Despite fans’ call to renew Star Wars: The Acolyte for Season 2, Disney reportedly canceled the show after just one season. The series faced serious backlash, with much anger directed toward the cast, including Amandla Stenberg, who played the twin sisters Osha and Mae. While the cast members remain silent about the cancellation, Stenberg’s Instagram has been flooded with hateful comments.
Stenberg’s last post on Instagram was from three weeks ago. But though it featured a sweet post with The Acolyte stunt performers Kellina Rutherford and Cassie Jo Craig, haters didn’t spare it from their hostile remarks. Though many tried to console the actress after the series’ cancellation, others couldn’t help themselves but mock her.
One even thanked God for canceling the show, calling it one of the worst things to come out of Disney’s Star Wars. Another said she should take the “L” and never join the franchise again, while others gave her a big laugh.
“The power of one, the power of two, the power of real fans got this show caaaaaancelllled! Hope you saved that Disney check,” one comment read.
However, amid the hate, her true fans supported Stenberg, with some even defending her from the so-called critics. In fact, fellow Star Wars actor John Boyega, who has experienced similar racist backlash, expressed his support for The Acolyte star by sharing a GIF of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) giving her a salute.
This isn’t Stenberg’s only post filled with vile comments. The music video she posted in June as a response to the racist backlash was even flooded with mockeries. When someone asked her what happened to her series, they suggested she write another diss track to see if the show would be renewed. Some said the video was even better now that her Disney+ series had been canceled.
But compared to Stenberg’s Instagram, Manny Jacinto was showered with love and support from his fans and followers. Many tried to comfort the Filipino-Canadian actor, saying he deserved better after Disney canceled The Acolyte. Others expressed their devastation over the cancellation occurring on his birthday.
“I really wanted the second season of The Acolyte, you're fantastic, I need to see more of your performances,” one fan commented.
Why was The Acolyte canceled?
Deadline broke the news about The Acolyte’s cancellation, with sources saying Lucasfilm opted not to proceed with the show’s second season. Like other global streamers, Netflix and Prime Video, Disney+ has a high viewership threshold to renew its high-end, big-budget series that cost above $100 million. The Acolyte has a $180-million production budget, but its viewership eventually plummeted as it continued.
Despite a strong start that generated 4.8 million views, the show failed to maintain its momentum, dropping out of Nielsen’s Top 10 in Week 3. Its finale is believed to be the lowest for a Star Wars series.
With the intense backlash it continues to face, The Acolyte finds it hard to escape the negative reactions. The series is also considered far from perfect, with two flashback episodes losing momentum and issues with pacing and dialogue. However, this doesn’t mean the series is awful; several moments make it stand out, such as Episode 5, which features some of the franchise’s best lightsaber choreography when the Stranger (Jacinto) battles a group of Jedi alone.
Sadly, despite the cast and staff’s efforts to make The Acolyte a success, it hasn't been able to achieve that. The stars, especially Stenberg, have even faced more hate from the toxic part of the Star Wars fandom.
