The Star Wars franchise doesn't end with the epic films. It has spawned countless spin-off TV shows that fans love just as much, if not more.
From successful hits like The Mandalorian, Obi Wan Kenobi and Andor to the more recent and well-received series Ahsoka, following former Jedi Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Star Wars spin-off series have captivated audiences since 2019, and there is more on the website. way The Bad Batch is returning for a season 3 this year.
But Star Wars TV shows are not a new phenomenon by any means. The first spin-off series, Droids, was released in 1985, and more than a dozen spin-off animations, shorts and microseries followed over the next four decades.
There will probably be more to come, but for now, here's a ranking of all our favorite Star Wars TV shows so far, from least good to best.
6. Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021)
The Bad Batch is a group of clone troopers (the Empire's foot soldiers that have become a hallmark of the franchise) who turned good due to a genetic mutation. They now have the ability to resist the influence of the assassination protocol Order 66, meaning they can follow their own will - and fortunately they choose to go on missions to undermine the Emperor.
Set between Revenge of the Sith (2005) and A New Hope (1977), there's no subtlety here and the script is a bit clunky, but the series is fun and action-packed, which makes it somewhat of a winner. And, most importantly, you don't have to have read your Star Wars story to dive right in. The first and second seasons of the animated series both consisted of 16 episodes. The show's third and final season was released in February, and Disney+ will continue to release subsequent episodes every Wednesday through May 1, 2024.
5. Star Wars Rebels (2014)
We thoroughly enjoyed this 3D, more kid-oriented, animated spin-off series - and so did other Star Wars fans: it has a whopping 98 percent Tomatometer rating.
Created by Simon Kinberg (who wrote Mr. & Mrs. Smith and of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Star Wars: The Clone Wars), the story takes place more than ten years after the Galactic Empire has seized power. It follows a group of rebels, the Spectres, who all try to undermine the Empire's many operations.
The story continues
4. Andor (2022)
This series starring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor tells the story of the birth of the rebellion, also known as The Rebel Alliance (the resistance movement secretly trying to restore a liberal government in the place of the evil Galactic Empire).
Unfortunately, despite an all-star cast (Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgård, Fiona Shaw and Kyle Soller also star), and despite incredible special effects and what could have been a fascinating storyline, the series didn't happen. There are confusing flashbacks, too much focus on routine activities and not enough action. It feels like "a slow-moving series that makes you feel trapped in carbonite," according to the Standard.
However, it should be noted that others loved it: Rotten Tomatoes, for example, gave it a great Tomatometer rating of 96 percent, and a second series will be released in August 2024.
3. Obi Wan Kenobi (2022)
Ewan McGregor returned last year to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in this incredible series, set ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). Fans of the franchise will remember it as a very dramatic film: the Jedi were virtually wiped out after the Order 66 assassin protocol turned robots into Jedi killers. In the aftermath of all the drama, Kenobi fled to the planet Tatooine, where the new series picks up.
Now Kenobi cares for the son of his old student, Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen). But after Anakin's daughter, Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair), is kidnapped, he goes on a mission to save her. The series received mixed reviews, with some loving the action scenes and praising McGregor's acting, while others said the series didn't bring anything particularly new to the franchise.
2. Tales of the Jedi (2022)
This six-episode animated anthology series splits in two and follows the lives of Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) and then Count Dooku (Corey Burton). Although the episodes are only 15 minutes each, they still manage to flesh out the backstories of the two Jedis by capturing snapshots of some of the most pivotal moments in their lives.
The show was critically acclaimed (it has an incredible 100% Tomatometer rating), but was generally seen as a treat for Star Wars enthusiasts rather than a series made for people joining the franchise: Empire rated the series and said it "reminds fans why they fell in love with those animated images in the first place"; The Hollywood Reporter said it was "for fans only."
1. The Mandalorian (2019)
For most Star Wars fans, The Mandalorian was everything they dreamed a spin-off series could be. "The Mandalorian is too cool to resist," said The Guardian in 2020; "The Mandalorian is perhaps the ultimate expression of what George Lucas was getting all along... Star Wars should never have been a series of movies, it should have just been a TV show. Thank the Maker we finally have it," Standard said about the third season of The Mandalorian.
The space western, which will release its fourth season sometime next year, is set after the fall of the Empire and stars Pedro Pascal as warrior and bounty hunter Din Djarin / The Mandalorian. The story focuses on the adventures of Djarin and Grogu (Baby Yoda). Action-packed, fun and exciting, featuring an all-star cast (Katee Sackhoff, Werner Herzog, Nick Nolte, Taika Waititi and Omid Abtahi stars) and with a score by Ludwig Göransson, it was no wonder the series was nominated for 12 Emmy Awards (seven wins) in 2020.
