Summary
DespiteStar Wars: Ahsokagetting a tremendous start with a stellar two-part debut on Disney Plus, recent analytics suggest the show ended on a far less impressive note despite pulling out all the stops for its first season.
Star Wars:Ahsokahad the groundwork laid for it by leading lady Rosario Dawson portraying the titular character’s live-action debut onThe Mandalorianand its spinoff,The Book of Boba Fett.TheAhsokacharacters and plotlines took a lot of inspiration from the animated seriesStar Wars: The Clone WarsandStar Wars Rebels,andDawson’s take on Ahsoka had an unlikely inspirationfrom an iconic fantasy character. The show was a success on its debut, pulling in more views than any otherStar Warsshow on the streamer.
In a recent post on social media,SambaTVdelivered disappointing news through an infographic highlighting theAhsokafinale’s viewership numbers. The post reads, “The finale of #Ahsoka landed on #DisneyPlus last week to 863k US households watching. Older millennials tuned in at the highest rate to watch whether #Thrawn made it off Peridea. #SambaTVInsights #AhsokaTano #StarWars.” This means that despitetheAhsokapremiere beatingThe Mandalorianseason 3’s kickoff, the spin-off show ended the season down by 40% compared to the latter show’s third-season finale.
This was a major viewership loss forAhsoka, which debuted on Disney Plus with 1.2 million households and then proceeded to ramp up the fan attraction with live-action debuts and callbacks in each new episode, ending on a high note bydebuting an iconic location in live-action for theAhsokafinale. While the viewership numbers are not terrible, the downward trend indicates how many fans dropped off throughout the show’s first season.WhileThe Mandalorianwas much more well-worn and started its third season with less fanfare thanAhsoka, it drew an audience of 1.4 million households within the first few days of its final episode being on the streamer.
With the season in the rearview, it is now undeniable thatAhsokawas not welcoming to new fansas previously promised by Dawson, with every major plot point and set piece in the series so far requiring knowledge of and emotional investment inStar Wars: The Clone WarsandRebelsto understand or fully appreciate. Considering that drawback,Ahsokawas almost destined to see a falloff in viewership as the weeks wore on and the show inched closer to the big events that longtime fans (and them alone) had been waiting to see in live action for years. Despite bringing a splendid cast together and faithfully adapting the source material,Star Wars: Ahsokafailed by doing all this too well.
Despite this disappointing news,Ahsokaleft a lasting impression on older fans who were in step with the show’s animated roots and callbacks to expansiveStar Warslore. If nothing else, the season was a treat for those in the know.AhsokaprovedThe Mandalorianmovie is in good handswith Dave Filoni, who showed love and understanding for the franchise that is uncommon even among the most dedicated showrunners.
