Leslye Headland’s Star Wars series, The Acolyte, caused a lot of controversy online. Many people left negative reviews, and while the show wasn’t perfect, a 19% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes felt unfair. Lucasfilm canceled the series in August 2024, even though the ending left viewers wanting more and hinted at storylines involving Yoda and Darth Plagueis. Surprisingly, despite being canceled, the show is now popular again and climbing the streaming charts.
According to FlixPatrol, The Acolyte is currently among the ten most popular shows on Disney+ in the United States. Here’s what’s currently in the top 10:
- Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord
- Daredevil: Born Again
- Secrets of the Bees
- Little Margo Stories
- How NOT To Draw
- Perfect Crown
- American Idol
- Locker Diaries: ZOMBIES
- Star Wars: The Acolyte
- Zootopia
It’s common for older Star Wars series to reappear on streaming charts when a new show comes out. The recent success of The Acolyte is likely connected to interest in Maul – Shadow Lord. Usually, there’s a clear reason why the older shows get a boost – for instance, The Bad Batch significantly increased viewership of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Why Maul – Shadow Lord is Leading to Interest in The Acolyte
Though not directly connected story-wise, The Acolyte and Maul – Shadow Lord share a common theme. Both shows center around the dark side of the Force and feature a character connected to the Sith seeking an apprentice, following the Sith’s traditional Rule of Two. In Maul – Shadow Lord, Maul, formerly trained by Palpatine, attempts to create a separate Sith order to oppose Palpatine and Darth Vader. Similarly, The Acolyte features Manny Jacinto as a mysterious Sith character, known as the Stranger, who also appears to be trying to rebuild the Sith under his own control. The two stories essentially reflect each other.
Looking at the evidence, it seems the Stranger wasn’t meant to succeed in bringing back the Sith. Instead, hints suggest he actually started the Knights of Ren, the dark side group led by Kylo Ren in the sequel trilogy. Similarly, Maul’s efforts also end in failure – we know he’s fated to die fighting Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his potential apprentice, Devon Izara, doesn’t appear later in the timeline. However, Star Wars often plays with time, so there’s a chance Devon could be brought back to revive the Sith after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
On social media, there’s a renewed wave of support for The Acolyte, fueled by fans who want to see the show continue. While The Acolyte wasn’t perfect, many believe the criticism was exaggerated, particularly by YouTubers with their own biases. Some of the controversies were especially strange – for example, some complained about the age of a Jedi Master based on a detail from a non-official source from 1999, even though George Lucas himself had previously made similar creative choices. Despite the negativity, The Acolyte’s fans are still passionate and are using data from FlixPatrol to demonstrate that there’s a potential audience for the show.
What are your thoughts on The Acolyte? Should Disney give it another season? Share your opinion and discuss it with other fans in the ComicBook Forum!
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2026-04-23 15:10