00:00It's the end for the Acolyte. The Star Wars series will not return for Season 2.
00:05The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Lucasfilm has opted not to continue the show,
00:09which aired its Season 1 finale on Disney Plus last month. The series earned respectable reviews
00:14from critics, but it was review-bombed by audience members who perceived it as, quote,
00:18woke, leaving the show with an 18 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
00:22Those same viewers went after creator Leslie Hedlund, who is a member of the LGBTQ Plus
00:26community, as well as the show's diverse group of actors. Hedlund told THR in June,
00:31"'Honestly, I feel sad that people would think that if something were gay,
00:34that that would be bad. It makes me feel sad that a bunch of people on the internet
00:38would somehow dismantle what I consider to be the most important piece of art that I've ever made.'"
00:42Also in June, star Amandla Stenberg fired back at racist backlash with an original
00:46song on social media. According to sources, viewership data was not strong enough to
00:51prompt a Season 2. As far as the online turmoil's connection to the show's cancellation,
00:55one source told THR, it was an easy target, and it hurt the public perception of the show.
01:00The acolyte was set about 100 years before Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace.
01:04For much more on this story and all the latest news,
01:07head to THR.com. This is The Hollywood Reporter News.
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