The mixed critical response to The Acolyte wasn’t the deciding factor in its cancellation claims a new report. Instead, spiralling viewing numbers (and a lack of Keanu Reeves) were the ultimate factor.
When The Acolyte completed its first season earlier this year on Disney+, the critical response was very loud and very divided. Sadly, that’s not particularly novel for a Star Wars release these days but chatter regarding the show and its various creative choices was pretty polarising, even for one of fandom’s most fractured fanbases.
Earlier this month we covered the report that The Acolyte wouldn’t be getting renewed for season 2, and whilst the loud debates and fierce criticisms of the show may have hit the headlines, they apparently weren’t a factor in the series’ cancellation. The Insneider is reporting that the decision to kill The Acolyte simply came down to the poor viewership, with the final episode being the least-watched finale of any Star Wars show.
John Rocha, co-host of The Hot Mic has also corroborated this report, claiming that Lucasfilm was putting together a writer’s room for the show’s second season as far back as February and just last month, inquiries were being made to directors. If accurate, that certainly suggests that Lucasfilm were happy with what they had and expected that audiences would be too – at least in enough numbers to warrant a second season.
Read more: The Acolyte cancelled | The season 1 questions that may never be answered
The show’s viewing numbers have been widely reported upon, but the audience numbers went steadily down over the course of the show, apparently falling steeply after the first two episodes. The Insneider also claims that the rumours linking Keanu Reeves to the role of Master Sol were accurate, with a scheduling conflict being the issue that prevented Reeves and Carrie Ann Moss from reuniting outside of The Matrix. The part would ultimately go to Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae.
So there you go. As for what comes next in the Star Wars saga, Skeleton Crew starring Jude Law will arrive in December and Lucasfilm will be hoping audience numbers will improve when that show launches.
