Queer-representative Star Wars series The Acolyte ‘cancelled’ after breaking streaming records
Season two of The Acolyte won’t be going ahead. (Disney+/Lucasfilm)
It’s bad news for Star Wars fans, as The Acolyte has been “cancelled” after breaking streaming records with season one.
The series was hailed for its queer representation on-screen and was even dubbed “The Woke-alyte” after including a diverse, LGBTQ+ cast, including welcoming the first out trans actor to the Star Wars franchise, Abigail Thorn.
According to Deadline, production company Lucasfilm has chosen not to proceed with season two of The Acolyte, despite the eight-part series breaking the Disney+ streaming record after its premiere.
PinkNews has contacted a representative of Disney+ and Lucasfilm for a comment on the matter.
The Acolyte was cancelled over one month after the series was wrapped on the streaming platform. The series was launched on 4 June, and garnered 4.8 million views on its first day on Disney+, leading it to rank as the biggest series premiere on the platform in 2024.
TVLine also reported that the first episode garnered 11.1 million views across the first five days of streaming. The series beat Disney+ competitors including Doctor Who, Marvel’s Echo and X-Men ‘97 during its premiere.
Even after bigots and angry fans attempted to review-bomb the show, with Forbes adding that low approval rates were linked to the “racism, misogyny and overall harassment of the cast which has poisoned every conversation about this show”, it still scored a solid 78 per cent with critics.
However, its success failed to be maintained. In its third week on the platform, the show dropped out of the Top 10 and stayed below its most popular shows until returning at number 10 after the release of the finale.
The “prequel to a prequel” series is set 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace.
The show “sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes – all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic”.
