Why was The Acolyte cancelled? Reasons Disney Plus show was axed - and if it can still be watched

• Star Wars show The Acolyte will not be returning for a second series. 
• It received middling reviews from critics and was review bombed online. 
• Despite getting off to a strong start in terms of viewership, it was not able to maintain the momentum. 

Disney has made the shock decision to cancel The Acolyte just a few weeks after its first season ended. There had been hopes that the Star Wars series, which starred Amandla Stenberg, Squid Games' Lee Jung-jae and Manny Jacinto, would return for more episodes, but the decision has been made to not continue with the show. 

It is the first live-action Star Wars show to be officially axed, while no public decision has been made on the future of Obi Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett. It is a move that has left fans of the show disappointed, especially as the finale ended on a massive cliffhanger. 

The Acolyte had a mixed reception from critics and sits with a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is the second lowest for a live-action Star Wars show. It was also the victim of a review bombing campaign upon its release, with nastier parts of the internet accusing it of being “woke” and taking grievance with it being “female-led”. 

What was The Acolyte about? 

The show was set more than a century before George Lucas’ prequel trilogy (Phantom Menace, Attack of Clones and Revenge of the Sith) in a period that has been called the High Republic. Starring Amandla Stenberg in a dual role as twins Osha and Mae, it follows a former padawan who reunites with her ex-Jedi master (played by Lee Jung-jae) to investigate a series of murders. 

But they soon realise that the forces they are confronting are more sinister than they could ever imagine. And secrets from their shared past will come to light in devastating ways. 

Showrunner Leslye Headland had spoken of her desire to bring the show back for a second season and revealed she had already pitched ideas for further episodes. However sadly that will not come to pass as Disney have cancelled the Star Wars show. 

Why was The Acolyte cancelled? 

The eight-episode series had a very high budget - estimated to be around $180 million (£140m) for the first season. It is not unusual for streaming shows to cost a huge amount to make, but with such a high investment the bar for renewal is equally as lofty. 

Deadline reports that The Acolyte got off to a good start in terms of viewership with 4.8m viewers watching the first two episodes when they dropped on 4 June. It was the biggest premiere on Disney+ this year, but the show could not keep up the momentum over the following weeks. 

It dropped after the top 10 on the streamer after its third week and did not return until the finale. And the final episode is believed to have been the lowest watched for a Star Wars show, the website reports.  

The stagnating viewership combined with the high budget for the show are both likely to have played a role in Disney’s decision to not continue with The Acolyte. 

How have fans reacted? 

Reaction to the cancellation of The Acolyte has been mixed, much like the response to the show in general. The vocal group of fans who were critical of the show over its perceived “political” stances have celebrated the cancelation with Elon Musk, owner of Twitter (I refuse to call it X), tweeted “go ____, go ____” - seemingly a reference to the right wing meme of go woke, go broke. 

On the other end of the spectrum, fans of the show mourned the fact it would not be returning. Prominent podcaster and culture commentator Joanne Robinson wrote: “I HATE THIS. Leslye Headland, the first woman to create a Star Wars series, tapped into something fresh and exciting in the fandom with S1 and while I had my notes she absolutely deserved a second season to let those ideas cook. We all lose with this.” 

Another user on Twitter added: “The Acolyte was excellent and I am gutted that it will not be returning for a second season.  Loved the story, the characters, the questions (big and small) and the fights.” 

Personally, I have been left with a sense of a missed opportunity. The Acolyte was not perfect by any means and aside from the stellar fifth episode Night it did not really live up to expectations - but it is a shame that a Star Wars show that’s not directly linked to a Skywalker or the original trilogy won’t get a second chance to find its feet. 

It also highlights the major flaw of a lot of these streaming shows, which have short seasons and ridiculously high budgets. It means they have to be culture shifting hits from the off and don’t have time to grow into themselves. 

Obviously it is not similar because it's a sitcom and not a high concept serialised show, but one of my all time favourite shows is Parks and Recreation and it famously struggled to find its feet at first. However it thankfully stuck around and became the deeply memorable show many of us love. 

Can you still watch The Acolyte on Disney Plus? 

The show may have been cancelled, but if you have been meaning to get round to watching it - or need to watch the final few episodes - but you can still catch up on it, for the time being at least. The Acolyte is still available to watch on Disney+ as of 21 August 2024. 

But that may not always be the case, Disney has in the past removed cancelled shows from its streaming service. Fans of the popular 1980s fantasy film Willow have been left with no legal way to watch the 2022 sequel series following its removal from Disney Plus - and the lack of a physical release. 

Disney has released physical versions of other Star Wars shows including Andor, Obi Wan Kenobi and The Mandalorian. It has not been confirmed either way if The Acolyte will also be released on DVD/ Blu-Ray. 

Are more Star Wars shows coming in 2024

Fans of George Lucas’ universe will not have to wait long for their next fix of Star Wars action as the Jude Law starring Skeleton Crew is set to arrive later in 2024. The show is described as an Amblin Entertainment-style (think ET and Goonies) coming of age story and has a younger cast of characters. 

A release date of 3 December 2024 has been announced. Skeleton Crew will have eight episodes, similar to other Star Wars shows on Disney Plus. 

What did you make of the news of The Acolyte’s cancellation, should it have been allowed to continue the story? Share your thoughts with our tech writer by emailing: [email protected].