Streaming platforms vary, but most tend to follow the same simple rule: new episodes drop late at night, usually midnight Pacific time, making them available at the same time worldwide. But in August 2023, one platform shook this convention up.
Mere days before Ahsoka Season 1 was set to premiere on Disney+, the streamer moved its release up six hours and committed to dropping episodes at 6:00 pm Pacific, a primetime slot. Disney+ is now repeating this decision with a far riskier Star Wars show. The Acolyte, Leslye Headland’s Star Wars series, will premiere on Tuesday, June 4. A poster for the series, showing a bloody lightsaber, was released alongside the announcement, and a teaser trailer will premiere tomorrow.
The Acolyte also has a brand-new synopsis: “An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….”
The first poster for Star Wars Disney+ series The Acolyte.
Collider previously reported the season would debut on Wednesday, June 5. The shift to June 4 suggests The Acolyte has followed the same journey as Ahsoka, starting with a traditional Wednesday midnight release before being moved forward to a Tuesday evening.
The precise release time has yet to be confirmed, but why else would Disney+ move the series back by a mere day? Major releases like Ahsoka, Loki Season 2, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians were all given Tuesday evening releases. Other shows, however, have stuck to Wednesday at midnight, like The Bad Batch and the upcoming X-Men ‘97.
This release date suggests that Disney+ believes The Acolyte is big enough to stand on its own alongside Ahsoka and Loki. Alternatively, a primetime release for big live-action franchise series has simply become the new normal. Either way, you can expect to see Andor and Ahsoka’s second seasons repeat this release structure. That’s a positive development for the cultural cachet of these series... and for fans who don’t want to stay up until midnight.
