The Acolyte is no more. The Star Wars series will not return for a second season, EW has learned.
The eight-episode first season of the series dropped between June and July on Disney+. It starred Amandla Stenberg as twins Osha and Mae, alongside Lee Jung-jae as Sol, a Jedi Master. Manny Jacinto, Charlie Barnett, and Yoda also appeared.
Set in the last days of the High Republic era, the series focused on “an investigation into a shocking crime spree” that pitted “a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past.” The events took place before the blockbuster Skywalker movies.
In July, creator Leslye Headland told Entertainment Weekly that she had heard nothing about the show’s future. She couldn’t stop thinking about future stories she would tell, even though she was trying to enjoy her downtime between seasons. She was hopeful.
“You have to take a break,” Headland said. “Especially after something like this. I don’t even know how many years my brain has been going, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Acolyte, Acolyte, Acolyte — just constantly solving problems, constantly thinking about it. It is very weird to now be in a place where I don’t need to do that. I always say to budding writers, ‘The most important thing that you can do is sit around and do nothing. Because the second you start to manufacture a story, you’re going to get stressed out, and the story can’t start that way.'”
According to Deadline, the first two episodes of The Acolyte, which dropped June 4, drew 4.8 million views in its first day, making it the biggest series premiere on the streamer this year. But views took a nosedive by the next installment, and though critics like the series, audience reviews online were not kind.
Disney+ series The Mandalorian, which began in 2019, will continue.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.