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 return 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 it failed to maintain that following as the season progressed.
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 but struggling 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 couldn't keep up 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.
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.