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While it has received good reviews and audience reception the popular Star Wars Series “ Skeleton Crew ” is up in the air as a production set for a second season on Disney+.
The first season of the show was well received by both audiences and critics with ratings over 80%. However its viewership was less than expected in comparison with previous Star Wars series that have been released for the franchise.
“Skeleton Crew’s” first debut week on streaming was a challenge when it failed to chart within the top 10 according to Neilsen ratings. Its lower numbers have prompted uncertainty for its chance at being renewed due to the high budget requirements to create these episodes.
Despite its quality “Skeleton Crew” required a reported $136 million for production creating a hard decision on whether a second season is financially sound. The cost of producing high level quality media on Disney+ has often made them decide that quality shows are still not viable if the audience numbers do not reflect the investment.
The Acolyte which had a high production cost at over $200 million still did better than “Skeleton Crew” with viewership though it is also facing issues for continuation as well. These instances have demonstrated challenges in the industry. This has questioned how much quality production of content matters vs high viewership for any continued programming
Although many of the central storylines did have a resolution the show's co-creator Jon Watts mentions that there were many ideas and details left to still to be explored with these characters. With the final episode offering the story that came to a close while setting the stage for how a future would unfold. A second series had not been fully taken off the table by many.
Disney wants new series that can go on for several seasons which does not appear to be the path for some high cost media productions. They might want series with a continued presence over a limited short run. A lot of money needs to be spent creating quality product but that requires the viewership to match the expense for viability.
Despite the challenges with numbers and the potential for a follow-up, Skeleton Crew has won praise for taking Star Wars back to its roots: where unique and complex characters are used with humor and suspense. It's a fresh vision into what is possible within Star Wars, focusing on more than just the Jedi and their connection to the force.
By making the stars children and a unique band of outsiders the show highlights all elements of complex relationships as the journey moves forward. In doing so “Skeleton Crew” takes the familiar “Star Wars” world and places new elements to push different perspectives and what that impact can be.
Jon Watts and Christopher Ford the creators of the show always had other ideas about their characters, where the show may go in the future and the complexities of the star wars galaxy as they understood it to be. The exploration is more than their current season demonstrated.
Ford noted that many areas where characters were complex needed deeper focus and those moments would need more context in future productions. A potential season 2 would showcase where these characters have gone in a unique way showing personal development and more challenges based in their lives after the major events of season 1.
Most viewers have considered it one of the more well received “Star Wars” content pieces to arrive on Disney + despite the data shown by viewership. This acclaim shows it to be a quality show even if it has a low audience base. It does open more opportunities if the story is continued using creative and new approaches.
Both creators noted a new desire to create different formats in TV in regards to using shorter “miniseries” and they may use this concept in a second season if given the chance. In addition their desire to tell expanded episodic content is something they wish to dive deeper into.