Lucasfilm Cancels The Acolyte season 2 amid mixed reviews and declining viewership

Lucasfilm has decided not to move forward with a second season of The Acolyte, the Star Wars spinoff starring Amandla Stenberg, Deadline has learned. This decision comes over a month after the first season's eight episodes concluded on Disney+.

The series, created, directed, and executive produced by Leslye Headland, received a mixed reception. While it earned a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it polarized Star Wars fans, which affected its overall viewership.

The Acolyte debuted strongly on June 4, generating 4.8 million views on its first day and becoming Disney+’s biggest series premiere of the year. It quickly climbed to 11.1 million global views within five days and made a strong showing on Nielsen’s Top 10 originals chart, reaching No. 7 in its premiere week with 488 million minutes viewed, and No. 6 the following week.

However, the show struggled to maintain this success, falling out of the Top 10 in Week 3 and briefly reappearing at No. 10 after its finale, which saw 335 million minutes viewed, a low for a Star Wars series finale.

Like other major streaming platforms, Disney+ has strict viewership requirements for renewing expensive series, which cost over $100 million per season to produce.

Creator Leslye Headland had pitched ideas for a second season and expressed hopes for renewal. Meanwhile, Lucasfilm's more successful series, The Mandalorian, continues with upcoming features, and Ahsoka, the series that followed The Acolyte, has been renewed for a second season.

Set in the final days of the High Republic era, The Acolyte was a mystery-thriller exploring dark-side powers and shadowy secrets. The cast included Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, and Carrie-Anne Moss.