The Real Reason "The Acolyte" Got Cancelled

Why was "The Acolyte" Season 2 got cancelled? That's is the question that has been deprived of a direct answer. It should be clear by now that the show has an awful script, bad story, cringy lines and very expensive to make. All of this combined resulted in small viewership. It is plain and simple.

Nobody really believes that some of the actors involved with the show were surprised by this development. Any actor who is worth their craft should know by now that the show is a disappointment. They should not be surprised anymore.

Even the report espousing the narrative that the decision was met with a mixture of indifference and disappointment is not true. It is very clear to all Star Wars fans that it wrecks of personal agenda with no connecting story lines to all the other Star Wars shows that came before it.

Not a few attributes the show's downfall to review bombers because "The Acolyte" has lesbians, gays, lesbians and gays, strong female leads both straight and/or lesbian, non-white characters, or hints of preposterous, hidden political messages like "women should be allowed to vote" or "women belong in the workplace, not the kitchen." That is not true at all and has no basis.

While review bombing can’t be dismissed, it is powerless, a toothless lion that, somehow, is still king of the pride lands. Review bombing does nothing, it means nothing, and, quite frankly, it is nothing when the show is really good.

Jeff Sneider (via SFFGazette.com) was on points with this assertion:

"Insiders explain that The Acolyte was canceled because viewership was bad, and that there’s really nothing more to it than that even though at least one cast member said they were surprised by the decision. I’m told that The Acolyte’s viewership collapsed following the first two episodes, whereas with Andor, viewership steadily climbed throughout the season, so the show was renewed for Season 2. Andor also drew exceptional reviews, whereas The Acolyte’s reviews were more mixed.

Like all shows, The Acolyte was subject to an extensive notes process, but at the end of the day, it was very much the show that Headland wanted to make."

It was also alleged that each episode cost around US$ 630K per minute of screentime, which checks out with its rumored US$ 180 million budget.