TV shows get canceled all the time, not just on streaming, but on network television, too.
However, it seems like a LOT of shows get canceled on Disney+ after just a few seasons. It happened with The Secrets of Sulphur Springs. It also happened with The Mysterious Benedict Society. However, we were surprised when Disney canceled the Star Wars series, The Acolyte, after just one season and a massive season 1 finale cliffhanger.
Although The Acolyte scored 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning the majority of critics liked it, the show suffered early on from viewers, many of who went out of their way to post negative reviews of the series. The show was a departure from previous Star Wars movies in that it was set well before the original film trilogy.
The series was set 100 years before the start of the Star Wars prequel trilogy and starred Amandla Stenberg as Osha and Mae, Force-sensitive twins who end up on opposite sides after a Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) begins to investigate a killing spree of Jedi.
The show garnered a passionate fanbase online, but its audience score sits at 18%. Such a disparity generally means that some were review-bombing the series. According to Forbes, The Acolyte had more audience reviews than all three seasons of The Mandalorian. Forbes attributes the hate to “racism, misogyny, and overall harassment of the cast which has poisoned every conversation about this show and exemplifies every horrible impulse of these so-called fans over this entire Disney era.”
Now, fans of the show are fighting back by making #RenewTheAcolyte trend on social media. Many spoke about how the show appealed to young women and families:
#TheAcolyte was the first #StarWars anything that my girls and wife have liked and were genuinely excited to see season 2 and what happens to OSHA. This was building the next generation of your fanbase and you cancel it ? #SaveTheAcolyte #RenewTheAcolyte pic.twitter.com/Wn0zCdXGeA
— Krazedjoker #RenewTheAcolyte (@krazedjester) August 21, 2024
Others pointed out that the show actually had good numbers, despite Disney’s decision to cancel it.
Please kill the narrative that The Acolyte didn’t have good numbers. It did, and it did relatively well. Even their previous Nielsen showed that, for a new series of only 8eps per 30min had enough number to back it up. It’s not why it’s cancelled #SaveTheAcolyte #RenewTheAcolyte https://t.co/NtxSztmhN1 pic.twitter.com/4rq5cd3AFj
— Alyssa Zaidelle (@actual_Alyssa) August 21, 2024
Others blamed the negative side of Star Wars fandom.
The gross side of the fandom came out to play, unfortunately. 🤢 I’ve got enough positivity to irritate them some more. 🫶🏼 #TheAcolyte was an amazing show, full of promise and needs a S2. (Also Earth politics don’t matter in fictional universes)#SaveTheAcolyte #RenewTheAcolyte https://t.co/um0ah0rC3F pic.twitter.com/B6ySFikjxK
— Darth Aak’ei (@DarthAakei) August 21, 2024
A petition on Change.org to renew the series already has close to 10,000 signatures. The petition reads:
“Regardless of the orchestrated review bombing by a small faction of loud trolls, and all of the other obstacles this show had to face straight out the gate, it trended repeatedly throughout and after the show aired. It has a very dedicated fanbase, willing to fight for its continuation. It’s a story that deserves to be told. ”
This is the first Star Wars series to be canceled, so its fate has already changed the narrative around the franchise. Will these efforts change Disney’s mind? Who’s to say? But it does seem like there are a lot more fans of the series coming out of the woodwork to try and save it.
In the meantime, the newest Star Wars series Skeleton Crew premieres on Disney+ on December 3rd, 2025.
Check back with AllEars again soon for more.
FIRST LOOK: ‘Star Wars Skeleton Crew’Trailer Reveals Jedi Jude Law!
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What do you think? Do you think The Acolyte should have been canceled? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments!
As a Star Wars since I saw the original in 1977, I was very excited about a series that explored this time period. The Acolyte was very difficult to follow. The acting was inconsistant and the direction was poor. I forced myself to watch all the way through for future shows that could include the period and characters. I have enjoyed the Star Wars series Disney has done; far more than the sequel movies (Rogue One and Solo were far better than 7,8 & 9). A Kenobi sequel should be far higher on the food chain than The Acolyte. Bring on The Skeleton Crew!
The show was poorly written with plot flaws everywhere. The acting in many cases was poor and the direction was amateur at best.
Like many of the Star Wars content on Disney plus (except Andor), it was boring and unfulfilling.
It should be cancelled, not because people hated it’s message, but because it was just bad.