We love seeing legends supporting legends. On his personal Instagram, Ahmed Best voiced his support for The Acolyte and its star Amandla Stenberg, the most recent Star Wars Disney+ series which was canceled after one season. Best posted a picture of Stenberg, who portrays both Mae and Osha in the High Republic series, with the caption: “I will always stand in solidarity for artists who give 110% to their work and art. Keep shining queen.” This is only the latest in a long line of gestures from both fans and performers alike showing support for The Acolyte, which has a petition with more than 50,000 signatures to overturn the cancelation and renew the series for Season 2.
This post from Best comes less than 24 hours after Stenberg took to their personal Instagram to weigh in on the cancelation, expressing their discontent but making sure to highlight that they weren’t surprised. Stenberg and their fellow Acolyte stars dealt with racist and sexist backlash from the moment they were cast in the series. Manny Jacinto, who portrays Qimir in the series, was the first to weigh in on the cancelation, simply posting a picture of himself with Osha with a heart as the caption.
Best weighs in on this topic with an unfortunate amount of personal experience. He faced a ridiculous amount of abuse during the prequels for playing Jar Jar Binks, so much so that he has admitted to considering ending his own life to stop the backlash. Best made his triumphant return to the franchise years later in The Mandalorian Season 3, where it was revealed that Kelleran Beq was the one who helped Grogu escape during Order 66.
‘The Acolyte’ Wasn’t Canceled Because of Low Viewership
Many fans have exclaimed that the only reason The Acolyte was canceled was due to poor viewership, but numbers tell a different story. The show consistently produced strong viewership in a summer full of popular television shows such as House of the Dragon, The Boys, and The Bear. While it perhaps didn’t reach the top of the streaming charts and shatter countless records, viewership was still strong enough to warrant a second season, especially considering the strong critical reception.
The Acolyte currently sits at a strong 78% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but an 18% rating from general audiences as a result of review bombing. It also set up multiple exciting plots that could have been developed in further seasons, inciting even more disappointment from those who were looking forward to seeing more of The Acolyte in the future.
The Acolyte will not return for a second season. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates and stream the first season of The Acolyte exclusively on Disney+.