Why Disney should renew The Acolyte for Season 2
The Acolyte has just been canceled after only one season, but it has left the door open for more! Here’s why the Star Wars series should have gotten one more year!
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte Season 1
Fans of streaming shows know there’s always a risk that a show that seems great and attains a devoted audience is unceremoniously canceled. Netflix is infamous for that while Disney+ has sadly ended some promising shows such as Renegade Nell and American Born Chinese. However, canceling a Star Wars show after only one season is something else.
The Acolyte has been the subject of much debate among Star Wars fans, from the plotlines to execution. Set a century before the movies in the High Republic era, it showcased Osha (Amandla Stenberg), a former Jedi padawan accused of murders that were actually the work of her believed dead twin sister Mae (also Stenberg). Osha’s journey to find her sister uncovers the hints of the Sith still alive.
The show did have complaints about the pacing and tone, yet it could be stronger in the storylines. It ended in a cliffhanger as Osha decided to go with the villain Qimir (Manny Jacinto). Meanwhile, Jedi Master Vernestra (Rebecca Henderson) put all the blame for the deaths of the Jedi on the deceased Sol. In reality, she sensed Qimir (her former Padawan) was involved. She reached out to Mae (whose memory of all this was erased by Qimir for her own safety) to track him down.
That seemed a setup for a second season, only for the cancellation to come instead. While some Star Wars fans may celebrate it, there are really several good reasons why The Acolyte should have been allowed to continue.
There was a great chance for improvement
Let’s be honest: The show had some issues. There were patches of rough writing and the pacing could be off. Two episodes packed with flashbacks to the same event were a bit much. Like many streaming shows, it could have condensed the storytelling and the writing was rougher than other Star Wars shows. It was not top-tier Star Wars, to be sure.
However, the TV landscape is filled with shows (especially sci-fi ones) that had so-so or even poor first seasons only to massively improve. Most Star Trek: The Next Generation fans agree the first season of the show was almost unwatchable, only to become a classic. Other shows have managed to retool things for a second year to improve nicely.
This could have been the same as the producers would have judged the fan reaction to what worked and what didn’t and made adjustments. It’s just jarring that yet another series with so much potential to rise up in a second season doesn’t get the opportunity.