Lucasfilm has made the decision not to proceed with a second season of The Acolyte, the Star Wars offshoot that starred Amandla Stenberg, according to sources. This announcement follows the conclusion of the show’s eight-episode first season on Disney+, which was led by creator and showrunner Leslye Headland.
The decision comes more than a month after the series ended its run. Although The Acolyte received a moderate critical reception with a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it sparked mixed reactions among Star Wars fans, impacting its viewership figures.
Initially, The Acolyte had a strong premiere. Launched on June 4 with its first two episodes, it amassed 4.8 million views on its first day, marking the biggest series debut on Disney+ this year. In the first five days, its view count rose to 11.1 million globally. The show also appeared on Nielsen’s Top 10 originals chart, debuting at No. 7 with nearly 488 million minutes viewed in its premiere week, before climbing to No. 6 the following week.
However, the series struggled to maintain its audience, dropping out of the Top 10 by Week 3 and not returning until it hit No. 10 with the release of its finale, which garnered 335 million minutes viewed—potentially the lowest for a Star Wars series finale.
Like other major streaming services such as Netflix and Prime Video, Disney+ operates under a high viewership threshold for renewing expensive series that exceed $100 million per season to produce.
In interviews, Headland expressed her ideas and hopes for a second season. Meanwhile, The Mandalorian, Disney+’s first and most successful series to date, continues to thrive, with the upcoming crossover film The Mandalorian & Grogu. Additionally, Ahsoka, which followed The Acolyte, has already been renewed for a second season.
The Acolyte was a mystery-thriller set in a galaxy filled with secrets and dark-side influences during the final days of the High Republic era. The plot followed a former Padawan who teams up with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, only to uncover darker forces than anticipated.
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.