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Willow TV Show Cancelled Days After Disney CEO Talks Content Slowdown
The Willow TV show has been cancelled after one season on Disney+. Serving as a sequel to the 1988 fantasy film of the same name from Lucasfilm, the Willow series premiered late last year on Disney+. Though Willow was well-received by critics and audiences, receiving respective 83 and 66 percent ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, the series largely failed to have the same cultural impact as the original film.
Now, two months after the show ended its first season, Willow has officially been axed by Disney+, per Deadline. The cancellation coincides with a time of heightened scrutiny towards media companies, including Disney, as they cut back on spending for streaming content. Other recent Disney+ cancellations include Big Shot and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
Willow's Cancelation Continues A Troubling Trend
The Willow TV show cancellation comes just days after Disney CEO Bob Iger vowed to curb streaming content spending. Unfortunately, Willow is now just the latest casualty of this cost-cutting philosophy that has also been embraced by fellow streamers HBO Max and Netflix, to much scrutiny. As a Lucasfilm property, Willow's cancellation also comes as the Disney subsidiary is aggressively expanding its Star Wars presence on Disney+, with The Mandalorian season 3 currently streaming and more live-action shows, Ahsoka, Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew, on the way.
Willow's cancellation is especially questionable considering the viewership it had. According to several streaming aggregators, Willow was the third most streamed series in the United States across all platforms during the first week of its release and only fell as low as the sixth spot in subsequent weeks. Couple this strong viewership with its positive reviews and Disney+ definitely has some explaining to do when it comes to their latest cancellation. Though Willow season 2 won't happen, it remains a valuable piece of IP in Lucasfilm's library, and it could be explored again at some point in the future.
