5 of the best … Star Wars TV shows

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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … George Lucas had an idea for a sci-fi film about robots and glowing swords. That movie — Star Wars, later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope — changed cinema and led to numerous sequels, prequels, and spin-offs across film and television.
Now there’s another series, Acolyte, created by the producer of the critically acclaimed TV comedy drama Russian Doll. Set a century before the events of the film Episode I: The Phantom Menace, it tells the story of a rogue individual who is hunting and killing Jedi masters across the galaxy.
But before you dive into that, let’s explore the rest of the shows in this cosmic galaxy. Here we select five of the best, all available to watch on Disney+. What’s your favourite Star Wars show? Do you agree with our picks? Let us know in the comments below.
This prequel to the 2016 movie Rogue One (the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back) is brilliant. Rather than trying to appease fans, the showrunner Tony Gilroy — best known for scripting the Jason Bourne films — boldly took the franchise in a different direction: less cosmic space nonsense and more gritty drama. It’s dark, sophisticated and led by a terrific performance from Diego Luna, who returns as the brooding Cassian Andor. It explores what happened to him before he sacrificed himself for the Rebels in their battle against the Empire. Forest Whitaker, Denise Gough and Stellan Skarsgard also star. Season two is due to bring his story to a close in 2025.
The first live-action Star Wars television series is far better than expected. Created by Jon Favreau (the director of Iron Man), this series took us on a Wild West-like journey through the underbelly of the galaxy. Werner Herzog delivers a great performance as a shifty imperial leader, and Pedro Pascal impresses as the bounty hunter despite the fact we never see his face. And there’s the adorable Baby Yoda — though don’t call him that, you’ll get in trouble with Disney — technically it’s Grogu.
Set five years before the events depicted in Episode IV: A New Hope, this series focuses on the origins of the Rebel Alliance that Luke Skywalker will one day fight for. It takes place in a time when the evil Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights. Smart, funny and at times nostalgic — this lush animated spin-off is a series all ages can enjoy, with characters you can buy into.
This animated series made up for the disappointing film of the same name that was released two months earlier. There have been at least seven Star Wars cartoon spin-offs with hundreds of episodes, but none of them match this series. It brilliantly explored other realms of the Star Wars galaxy, balancing hundreds of characters and dozens of key events. It proved so popular that the Star Wars fan base saved it from cancellation twice.
There was a lot of pressure riding on this series, with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reuniting almost 20 years after filming their last outing, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Overall it delivered. Originally intended as a big-screen proposition, the show features some interesting twists, McGregor on fine form and some blockbuster battle scenes. The series is set in between the prequel films where Kenobi left Anakin Skywalker and the events of A New Hope. Whether or not we needed this story is another matter.
• Now check out our full list of the best Star Wars films and TV shows ranked — and the worst
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