The Acolyte Cancellation Has Star Wars Fans Saying The Same Thing

Disney has cancelled "The Acolyte" after one season, which probably won't come as a shock to anyone who followed the discourse surrounding Osha and Mae's (Amandla Stenberg) High Republic adventures. Despite being fairly well received by critics, "The Acolyte" ripped Star Wars fans apart and exposed some of the more toxic corners of the franchise's fan base — and these factors ultimately contributed to some record-low viewership figures. However, Disney's decision to axe the show was probably motivated by financial reasons, as it wasn't a cheap series to produce. 

Many fans feel that the show's high budget was the main reason why the studio cancelled "The Acolyte," with X (formerly known as Twitter) user @anikestis writing, "Giving a huge budget to a show which is brand new to most people was a big risk." However, while the fan understands that the show got canned for business reasons, they praised "The Acolyte" for its entertaining depiction of the galaxy's High Republic era.

Disney reportedly spent $180 million on "The Acolyte," so the assessment that it was removed from the schedule in an effort to save money makes sense. With that in mind, let's see what other Star Wars fans are saying about the unfortunate news development. 

The proliferation of streaming means that studios have to be picky with how they spend their billions. Unfortunately for "The Acolyte," the finale received the lowest turnout for a Star Wars series yet, and it didn't exactly have widespread fan support on its side either. However, did the series justify its expensive costs in the first place? Some fans feel that the money was misspent, as it doesn't look like a prestige production.

"'Where did that budget go?' is a question that should be asked about a LOT of Disney's work recently," Redditor u/Kane_richards wrote. "The budgets are absurd, almost to the point where it seems to be impossible for a show to be good enough to warrant a Season 2." Similarly, u/FogellMcLovin77 noted that "The Acolyte" cost more to make than one of HBO's biggest series. "By the way, that show was more expensive per episode by [$2 million] than 'House of the Dragon.' That's how badly they managed the budget."

Elsewhere, some fans believe that the "Acolyte" cancellation was multifaceted, and the decision raises some interesting questions about streaming. "There are a lot of factors into why Disney & Lucasfilm are not moving with 'The Acolyte,'" X user @fabricius91 suggested. "A mixture of toxic negative reactions & not enough viewers to justify its high budget. All that feels like a deeper conversation into the nature of this business today with streaming shows." Despite this, some fans will miss the sci-fi saga.

Disney's decision to cancel a divisive series will probably be celebrated by some corners of the Star Wars fan base. Furthermore, the underwhelming viewing figures suggest that "The Acolyte" wouldn't have been financially viable in the long run — but that doesn't mean the show lacks creative merit.

Some reviewers felt that the Force was strong with "The Acolyte," and there are people out there who are sad to know that Season 2 is off the cards. "Disappointed to hear #TheAcolyte won't be returning. I really enjoyed that [program] — even my daughter (who hates Star Wars) got into it. Oh well," X user @roboconnor_irl commiserated.

Meanwhile, some fans claimed that the Disney+ series was refreshing, as it took risks, such as resurrecting Star Wars' most controversial Force power and painting the Jedi in a more morally questionable light at times. As such, viewers like @sawyeurism will look back on it with fondness and admiration. "'The Acolyte' was different. It took risks. It invited a new audience to explore and enjoy Star Wars where they never had before." Hopefully, some of the ideas introduced on the series will inspire other forms of media down the line. For now, though, "The Acolyte" appears to be over on Disney+.