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Arts & Entertainment

Breaking Down The Latest Star Wars Series ‘The Acolyte’ And Whether It’s Worth Watching

A woman stands solemnly with reddish dreadlocked hair in a grayish green outfit.
Amandla Stenberg in Lucasfilm's "The Acolyte."
(
Lucasfilm Ltd.
/
Courtesy Disney+
)

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Listen 9:21
TV-Talk: ‘The Acolyte,’ ‘Queenie,’ ‘Tires’ And More
Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, we discuss with Angie Han, TV critic for The Hollywood Reporter. Today’s shows include: The Acolyte (Disney+) Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (Hulu) Queenie (Hulu) Tires (Netflix)

One of the biggest new shows to be released this week is The Acolyte, the latest in the Star Wars franchise. It follows several other shows also set in a galaxy far, far way, including The Mandalorian, Andor and Ahsoka, all with varying reviews. How does the latest Star Wars installment hold up?

Angie Han, TV critic for the Hollywood Reporter, joined AirTalk, LAist 89.3’s daily news program, to share what she thinks of the series so far.

What's 'The Acolyte' about?

The Acolyte is set in the final days of the High Republic era, a time period Star Wars fans haven’t yet ventured to, which is a century before Luke Skywalker. The show centers on twin sisters who feel differently about Jedis.

A man with long dark hair standing in beige Jedi clothing motions with his hand to a dark figure in front of him
Lee Jung-jae stars as Master Sol in Lucasfilm's The Acolyte.
(
Lucasfilm Ltd.
/
Courtesy Disney+
)

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Who's behind it

Leslye Headland, who also co-created Russian Doll, wrote and directed The Acolyte. Amandla Stenberg stars as twins Osha and Mae. Lee Jung-jae also stars as a Jedi Master.

Angie's takeaways

  • "It shows a different take on the Jedi. This is them at the height of their institutional power instead of being a scrappy underdog."
  • "I liked Lee's performance a lot. I think he brings a lot of warmth into the role."
  • "I liked Amandla Stenberg's performance often, too. She really underplays the character in a way that kind of makes you lean in and listen."
  • "The world building is still a little bit thin on the ground. I think there's a lot of potential here, but I generally hope that halfway through a series I'd be talking about more than just the potential."

Read Angie's full review here

‘The Acolyte’ Review: Amandla Stenberg in a Disney+ ‘Star Wars’ Spinoff That Shakes Up the Formula

Where to watch

The first two episodes are available now on Disney+. Episodes release every Tuesday.

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Listen here

Listen 9:21
TV-Talk: ‘The Acolyte,’ ‘Queenie,’ ‘Tires’ And More

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