Key Takeaways
- The Acolyte brought some fresh ideas to Star Wars, but was canceled due to a lack of viewership, not toxic fandom.
- Disney has shifted its focus to protecting the profits of its streaming services, which could mean more show cancellations in the future.
- Instead of blaming show cancellations on toxic fans or ideologies, we should blame the economic realities of the streaming industry.
One of the most talked about shows debuting in 2024 is Star Wars spin-off series Disney+ aired a drama featuring Amandla Stenberg as twins Osha and Mei, who represent opposite sides of the Force. The show was unique in that it was set 100 years before the rise of the Empire and explored interesting themes such as the unbridled power of the Jedi at the time, the origins of the “dark side”, and how the Force was used by different cultures across the galaxy. The cast was very diverse and featured a fresh storyline, but unfortunately the first season of the series was abrupt at eight episodes, which made it stale, but it did leave me excited for future seasons.
However, all hope for Acolyte’s future was dashed this week when Lucasfilm quietly announced that the series would not be getting a second season. Social media was immediately abuzz with users debating the supposed reasons for the cancellation, with many blaming the show’s more toxic aspects. Star Wars Fandom has speculated that the diversity-focused series made it an instant target for cancellation, with X owner Elon Musk also weighing in on the debate, suggesting in a post that so-called “woke” ideology was behind the show’s untimely end.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Elon Musk and others celebrating the end of Acolyte as a cultural victory are completely wrong about why the show was canceled: the decision not to continue the show is about the current situation. The Economics of Streaming And then there’s something that has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the series.
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Why was The Acolyte cancelled?
It’s not for the reason you think
Disney
Just a few weeks ago, Disney announced that its streaming portfolio, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, had turned a profit for the first time, making $47 million in profits between April and June. This is a big deal, since just a year ago, the streaming division was losing $1 billion per quarter, according to the company’s CFO Hugh Johnston. He spoke to investors about the financial win during the company’s earnings call. Officials attributed the gains to several factors, including advertising on Disney+/Hulu, strong performance of sports on ESPN, and consumer interest. Streaming Bundle But unofficially, Disney+ is making significant cost cuts, which includes cutting programming, cutting episodes of existing series, and of course reducing budgets where possible.
While it may seem easy to blame the cancellation on the more toxic side of Star Wars fandom and the amount of online discourse, the truth is that The Acolyte was canceled because it didn’t get enough viewership. It didn’t get much publicity, but this is also why other Star Wars films like Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett ended up as one-offs. Some may argue that these were planned as one-season miniseries from the start, but I would argue that if they had been a massive cultural hit comparable to The Mandalorian, Disney would have found a way to bring them back for additional episodes. But because they were only a modest hit, Disney shelved them as filler for the Star Wars content hub on Disney+, never to be mentioned again.
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It is expected that there will be more cancellations and fewer shows approved in the future.
The streaming world is about to get a lot smaller
Disney
While the cancellation of “Acolyte” is certainly a blow, it likely won’t be the last major show Disney cancels as it tries to protect the profitability of its streaming service. Disney isn’t the only company looking to cut costs: Paramount+ just made major cuts and Netflix continues to make cuts. Cancel a popular show and even Max, who cut corners on the production of his biggest hit, House of the Dragon . It infuriated both creators and viewers. .
Unfortunately, the reality of the streaming industry today is that with rising prices and ubiquitous advertising, consumers become more selective about which services they pay for, which translates into less revenue for streaming companies and less programming being produced. And of course, this creates a self-perpetuating cycle: less programming means subscribers are even less likely to pay for streaming services, creating a never-ending downward spiral.
While it’s unfortunate that a show like “Acolyte” wasn’t given enough time (or episodes) to gain an audience, this won’t be the last show to be canceled without becoming popular overnight. In fact, this is just the first of what we expect to be a major contraction across the streaming industry, where not only will more shows end sooner than planned, but fewer shows even get approved in the first place. “Acolyte” was an interesting show with an interesting premise, but unfortunately, the economics of streaming no longer allow for big breakthroughs with interesting ideas, as only sure-fire hits with already established popular characters are making it into the mainstream stage (Or actor Because profit takes precedence over creativity, we will see the following products being produced:
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There’s only so much Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars available to watch.
