Summary
Third-party viewership data reveals what’s really going on with theStar WarsDisney+ TV shows - and they’re repeating a problem we last saw with the Marvel Netflix shows. The Disney era ofStar Warshas been a controversial one, and there’s intense debate over whether it should be considered a success. That’s particularly true with the latestStar WarsDisney+ TV show,The Acolyte, set a century before the Skywalker saga.The Acolytehas ignited a furious backlash, at times for the most absurd reasons. But the focus on the individual show is obscuring something much more important.
Luminate Datahas published an excellent deep-dive into viewership stats comparingThe Acolytewith otherStar WarsTV shows. Although the focus is onThe Acolyte, the most important chart goes a step further, and hints at something bigger.
One thing becomes immediately noticeable; according to Luminate,Disney’sStar WarsTV shows have been (almost consistently) losing viewers for years. What’s going on?
Viewers Are Interacting With Star Wars As A Brand, Not With Individual Shows
It’s quite common for each season of a continuous series to see reduced viewers; there’s an investment of time in catching up, while changes in format naturally mean some of the viewership base are no longer engaged, so the audience pool tends to shrink. It is, however, rather more unusual to see this pattern replicated across multiple different shows. Here at Screen Rant, though, we’ve seen it play out this way once before; withviewership of the Marvel Netflix shows. There, it indicatedviewers were interacting with the Marvel Netflix shows as a body, rather than as individual series.
While we’ve all been focused on individual series -Is Ahsoka a success, is The Acolyte enough of a hit to get a second season?- we’ve been missing the real problem. It’s likely the Disney+Star Warsshows are not appealing to a broadening fanbase at all, but rather to a gradually-diminishing core. Worse still, quality-drops will have an outscale impact, affecting the general viewership pattern, rather than just the show that made the misstep. The Marvel Netflix shows, for example, never recovered properly fromIron Fistseason 1 or the disappointment ofThe Defenders.
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 Mandalorian Is Likely An Exception To This Rule
There’s always an exception to every trend, of course. With the Marvel Netflix shows, the exceptions wereDaredevilandThe Punisher; both had high levels of brand recognition in their own right, and it doesn’t hurt thatDaredevilwas the launchpad for the entire Marvel Netflix range. In the case of Disney’sStar Warsshows, the exception is clearlyThe Mandalorian. Looking at Luminate’s data,The Mandalorianseason 3 doesn’t fit the pattern of diminishing returns at all. That’s probably why Din Djarin and Grogu are headed to the big screen.
It makes sense thatThe Mandalorianwould be an outlier. This was basically the Disney+ flagship show, with the premiere releasing alongside the launch of the entire Disney+ streaming service, and it has a sizable cultural footprint courtesy of the delightful Baby Yoda. In an unusual move,Disney chose to forego millions in terms of merch value by hiding Grogu’s existence until the premiere dropped; although this will have been expensive, it paid off in the long-term, securingThe Mandaloriana strong sense of brand identity.
Can Disney’s Star Wars TV Shows Continue Like This?
Looking forward, what does this mean for the future? It’s been noticeable for some time that the future ofDisney’sStar WarsTV showsis something of a mystery right now; we know there’ll beStar Wars: Skeleton Crewthis year, andAndorseason 2 next, but beyond that nothing is confirmed.Ahsokaseason 2 has been approved, but there’s no word on when it will begin filming, let alone when it will release.It feels as though Lucasfilm has turned its attention back towards the big screen.
That’s probably for the best. In truth, theStar WarsDisney+ TV shows need something of a shot in the arm, something to reinvigorate interest in them and draw in fresh viewership. A movie is always going to be aimed at a far bigger audience than a TV show, meaningThe Mandalorian & Groguhas an outsize chance of positively impacting the entire brand. Assuming the story is told well, there’ll be intense interest in rewatching past seasons, and new viewers will log into Disney+ too. Well-handled, carefully-positioned spinoffs can flourish after a box office hit.
