The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland teases a potential season 2. Premiering on Disney Plus last month, the latest Star Wars show takes place roughly 100 years before The Phantom Menace, chronicling the investigation into a series of Jedi murders by a powerful, dark force-user. The Acolyte episode 7 continued the story of Sol (Lee Jung-jae), Osha (Amandla Stenberg), and Mae this week, with only 1 episode now remaining in the season and no firm word yet on the show’s future.
In a recent interview with Nerdist ahead of the season 1 finale, Headland teases the possibility of The Acolyte season 2. While the showrunner answers with a firm “No!” regarding whether season 2 has been definitively given the green light, she does tease that things are in the works behind the scenes. Check out her comment below:
“I have no idea. Well, not that I have no idea. I would say there are conversations . And I don’t know when that will happen. I don’t know when that decision will be made.”
The Acolyte Season 1 Must Wrap Up In A Satisfying Way… Just In Case
Does The Acolyte Have The Viewership To Justify A Season 2?
Reviews for The Acolyte have been mostly positive for the show from critics, but the show has been far more divisive with general audiences. Season 1’s score on Rotten Tomatoes, for example, is a respectable 81% with critics, but only 14% with audiences. Unfortunately, some of this is due to The Acolyte being heavily review-bombed, so the audience score can’t really be used in any sort of meaningful way to understand the show’s actual popularity or viewership.
According to data from Nielsen, The Acolyte’s viewership is the lowest of any Star Wars Disney Plus shows except for Andor in terms of actual minutes viewed. This doesn’t necessarily mean that The Acolyte won’t get a season 2, however, as Andor season 2 is on the way. It is worth noting, though, that Andor has been the most acclaimed Star Wars show yet, and Tony Gilroy’s vision for that series from the start has seemingly been a two-season run.
The Acolyte’s future, then, really remains something of a question mark, which is why it would be best for season 1 to wrap up its story in a complete and compelling way. Ideally, the season 1 finale will answer viewers’ burning questions while also teasing new story threads to be explored if season 2 does the green light. If The Acolyte season 2 does move forward, an official announcement may not arrive for some time.