TheStar Warsuniverse seemingly cannot compete with the power of Shondaland. The latestStar Warsseries,The Acolyte, may have been making headlines for several weeks now, and has dabbled with a chart-topping position in several countries since its release, but the series has still had to bow to the might of Shonda Rhimes’ medical juggernautGrey’s Anatomy, which is dominating the global Disney+ chart.
With20 Seasons of the show availableto watch on the Disney+ platform in many countries around the world, the popularity of the long-running series is evident, despite frequent complaints that it has “run its course” and should close its doors sooner rather than later. What is notable about the series’ performance on the platform is that the figures do not include any viewers from the U.S., where the show is available to stream on either Hulu (part of the Disney family but not counted in Disney+ statistics) or Netflix.
Grey’s Anatomy
The show’s resurgence on Disney+, which comes ahead of the arrival of Season 21 in September, has proven once again that, in a world dominated by streaming, where many older shows are discovered by new audiences daily, shows likeGrey’s Anatomyare always a going concern. In contrast,The Acolyteis the newest addition to the ever-expandingStar Warsfranchise, a tale set in the final days of the High Republic, and a story that hasdrawn more attention for its frequent complaintsthan the story being told.
The Acolyte Has Far Fewer Episodes Than Grey’s Anatomy
Like many streaming charts, producing an accurate comparison between new and old projects is often a difficult one, especially when you are considering the volume of content available. The Acolyte, in its first season, has still to enter double figures, whileGrey’s Anatomyhas produced 420 to date. Hardly a fair fight.
However, if a new series is popular enough, then it can still bypass the juggernauts of the past. This happened with Netflix’sWednesday, which blew away all competition on the platform over a year and half ago with only 8 episodes. The binge-worthy series, which dropped all of its episodes in one go in November 2022, became one of the most-watched shows to ever hit the platform – and for Netflix, that is quite a feat.
The Acolyteis currently releasing its episodes weekly, which limits the amount of views the series is likely to generate in a single day. It is also struggling to connect with audiences, generating the kind of fan criticism that has become almost expected with the release of every modernStar Warsproject. Overall, while the constant presence on social media keeps the series in the public eye, the barrage of negativity is something that Lucasfilm and Disney would rather not be the biggest focus of their new titles.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Fans Share Divided Reactions to Episode 7’s Controversies & Revelations
A new episode of The Acolyte has generated plenty of hot takes on X, covering everything from shock moments to closing pop music track.
In all, the dominance ofGrey’s Anatomyin the Disney+ chart is something that has probably been helped along by the fact that Disney are hosting the entire catalog of episodes on the platform, meaning that fans can binge-watch multiple episodes in one sitting without having to go hunting for additional seasons. While the series could lose its crown toThe Acolyteon the day of theStar Warsshows’ next episode drop, it will likely not take too long for it to reclaim the crown soon after.
