Let's Talk About the Awful Future of Star Wars TV
Have you seen the latest episode of the Gold Squadron Gays podcast? It actually made an interesting observation about the end of "Phase One" of Star Wars TV.
One of the hosts, Charles, pointed out that, “with the upcoming releases of Andor Season 2 and Skeleton Crew, we’re moving towards the end of the initial era of Star Wars TV shows announced in 2020.”
The discussion has actually made people ask about what the future holds for Star Wars TV after Andor. Coincidentally, shortly after, The Acolyte was canceled, adding to the uncertainty.
In 2020, Lucasfilm announced eleven new Star Wars TV series during Disney's Investor Day.
It was actually a big deal, especially during the global pandemic. By 2022, Skeleton Crew joined the lineup, making it seem like Star Wars TV had a bright future.
Out of those twelve series, eight were premiered. Among them some were about to debut, or will end by 2025.
Lando was rumored to be turned into a movie, but given Lucasfilm's history of announcing projects that don’t materialize, it’s hard to be sure. There have been no updates on A Droid Story since 2021.
The Mandalorian was a huge hit, though it’s worth noting that during the pandemic, people were watching more TV for escapism, which boosted viewership overall. The show was a hit even before the pandemic took full hold. Today, the TV landscape is different, and shows like The Acolyte and Andor, with lower viewership, have to compete in a tougher market.
The state of television is quite bleak right now. Most streaming services are facing challenges. Further, we’re seeing shows coming to an end left and right, or worse, disappearing forever. We’re still frustrated that we never got to see Willow.
The 8-episode format many shows use these days doesn’t help new series find their footing. There’s not enough time to establish characters, set up long-term stories, build a world, and achieve high streaming numbers.
Not every series is as successful as Hazbin Hotel, which had a built-in fan base from its indie pilot and the free YouTube show Helluva Boss.
Shows like The Acolyte had to start from scratch. Sure, The Mandalorian did too, but it benefited from a more familiar setting between the original and sequel trilogies, and had a different TV landscape to navigate. The Acolyte had a tougher task with its world-building.
With Lucasfilm shifting focus back to movies, we might not see many new TV shows with fresh characters in the near future.
We miss the time when the series was about 22-episode seasons.
Possibly, we might see more short anthologies like Tales and fewer long-form series like Star Wars Rebels.
This will likely depend on the outcome of negotiations between The Animation Guild and AMPTP, resuming in September.
If negotiations fall through, animation might strike, just like SAG and the WGA did last year, which would delay new Star Wars animated projects—except perhaps Star Wars Visions, which features studios outside the US. We’ll have to wait and see.
