Disney+ has just added one of 2024’s biggest shows

Stephen Porzio

Coming from the creator of Netflix hit Russian Doll, it holds a 94% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Acolyte, the latest series in the iconic Star Wars franchise, has just premiered on Disney+.

Hailing from the acclaimed writer-director Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), the show is set before the events of the Skywalker Saga, with its plot synopsis reading:

“A former Padawan (Amandla Stenberg, Bodies Bodies Bodies) reunites with her Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game) to investigate a series of crimes but discovers the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.”

Also featuring amongst The Acolyte’s ensemble cast is Carrie Anne-Moss (The Matrix), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), Dafne Keen (Logan), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917), Jodie Turner Smith (Queen & Slim), Joonas Suotamo (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place) and Rebecca Henderson (Russian Doll).

And coinciding with the series’ premiere on Disney+, reviews for the show have started flooding in – with it currently holding a very high critics score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Being singled out for praise in particular are The Acolyte’s mystery elements, its action sequences and the new characters and ideas it brings to the Star Wars universe.

You can read a sample of some of those positive reviews right here:

AV Club: “What perhaps makes The Acolyte such an engaging and addictive watch (over the first four episodes screened for critics, at least) is its commitment to not treating the Jedi (or the Star Wars franchise writ large) as untouchable.”

Collider: “The Acolyte is undoubtedly one of the most exciting shows on Disney+ this year and one of the best Star Wars projects since 2022.”

Deadline: “Headland accomplishes what the Star Wars series were originally about: [an] expanding, intriguing universe.”

Inverse: “An experimental, galvanising standalone story that establishes a new caliber of what Star Wars TV can do.”

Salon.com: “A ripping, nimbly paced action series that knows its audience and knows how to exploit this fandom’s strengths and weak spots.”

The first two episodes of The Acolyte are streaming now on Disney+, with the remaining six to be released weekly.