Hot Sith Was Not Enough, ‘The Acolyte’ Viewership Declines for Third Consecutive Week, Drops Out of Top 10 Most Popular Shows

The finale of ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ is just one episode away. Despite the strong showing in episode 5, episode 6 has slowed the momentum with its minimal action and slower pace.

‘The Acolyte’ has been losing viewers for two consecutive weeks. Following an initial 31% drop in “minutes watched,” the show lost an additional 11% last week. As a result, it has fallen out of the top 10 “most watched” shows, according to Luminate’s data provided by Variety.

This data is certainly surprising, given that Reelgood’s data, published by Screenrant, showed ‘The Acolyte’ as the second most popular show, surpassed only by ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi.’ However, as I noted in that article, the data was skewed to present ‘The Acolyte’ more favorably, covering only the first 14 days since its release when it was indeed quite popular.

So, why is ‘The Acolyte’ performing so poorly now? We can’t keep attributing it to review-bombing and fan backlash since those critics likely never watched the show in the first place. In my opinion, the decline is due to the show’s inconsistent pacing, poor dialogue, and overall awkward acting. It hasn’t met the quality expectations set by ‘The Mandalorian’ and even ‘Ahsoka.’ Many initially interested fans have gradually lost interest as the story has barely progressed, and we’re already six episodes in, with only two more to go.

Sure, the villain reveal was fine, and we can anticipate at least one major fight before the show ends, but is that really enough? Fans expected more, especially from a show introducing the High Republic Era to live-action.

Given the current trends, I doubt ‘The Acolyte’s’ viewership numbers will improve in the last two episodes. How this will affect the chances for a potential season 2 remains to be seen.

Got something to add? Share your thoughts in the comments below!