Prior to the launch of Disney+ in 2019, there were no Star Wars live-action shows, and only a handful of animated series. The earliest Star Wars cartoons from the ’80s, Droids and Ewoks, barely resembled anything from the movies. Decades later, Star Wars: The Clone Wars provided the blueprint for the franchise’s animation resurgence, which in turn helped pave the way for The Mandalorian and the rest of the live-action shows.
To celebrate the release of The Acolyte, we’re taking a look back at the 10 best Star Wars shows ever. But we reserve the right to revise our listings as more Star Wars series arrive on Disney+ in the future.
10. The Book of Boba Fett
After Boba Fett’s amazing comeback in The Mandalorian season 2, fans were hyped for The Book of Boba Fett to deliver on the promise that was shown when Boba (Temuera Morrison) and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) forcefully took over Jabba’s palace in The Mandalorian season 2’s post-credits scene. Instead, Robert Rodriguez delivered the Star Wars equivalent of Spy Kids.
Morrison and Wen are both great performers, but the key problem with this series is that their characters seemed watered down compared to their appearances on The Mandalorian. This show briefly comes to life in episodes 5 and 6, when Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian essentially takes the spotlight away from Boba. If the entire series had been as good as those two episodes, The Book of Boba Fett wouldn’t be at the bottom of this list.
Watch The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+.
9. Star Wars Resistance
Star Wars Resistance attempted to do for the sequel films what Star Wars: The Clone Wars did for the prequels. Oscar Isaac even stopped by for a few episodes as Poe Dameron. But instead of focusing on characters from the films, this animated series followed Kazuda “Kaz” Xiono (Christopher Sean), a talented New Republic pilot who was a klutzy spy for the Resistance.
Kaz occasionally has his moments, but he’s one of the most inept heroes in all of Star Wars. And because of the compressed timeline of the sequels, this show’s interactions with the films were kept to a minimum. Some of Resistance‘s best episodes dealt with Kaz’s response to his home world’s destruction in The Force Awakens, or the sense of betrayal his friend, Tam Ryvora (Suzie McGrath), felt when she learned he was a spy. But Resistance just didn’t have the narrative momentum for a long run, and it came to an end after only two seasons.
Watch Star Wars Resistance on Disney+.
8. Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi feels like a two-hour movie that was stretched out to six hours. Parts of it are even great, especially when Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) is so beaten down and despondent on Tatooine that he refuses to help another Jedi on the run. The icing on the cake was the return of other prequel-era characters, including Owen Lars (Joel Edgerton) and Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen).
Where the series starts to go off the rails is with the secondary antagonist, Reva Sevander (Moses Ingram). The scripts didn’t do Ingram any favors by limiting Reva to largely one note: rage. Vivien Lyra Blair had a good turn as the young Leia Organa, and her kidnapping was the only reason why Obi-Wan would come out of exile. It takes some real mental gymnastics to make Obi-Wan’s showdown with Vader line up with what we saw in Star Wars. But that was also one of our favorite parts of the show.
Watch Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+.
7. Ahsoka
Dave Filoni has proven to be a godsend for the entire Star Wars franchise, and he understands its lore like few others. But there is something about Filoni’s writing and directing that doesn’t carry the same impact in live-action that they do in animation. Character moments that would have killed in animation fall flat in Ahsoka, especially during the early conflicts between Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) and her former apprentice, Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo).
The best thing that Ahsoka has going for it is a terrific performance by the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, a former Jedi who has rejected both his former order and the Sith. Baylan is more of an anti-villain than a traditional Star Wars bad guy, which made him incredibly intriguing. Ahsoka herself also gets some of the show’s most memorable scenes when she’s reunited with Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker and forced to relive part of the Clone Wars. When Ahsoka hit upon those special moments, it elevated the entire series.
Watch Ahsoka on Disney+.
6. Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi
The only thing holding Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi back from a higher position on this list is the length of the series. With only six episodes comprised of roughly 10-minutes each, it’s just not enough to be considered a full series. But through these six stories, we see the rise of Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) from an infant to a warrior and then a rebel. And on the other side of the story, we witness the slow fall from grace of Count Dooku (Corey Burton) as he turns away from the Jedi and joins the Sith.
