Disney+ cancels Star Wars spinoff The Acolyte before season 2 – and fans blame ‘bad writing’ for show’s demise

DISNEY+ has devastated fans after announcing Star Wars spinoff The Acolyte won’t be returning for a second season.

The show got off to a strong start, drawing in more than 4 million viewers when it premiered back in June, but failed to maintain that following as the season progressed.

Disney+

Disney+

Disney+ confirmed that Lucasfilm opted not to proceed with Season 2, canceling the show after just eight episodes, according to Deadline .

News of the decision comes just one month after the eight-episode season ended on Disney+.

The Acolyte was relatively well-received by critics, earning 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes , but struggled in terms of viewership.

Roughly 4.8 million people tuned in to watch the premiere of the Star Wars offshoot on June 4, making it the biggest premiere on Disney+ in 2024.

After five days, the show was watched by 11.1 million people globally, but The Acolyte failed to retain that momentum.

Nielsen revealed that the show ranked in its Top 10 originals chart when it premiered but began falling in the weeks after.

By week three, the show dropped out of the Top 10 and stayed off through the remainder of the season, climbing back up to No. 10 in the Top 10 when the finale aired.

FANS REACT

Online, fans expressed disappointment after seeing the announcement.

“[With] better writing could’ve been the best show so far. Awesome premise bad execution and directing,” complained one social media user.

“Nooooooo,” shared another.

“Star Wars fans, smh. This series never stood a chance. And before anyone says, ‘Well what about Ahsoka?’ They only watched it for Anakin,” slammed a third.

“Hire writers for the next one. And actors/actresses,” suggested a fourth commenter.

“Nasty behavior by Disney,” bashed a fifth fan.

“Wtf man,” penned another upset viewer.

TV Show Cancellations 2024

While many TV shows were renewed this year, many did not get as lucky and were axed by their respective networks. Here's a list of some shows that didn't make the cut for another season:

• Blue Bloods – CBS (cancelled after its 14th season)
• The Good Doctor – ABC (cancelled after its 7th season)
• Grown-ish – Freeform (cancelled after its 6th season)
• Good Trouble – Freeform (cancelled after its 5th season)
• Magnum P.I. – moves to NBC (cancelled after its 5th season)
• Station 19 – ABC (cancelled after its 7th season)
• Superman & Lois – CW (cancelled after its 4th season)
• What We Do in the Shadows – FX (cancelled after its 6th season)
• Young Sheldon – CBS (cancelled after its 7th season)
• NCIS: Hawai’i – CBS (cancelled after its 3rd season)
• CSI: Vegas – CBS (cancelled after its 3rd season)
• So Help Me Todd – CBS (cancelled after its 2nd season)

BACKLASH & CONTROVERSY

The Acolyte faced many hurdles as soon as it premiered.

Some loyal Star Wars fans complained the show was too stark a departure from the franchise they grew up watching.

Viewers complained that the premise of the show didn’t make sense, noting that a Sith interacting with members of the Jedi Order would never happen because a Jedi was murdered in the Star Wars universe.

The Acolyte was a mystery-thriller show that brought viewers into a galaxy full of new dark powers amid the era of the High Republic.

In the show, an ex-Padawan was reunited with her Jedi Master as the two teamed up to investigate crimes and confronted forces darker than expected.

Other viewers criticized the show for being “woke,” noting that showrunner Leslye Headland is proudly queer, according to ScreenRant .

Many viewers also complained about a non-binary character on the show who used they/them/pronouns.

Even as it was announced that The Acolyte would not proceed with Season 2, critics slammed the show and blamed so-called wokeness for its ultimate demise.

“Stopped watching after pronouns,” slammed one critical commenter.

“Disney starting to realize they can’t have a woke non-profit arm for much longer,” wrote another.

“You go woke you go broke,” suggested a third.

The Acolyte starred Amandla Stenberg , Lee Jung-Jae, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

Disney+

Disney+

Disney+

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