The Disney+ era of television series generally means the continuance of a particular show is always in flux. No one expected Loki to have a second season, but, lo and behold it, did. Presumably if Obi-Wan Kenobi had been a monster hit, they may have given that a second season also. Every season could be the last. However, Star Wars: The Acolyte was always designed to have multiple seasons, which makes the fact it has been cancelled…well, I won’t say “surprising,” but possibly evidence that Lucasfilm is listening to audience reaction more than we thought.
The news, which Deadline reported, comes about a month following the finale of The Acolyte‘s first (and only) season. The mystery series set during the High Republic era, about a complacent Jedi Order going after a new dark threat, had a pretty solid premiere week but steadily fell down the streaming ratings in subsequent weeks.
While the series met with pre-launch online hatred given the lesbian showrunner and multicultural cast, the uneven nature of the story and the rewriting of familiar lore seems to have driven others away. It also probably didn’t help that most of the show’s characters died in season one. Showrunner Lesley Headland had submitted ideas for a season two and was hopeful for a pickup, but it was not to be.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.