Tales of the Jedi‘s animation was also on par with the best of The Clone Wars and Rebels. These were only short chapters in the overall saga of the franchise, and yet also essential viewing for anyone who loves Star Wars.
Watch Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi on Disney+.
5. Star Wars: The Bad Batch
For a show that initially seemed like an afterthought to The Clone Wars, Star Wars: The Bad Batch really came together in its three-season run to tell a long-form story about the fate of the clones. Dee Bradley Baker voiced every male clone on this series, including the members of Clone Force 99 who took in their young clone sister, Omega (Michelle Ang).
The series proved to be a worthy successor to The Clone Wars, with some terrific characterization. Crosshair’s journey from traitor to disillusioned member of the Empire and his subsequent redemption was one of the most powerful character arcs in the entire franchise. This show felt like it could have gone longer than three seasons, but it went out on top.
Watch Star Wars: The Bad Batch on Disney+.
4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars: The Clone Wars pulled off the monumental feat of making the prequel films better and more interesting by expanding the lore and the supporting cast without losing the focus on the characters from the films like Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme. Ahsoka Tano also turned out to be this show’s greatest contribution to the Star Wars universe, as she became a fan-favorite over the course of the series.
There were some occasional stumbles on this show. But the overall strength of the series is truly impressive. After an abrupt ending when Disney took over the franchise, The Clone Wars got a chance to wrap up its storyline with a seventh season on Disney+. That led to an amazing ending for the series, and the finale was one of the best Star Wars stories that we’ve ever seen.
Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+.
3. Star Wars Rebels
Hardcore fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars might object to placing Star Wars Rebels above it on this list. But the reason why this show is at No. 3 is that no other animated series has recaptured the feeling of the original Star Wars trilogy as well as this show. Keeping the focus on a core group of characters was also a smart choice, as it gave the crew of the Ghost — Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus, Sabine Wren, Chopper, and Zeb — the time to develop as individuals and bond as a makeshift family.
Star Wars Rebels also gave the franchise some of its most epic moments to date, including Ahsoka’s confrontation with Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s final battle with Maul. That alone makes this show one of the all-time great Star Wars series.
Watch Star Wars Rebels on Disney+.
2. The Mandalorian
Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian may have lost a few steps in season 3, but the first two seasons are absolutely incredible. Favreau successfully convinced Disney and Lucasfilm to hide the existence of Grogu (back when he was only known to fans as Baby Yoda) before the reveal at the end of the pilot episode. That same commitment was key to protecting the surprise of the return of one of Star Wars’ iconic heroes in the second season finale, which is a moment that remains unmatched.
As much fun as it is to watch the Mandalorian kick butt across the galaxy, it’s his bond with Grogu that makes this show special. The title character really loves Grogu like a son, and their farewell scene in season 2 is so emotional that it’s easy to forget that Grogu is just a puppet. There’s a reason why the next Star Wars movie is going to be The Mandalorian and Grogu. These are the most popular new characters of Lucasfilm’s Disney era.
Watch The Mandalorian on Disney+.
1. Andor
There are actually some Star Wars fans who dislike Andor and dismiss it as slow and boring. They couldn’t be more wrong. Andor is more overtly political than any of the previous shows or movies, but it needed to be in order to show a different side of the Empire. Under the creative direction of series creator Tony Gilroy, the Empire isn’t just a bunch of evil space fascists. Instead, they’re a truly oppressive regime with a cruel streak towards anyone who gets in the way of their power.
Diego Luna has a compelling turn as the lead character, Cassian Andor, as he slowly becomes radicalized against the Empire. However, Luna is blown out of the water by the performances of Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael and Andy Serkis in a guest role as Kino Loy. The monologues given to Skarsgård and Serkis in Andor‘s 10th episode may be some of the best writing that Star Wars has ever had. That was followed two episodes later by another rousing speech by the late Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw), who delivered a call to action against the Empire with her final message. She was the first brick in the rebellion.
Andor season 2 is currently in production for a 2025 premiere on Disney+. And if this show can stick the landing with its two-season run, it will cement its place on this list for years to come.
Watch Andor on Disney+.
Editors' Recommendations
- 10 best historical movies ever, ranked
- The 10 most popular shows on Max right now
- 10 best PBS shows ever, ranked
- The best new shows to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Max (HBO), and more
- The 50 best shows on Netflix in May 2024
