The Acolyte was splitting opinions even before it premiered on Disney+ in 2024. The series was also a target of apparent review-bombing in the days leading up to its release, while female and non-white cast members faced online abuse and trolling.
The show took some big swings with Star Wars lore, and that's always a risk for a franchise this beloved. The idea was to reveal how the Force could lead to the immaculate conception of a child—tying into Anakin Skywalker's creation—and to fill in some big gaps in Star Wars history. That latter point included the live-action debut of Darth Plagueis.
With such vocal, continuous social media backlash, the news of The Acolyte's cancellation didn't come as a huge shock. Unfortunately, there are now several unresolved plot threads caused by the lack of a Season 2 renewal.
Star Wars fans now have a long list of unanswered questions, most of which are unlikely to be resolved unless Lucasfilm releases a follow-up comic or novel. Given that the studio's publishing arm has moved on from the High Republic, neither option seems likely, meaning The Acolyte will continue to confound and frustrate in equal measure.
As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, there's been an unexpected development for the series this week. The show has re-entered the list of Disney+'s top 10 streaming shows, and FlixPatrol has placed it at #9.
Why are people tuning in nearly two years after the show premiered?
Well, with Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord topping the charts at #1, it's possible that sceptical Star Wars fans have decided to give The Acolyte another chance. The two shows don't share any characters—or even take place anywhere close to each other in this Galaxy Far, Far Away's timeline—but there are some parallels in their respective examinations of the Dark Side.
Despite having 19% on Rotten Tomatoes' "Popcornmeter," The Acolyte is "Certified Fresh" at 79%. Whether that and this apparent resurgence in interest is enough for new Lucasfilm co-President Dave Filoni to consider revisiting Mae and Osha remains to be seen.
The Acolyte was reportedly 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.
When Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman was asked about the decision to pull the plug on the show, 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]."
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+.