Exclusive third-party data reveals The Acolyte is a true success story for Star Wars after all. The streaming boom has made it very difficult to fully understand how different TV shows are performing – and especially so when they’re controversial. The Acolyte has been subject of a review-bombing campaign, meaning many traditional indicators are pretty much worthless. Although the Disney+ TV show is known to have had lower viewership than Ahsoka in its first week, other stats seem almost designed to confuse rather than shine a light on the situation.
Screen Rant has spoken exclusively to Reelgood, a third-party analytics firm who examiine viewing trends across all US streaming platforms, based on the monitoring of 20 million monthly viewing decisions. They’ve looked through their data to see how The Acolyte compares to other live-action Disney+ Star Wars TV shows. The results are surprising, and indicate The Acolyte may be a lot more popular than many believe.
Third-Party Data Shows How The Acolyte Compares To Other Star Wars Shows
Reelgood compared the live-action Star Wars Disney+ TV shows, looking at the first 14 days since The Acolyte‘s release. They found that The Acolyte is the second most successful in terms of streaming and engagement, outperforming the average top 100 TV show by a factor of 6. It is only surpassed by Obi-Wan Kenobi, which outperformed the average top 100 TV show by a factor of 8.
This data gives a fascinating insight into how the various Star Wars Disney+ TV shows are performing. There can be no doubt the positive reaction to The Acolyte episode 5 will also have boosted the show’s performance, but the overall impact will only really become clear when the show has come to an end. Until then, though, this data suggests the online backlash against The Acolyte really isn’t representative of the fandom.
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Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode Guide – Cast Members, Biggest Takeaways & Easter Eggs
Here’s everything you need to follow along with Star Wars: The Acolyte, from references and trivia to main takeaways from each new episode.
The Acolyte Backlash Isn’t Representative Of The Fandom At All
The Acolyte has been the subject of a massive online backlash, with a very visible review-bombing campaign; at time of writing, the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes sits at an absurd 14 percent, with an improbable 25,000+ ratings (more than all three seasons of The Mandalorian). While some criticisms are made in good faith – the show is far from perfect, with notable pacing and dialogue problems on occasion – others haven’t been. A cameo from Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi sparked a furious online debate over whether the show had broken canon because of his age, never specified in canon.
The problem, though, is that the scale of this backlash has seemed out of all proportion to the actual quality of the show. Now, Reelgood’s data suggests the YouTubers and review-bombers really don’t represent the fandom as much as they claim. That’s good news for The Acolyte, and frankly for the fandom as well.
The Acolyte
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The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes – all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
- Cast
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Amandla Stenberg
, Lee Jung-jae
, Joonas Suotamo
, Charlie Barnett
, Dafne Keen
, Leah Brady
, Manny Jacinto
, Rebecca Henderson
, Carrie-Anne Moss
, Jodie Turner-Smith
, Dean-Charles Chapman
, Lauren Brady
, Anthony J. Abraham
, Thara Shöön
, Danielle Xin Yao Waterman
, Sienna Khiroya
, Jeramiah Evans
, Dan Milne
, Thomas Coombes
, Archie Singh Swali
, Nick Court
, Ed Kear
, Jumayn Hunter
, Scroobius Pip
, Abigail Thorn
, Margarita Levieva
, Amy Tsang
, Saskia Allen
, Deborah Rosan
, Tabitha Alege
, Paul Bullion
, Indra Ové
, Derek Arnold
, Lewis Young - Character(s)
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Mae
, Master Sol
, Kelnacca
, Yord Fandar
, Jecki Lon
, Little Mae
, Qimir
, Master Vernestra Rwoh
, Master Indara
, Mother Aniseya
, Master Torbin
, Padawan Torbin
, Little Osha
, Fillik
, Tasi Lowa
, Youngling
, Restrained Convict
, Convict
, Olega Urchin
, Olega Master
, Olega Padawan
, Scavenger
, Ensign Eurus
, Mother Koril
, Ensign Rane
, Scout Sarria
, Ensign Shima
, Elder Jaalyn
, Master Lakshay
, Master Holden
, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi
, Jedi Knight - Writers
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Leslye Headland
, Charmaine De Grate
, Kor Adana - Showrunner
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Leslye Headland
