When Disney+ launched on Nov. 12, 2019, it did so with a live-action scripted Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian.
Fast forward a few years and the popular streaming service is now home to four Star Wars shows with several more to come, led by Ahsoka. The first two episodes of that series hit Disney+ on Aug. 23, 2023. It centers around the character Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi from the animated Clone Wars and Rebels series who was once an apprentice to Anakin Skywalker. Ahsoka – played by Rosario Dawson – made her live-action Star Wars debut in the second season of The Mandalorian, and also appeared briefly in The Book of Boba Fett.
Ahead of Ahsoka‘s release, we’re ranking the live-action Star Wars shows on Disney+. We’ll update these whenever a new Star Wars series hits the service. After Ahsoka, we’re expecting to get Skeleton Crew, The Acolyte, and Lando, a second season of Andor, and a fourth season of The Mandalorian.
If you haven’t seen the shows, a warning ahead for spoilers.w
4
The Book of Boba Fett
A spin-off of The Mandalorian, this series was first billed as a story about gangsters and crime lords in the underground world of the galaxy. What the final product turned out to be was three disjointed stories – one that chronicles Boba Fett’s escape from the Sarlacc Pit and his life with the Tusken Raiders, one that follows he and Fennec Shand’s rise to Jabba the Hutt’s throne on Tatooine, and one that feels a whole lot like Season 2.5 of The Mandalorian.
While much of the storytelling is sloppy, The Book of Boba Fett does have it moments. We got to see a live-action Black Krrsantan – a fan favorite from the comic books – and a live-action version of the fearsome and ruthless bounty hunter Cad Bane, who once mentored Boba and has a showdown with him here. Grogu is around and so is a Rancor, Jennifer Beals and Amy Sedaris appear, and we get to see Din Djarin wield the Darksaber.
While it has its highs, it’s easily the most forgettable of the live-action Star Wars shows.
3
Obi-Wan Kenobi
There’s a lot to like about this miniseries. It’s first episode, which centers around old Ben Kenobi living a quiet life on Tatooine in hiding 10 years after Order 66, is really well-made. We meet the Inquisitors and see little Leia running around on Alderaan too.
And the show ends with a bang, featuring an awesome and meaningful duel between Kenobi and Darth Vader. There are a few other moments in the show like that one, that evoke real emotion from Star Wars fans, but how we reach those great scenes can sometimes feel like a bit of a drag. There are distractions, MacGuffins, and unnecessary detours. In short: there’s a lot of fat here. Obi-Wan Kenobi probably would’ve been better as a two-and-half-hour movie, not a six-episode miniseries.
Still, it’s worth watching and filled with great acting. Seeing Ewan McGregor wield his blue lightsaber again was a delight, and Hayden Christensen and Moses Ingram both deservedly won Saturn Awards for their performances. The show was also nominated for five Emmys.
2
The Mandalorian
This is the one that started it all.
Set five years after The Return of the Jedi, bounty hunter Din Djarin – played by Pedro Pascal – is a lone wolf, moving from job to job. Until he is given an assignment by remnant Imperial forces and asked to retrieve a child. Din does this, but a fondness for the child – and a duty to protect it – quickly overcomes him. The show then turns into a space western of sorts as this Mandalorian and cute green thing (we called him Baby Yoda before learning his name was Grogu) journey across the galaxy.
Created by Jon Favreau, the show enlisted some talented filmmakers to direct episodes – from Taika Waititi to Bryce Dallas Howard to Peyton Reed – and also featured some great actors, including Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Nick Nolte, Bill Burr and Ming-Na Wen.
While the first season was largely about keeping Grogu safe and out of the hands of Imperials, the second season centered around Din’s journey to return him to a place where he could be around other Jedi. Season 3 continues Din and Grogu’s story, but also brings Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze into the center of the frame as the mission of retaking Mandalore becomes the focus.
1
Andor
Created by Tony Gilroy, this is easily the best piece of art that has appeared on Disney+. It is a gritty, dark, grounded and bleak adult story about starting a revolution and eventually giving birth to the Rebel Alliance that fans see in the very first Star Wars film, A New Hope.
It features an ensemble cast filled with layered and complicated characters, but mostly focuses on four of them. Diego Luna reprises his role from Rogue One as the titular character, Cassian Andor, a scavenger and cynic who becomes radicalized. Stellan Skarsgard is Luthen Rael, a mastermind Rebel operative and organizer disguised as antiques dealer. Genevieve O’Reilly appears as Mon Mothma, a wealthy senator secretly funding the rebellion. And Kyle Soller plays Syril Karn, a man with an extreme sense of loyalty to the Empire who seeks control, domination and purpose. Other stellar actors, from Andy Serkis to Ebon Moss-Bachrach to Fiona Shaw, also appear in the critically-acclaimed series.
The folks behind the scenes are noteworthy and accomplished too. Nicholas Britell – you may be familiar with his work on Succession – is responsible for the score. And the writing staff includes Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Stephen Schiff (The Americans), and Beau Willimon (House of Cards).
Again, this is the most adult of the Star Wars shows. It is mature and filled with drama, it brings politics to the forefront, and it is intense. The quality of the show remains high no matter the scene; it can be one with massive scale during a heist on Aldhani, or one featuring two men talking in a dark hallway on Coruscant.
