The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland recently commented on the review-bombing of her new Star Wars show. As you know the series has a 14% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the series continues to get bashed on social media.
When asked about the review bombing during and interview with Collider, Headland said: “Oh, yes. Everybody knows what review-bombing is like. Truly when the show first came out, my publicist was like, ‘OK, with the review…’ I was like, ‘Does anybody take that seriously anymore?'”
It’s very clear when review-bombing happens, and The Acolyte is not the first Star Wars project to be hit with it. I remember when The Last Jedi was targeted, but it didn’t get at low as The Acolyte.
Headland went on to say: “I understand the point of it, which is that the average viewer would look at the site and say, ‘Oh, the user review is really low.’
“But I think that, if you’re in the Star Wars fandom, I think you already know what review-bombing is. So I guess if you’re totally new to the fandom and you’re considering watching the show, it could affect you.
“But I also think that my work in the past has been very word-of-mouth anyway, so I don’t know if it… I think that because behind the scenes, we all know what it is – it’s not that it’s not concerning – but I think it’s pretty expected, I would say.”
The Acolyte obviously isn’t a Star Wars show for everyone, and while a lot of people are hating on it, I’ve been meeting and talking with more and more people who like it.
It’s been a rough one for me personally to get through, but I’ve still managed to have good civil conversations with other fans about it.
Also, as of posting this, I still haven’t had a chance to watch Episode 6.
