The Star Wars franchise broke into the television scene with the Star Wars Holiday Special, a legendary flop of a project that is simultaneously renowned and despised by fans (via Esquire). However, in the decades that have followed, Star Wars TV series have only improved in quality. Today, with the dedicated machine of Disney+, new Star Wars content is being steadily created and released.
Between a number of beloved animated series and the newer, live-action Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor series from this year, it’s a good time to be a fan of Star Wars. Still, all of these projects have been helmed by very different creative teams, and, what's more, have been received very differently by audiences. With the recent release of Andor on Disney+, it’s time the rest of the Star Wars TV shows were ranked against each other.
Updated November 7, 2022: If you love Star Wars, you'll be happy to know we've updated this article with additional content and entries.
10 The Book of Boba Fett (2021-)
Infamous bounty hunters Boba Fett and Fennec Shand try to lay claim to the vast criminal empire formerly run by Jabba the Hutt. With impressive special effects and a standout performance from Temuera Morrison, The Book of Boba Fett is an entertaining seven hours of Star Wars content, complete with compelling action scenes and dramatic intrigue. Unfortunately, the series falls victim to a larger problem of the Star Wars universe: relying on nostalgia and the same old story beats to reach smaller and less interesting conclusions. Critics have praised its entertainment value, but expressed dissatisfaction with how cluttered and directionless the show’s narrative is.
9 Star Wars: Resistance (2018-2020)
After the success of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels came the third animated series, Star Wars: Resistance. Set during the period following the events of Return of the Jedi, the series follows Kaz, a wide-eyed young pilot who becomes swept up in the first stages of conflict between The New Republic and the enigmatic First Order. The series was a hit for younger audiences, featuring a vibrant color scheme and a more friendly and inviting tone. On the other hand, the plot is slow to gain momentum, and there’s a sense that not much is occurring as the series struggles to define its context within the larger universe.
8 Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021-)
The Bad Batch operates as a spin-off of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and picks up the narrative of Clone Force 99, a group of deviant clone troopers that carve out their own unique space as elite soldiers within the Republic’s army. The animation style upgrades the visual flair of its predecessors, with dazzling lighting and visceral action scenes. The plot draws heavily from the lore established in the prequel series, and offers an intriguing take on the morality and philosophy behind cloning in the Star Wars universe and all its related consequences. Dee Bradley Baker's legendary vocal talents diversify not one, not two, but every clone character — with the exception of one.
7 The Mandalorian (2019-)
The long awaited first live-action television entry in the Star Wars universe is a true spectacle to behold. Beautifully rendered with the best in CGI technology, The Mandalorian is a feast for the eyes. Pedro Pascal plays the titular character, a mysterious bounty hunter that stumbles upon a sought-after child of the same species as Yoda. The series follows their journey to find the child a safe home. Even this plot, unfortunately, relies on nostalgia for the larger universe to make its conclusion, though each step along the way is still filled with fun action and engaging set pieces.
6 Star Wars: Visions (2021-)
Star Wars: Visions is one of the more ambitious and creatively daring projects to come out of the Disney+ era. In a delightfully different approach, a number of different animation studios in Japan were given free rein to bring their own unique visions to the Star Wars universe. The result is a series of short, disconnected vignettes from across the galaxy that are some of the most visually stunning and compelling content the franchise has to offer. Those looking for one long story will be disappointed, as the series is more of an anthology of smaller, disparate stories.
5 Star Wars: Rebels (2014-2018)
Although the first season of Star Wars: Rebels lags a little in its pacing, the rest of the series makes this slight bump more than worth the ride. Following a Jedi master and a new apprentice displaced following Order 66, Rebels is the story of a ragtag bunch of freedom fighters that would go on to become part of the original Rebel Alliance featured in the original trilogy. All the characters in this series have their own competencies, flaws, moments of love, and desperation as they try and free their home world of Lothal from imperial control. Plenty of incredible world-building and thematic development allow Rebels to be some of the most substantive and engaging Star Wars content ever made. And that final, fateful fight between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul might just be one of the best moments in all of Star Wars, period.
4 Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2014-2020)
Beginning in 2008 and concluding in 2020, this disjointed series changed hands in production multiple times, living and even thriving through the Disney acquisition of the Star Wars properties. This is the series that introduced Ahsoka, one of the most beloved characters in the franchise that would go on to make appearances in other Star Wars television shows. Following the adventures of Anakin and his Padawan Ahsoka through the last few years of the Galactic Republic, The Clone Wars is an epic tale of growth, overcoming evil, and finding the meaning of goodness on one’s own terms. Despite several sets of episodes that were considered filler, the series remains the most wondrous and dazzling visions of the Star Wars universe. It recently concluded in 2020, returning at the behest of fans with an epic seventh season that finally wrapped up the story.
3 Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
If nothing else, it's a treat to see Ewan McGregor step back into these shoes. The recent Star Wars spin-off Obi-Wan Kenobi sheds new light on the titular character as he experiences an unexpected psychological meltdown. This hero intends to leave the fight of the disappearing Jedi against the Empire. After Order 66 destroyed almost all Jedi, the remaining ones are trying to survive. The Inquisitors sent by the Empire hunt these Jedi while civilians form a resistance to save them. In a difficult situation, Obi-Wan has no right to step out of the battle against the dark side. The series succeeds through its other character revivals as well, particularly Hayden Christensen returning as a conflicted Anakin.
2 Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022-)
Here's another acclaimed animated series from Lucasfilm: Tales of the Jedi. The anthology project was created by Dave Filoni, known for his terrific work behind the camera for The Mandalorian. Each episode tells a short story featuring Jedi from the Star Wars prequel trilogy era, including Master Yaddle, voiced by Star Wars directing veteran Bryce Dallas Howard. The six episodes are split into two "paths," the first following Ahsoka Tano across various points in her life and the other depicting a young Count Dooku before his fall to the dark side. Tune in now as the first installment continues airing on Disney+!
1 Andor (2022-)
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Disney
And finally, another of Lucasfilm's latest endeavors on the Disney+ platform. In the new series Andor, a jump even further backwards in the timeline — to when the Empire was securing its stranglehold on the universe — only heightened the real-world sense of crushed idealism that comes after youth is gone. Creator Tony Gilroy has brought to the Star Wars universe the same kind of maturity he introduced to the spy genre with the Bourne films. The galaxy far, far away is being seen through the lens of human realism, and it's certainly a breath of fresh air.