Disney co-chairman reveals why The Acolyte was canceled after one season

Lucasfilm may be in the midst of experiencing a wave of positive attention and success thanks to its latest TV series, Skeleton Crew, but the Jude Law-starring sci-fi show isn’t the only Star Wars title that has premiered on Disney+ this year. This past summer Lucasfilm also debuted The Acolyte, a Sith-centric show set around 100 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. Across its eight episodes, the series proved to be critically divisive, and it was only a month after The Acolyte‘s finale aired that Disney and Lucasfilm announced they would not be bringing the show back for a second season.

In a recent interview with Vulture, Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman shed some light on the behind-the-scenes decision to cancel The Acolyte after just one season. “As it relates to Acolyte, we were happy with our performance, but it wasn’t where we needed it to be given the cost structure of that title, quite frankly, to go and make a season 2,” Bergman revealed. “That’s the reason why we didn’t do that.”

When asked about Skeleton Crew‘s chances at getting the second season that The Acolyte didn’t, Bergman added, “Skeleton Crew is in process now, so we’ll see. We’ve seen some growth on that. We’ll see how that goes.”

For some Star Wars fans, The Acolyte‘s cancellation came as a confirmation of their belief that it wasn’t up to the franchise’s standards. For others, it came as a difficult and disappointing blow. According to Bergman, though, The Acolyte‘s fate wasn’t a reflection of its quality or Lucasfilm’s belief in the project so much as it was a practical decision made in light of the show’s production costs and its viewership numbers.

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In the same interview with Vulture, Bergman did offer an exciting tease of what’s to come for Star Wars fans in the near future — even going so far as to shower praise on one forthcoming title. “In terms of what’s coming up, we have Andor season 2, which we’re really excited about. It is excellent. I’ve watched all the episodes, and it is a fantastic season. And then we have Ahsoka season 2, which Dave Filoni is leading. And then we’re looking at a number of additional series that are in development. We’ll see what we decide to do.”

The Acolyte season 1 is streaming now on Disney+.