The production of ‘The Acolyte’ cost Disney around $230 million, but the low viewership didn’t justify the expenses. Additionally, the series received a poor audience score of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, partly due to backlash that had been building since the show’s announcement.
‘The Acolyte’ drew criticism for its casting, LGBTQ+ representation, and changes to established ‘Star Wars’ lore. Disney eventually responded to the backlash by cancelling the show, and cast members are not happy with the decision.
Jodie Turner-Smith, who played Mother Aniseya in the series, criticized the company in a recent interview with Glamour, saying, “They’ve got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting f*cking dog-piled on the internet with racism and bullsh*t. It’s just not fair to not say anything. It’s really unfair.”
She continued, “It would just be nice if the people that have all the money were showing their support and putting their feet down. Say this is unacceptable, ‘You’re not a fan if you do this.’ Make a really big statement and just see if any money leaves. I bet you it won’t, because people of color, and especially Black people, make up a very large percentage of buying power. They might find that it’s actually more lucrative for them, but everyone’s using ‘woke’ like it’s a dirty word.”
The show faced review bombing before its June premiere and received ongoing negative feedback during its eight-episode run, allegedly fueled by hate from certain YouTube channels. Lead actress Amandla Stenberg said in August that the cancellation didn’t come as a surprise to her.
“That’s when we started experiencing a rampage of hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred, and hateful language towards us,” Stenberg explained.
“This really affected me when I first got the job because it’s just not something, even though I anticipated it happening, it’s not something you can fully understand what it feels like until it’s happening to you, however, I feel like I’ve kind of moved through those feelings in various ways, including being vocal about it myself.”
‘The Acolyte’ fans expressed frustration with the show’s cancellation, demanding a second season and starting online campaigns. Disney has not responded to these calls.
