It seems that a Star Wars boss has confirmed the real reason why The Acolyte was cancelled, and most of us probably missed it.
Set during the High Republic era, roughly a century before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte had an interesting premise of a Jedi Master investigating a series of brutal murders with hints that sinister forces may be at play.
Exclusive to Disney Plus, The Acolyte consisted of eight episodes, and while some were hit and miss, it at the very least had the potential to tell an interesting story of a popular Sith Lord unexplored in live-action form in season two. Sadly, season two never came to be.
Despite garnering millions of views over its opening episodes, The Acolyte was cancelled after its debut season had concluded. Many assumed that the series may have been cancelled as a result of fan backlash, but that might not entirely be the case.
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As reported by Vulture (thanks WinterIsComing), Disney Entertainment’s co-chair, Alan Bergman, said that the “cost structure” of The Acolyte did not warrant a second season.
“We were happy with our performance, but it wasn’t where we needed it to be... to make a season two,” added Bergman.
It makes sense that Disney and Lucasfilm would not continue with a show if it's not cost-effective. However, surely if that was really the case, an over-inflated budget could be reduced?
I’d be shocked if the very vocal fan backlash didn't play some part, because it sounds like its cost is a convenient excuse. I can only speculate. Sure, the writing was very poor in parts, but I still feel The Acolyte had plenty of potential to improve.
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The Acolyte season one is available to stream right now on Disney Plus. Hopefully, that won't eventually be erased from all existence.
Topics: Lucasfilm, The Acolyte, Star Wars, Disney, TV And Film