Most Unjust Cancellations of 2024
Stenberg, who starred as twin sisters Osha and Mae, broke her silence in August via Instagram, saying that the cancellation was “not a huge shock for me” because of the severe backlash she received from fans online: “There has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced… a rampage of, I would say, hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language towards us.”
At the time Disney+ announced the cancellation, Stenberg’s co-star Lee Jung-jae, who played Jedi Master Sol, expressed his hope “that maybe there could be changes in the future… I really hope we could get to see further stories [in a] second season.”
Best of TVLine
The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More
Summer TV Calendar: Your Guide to 85+ Season and Series Premieres
Sign up for TVLine's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
