Lucasfilm has made the decision to not renew Disney’s The Acolyte for a second season.
This move comes over a month after the eight-episode run of the first season of the series, starring Amandla Stenberg and creator, director, executive producer Leslye Headland concluded the show on Disney+.
While The Acolyte performed decently with critics, reaction was heavily divided amongst Star Wars fans. However, it got off to a strong start, generating close to 5 million views in its first day to rank as the most successful premiere on Disney+ in 2024. After five days of streaming, the tally rose to 11.1 million views globally.
Yet, the show failed to maintain momentum as new episodes were released. Similar to other major streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video, Disney+ commands a high viewership threshold for renewing big-budget series that cost over $100 million per season to create.
Headland has revealed in interviews that she hoped for a renewal, sharing her ideas for a second season.
The Acolyte was a thriller that explored the choice behind why those who have power over the Force decide to turn to the Dark Side, with the events taking place during the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her old Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but they find the circumstances surrounding them are more sinister than anticipated.
In addition to Stenberg, the cast included Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman and Carrie-Anne Moss.