‘Star Wars’ Shows, Ranked From Least to Most Successful So Far

The Book of Boba Fett was set up after arguably one of the greatest moments of Star Wars television to date, following The Mandolorian Season 2. The show was announced in a post-credit scene during the season finale, and fans waited with anticipation to see Boba Fett as a starring character in an upcoming show. Unfortunately, we ended up with a mixed bag of staggered storytelling and a disjointed narrative as the Fett struggled to maintain territory from the Jabbas in Tatooine. The show also threw in a flashback subplot detailing events between Return of the Jedi and his cameo appearance in the recent Mandalorian. It didn’t culminate very well, and the only saving grace of the show was when it got a slew of cameo appearances from other Star Wars A-Listers, effectively making Fett feel like the background character he’s always been, except now in his own show. Critics mercifully gave the expensive series 66 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, whereas fans were less forgiving, awarding the series a rotten ranking of 55 percent.

Star Wars: Resistance feels like this universe’s answer to Star Trek: Prodigy, with both animated series targeted at a younger audience. Making the franchise for anybody, including people of color and kids of all ages, gave critics plenty of reasons to praise the show. However, there’s that loud subsection of each fandom that does not like making Star-anything accessible, especially at the cost of its grit and storytelling. As such, audiences didn’t agree with the critics’ 92 percent score, opting for a rotten 56 percent average from fans for the second season and 71 percent for the first. Many believe this move comes from Disney as a means of milking the IP yet again. But some do admit the series picks up steam in the second half of the first season, creating a more engaging watch as the show finally settles into its overarching plot.

What happens when you allow different animation studios to give their take on the Star Wars franchise? It brings forth unique perspectives on the franchise and its mythos, which is only further exemplified by its anthology format and the anime influences showcased. It feels creative, fresh, and unique, a huge point of contention for those who have grown exasperated with the franchise’s constant use of nostalgia. For these reasons, the single-season series holds a 96 percent critics score and a 66 percent audience rating. Others feel like Star Wars and anime don’t go together, all the Japanese influences sampled to create Star Wars as a franchise notwithstanding. It also doesn’t do anything to push the storytelling or lore further canonically. And in this world of binging television shows and referring to them as “content,” if a franchise series has no implications for future stories, then some won’t find any worth in watching it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi saw the return of the titular fan-favorite character portrayed by Ewan McGregor 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode 3. It would showcase the first encounter between Kenobi and Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen reprising) before their finale staredown in A New Hope, with original actors Alec Guinness and David Prowse (voiced by James Earl Jones.)

When he sat with TV Insider to talk about the show, he said, “It feels different, but it’s still absolutely Star Wars.” And although the inevitable confrontation was entertaining, the road to get there got a bit bumpy, making some wish the show was instead a movie. It was great seeing the prequel cast come together once more, but the secondary stories, settings, and even some of the characters could have benefited from the same amount of care as Kenobi and Vader. Although it sits at a healthy 82 percent from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the fan score barely scrapes by fresh at 63 percent. Some fans criticized the pricy series for not respecting sequential events from the original trilogy, questionable power scaling, and the depiction of a younger Leia.

One of the only things fans and critics can agree on when it comes to Star Wars is the first season of The Bad Batch was pretty great. It’s another animated series, this time coming off the heels of the OG Star Wars cartoon, The Clone Wars, specifically its final season. This series follows a group of rouge Stormtroopers after the success of Order 66. Dee Bradley Baker stars as the titular group of clones. Michelle Ang provides voicework for a female clone named Omega, who joins the squad as they take on several mercenary missions around the galaxy. What fans and critics both appear to agree on is how well the show handles the varying experiences and growth of the clone characters. It’s compelling to see how fellow clones were directly affected by the fallout of the Jedi Order, as well as their development as they traverse a cruel, changing galaxy.

Tales of the Jedi is a brand new animated anthology series that focuses on two specific Jedi, Ahsoka and Count Dooku, chronicling their split paths toward The Force. Like several recent big hits for Lucasfilm, this show is also stewarded by Dave Filoni, who initially introduced animation to Star Wars full-time with The Clone Wars. The series serves as an introspective of fan-favorite characters the likes we’ve never seen before. There’s very little risk here, but it’s yielded high rewards thanks to the supplemental information you get about the aforementioned Jedi and Sith. What makes it such a hit is the barrier of entry is shockingly low while also proving entertaining for longtime fans as well. There’s no need to have any prior knowledge to love the show, unlike the other offerings presented in 2022.

Although some love it more than others, many consider this series to be the one animated series to progress the lore in interesting ways and check in with characters we never got a chance to in The Clone Wars since it took place during the Prequel era. This show is set directly after it, before the original series, allowing folks like Dark Vader and Ahsoka to appear simultaneously. It also showcased a new subsection of Sith called the Inquisitors, who run in a big, evil mob spearheaded by Vader himself. Newly introduced Jedi like Kanan and Ezra have since become iconic figures within the franchise, and fans waited with bated breath to see the latter’s live-action portrayal in Ahsoka.

Mandalorian lore, Jedi lore, and political dynamics of the galaxy–these are the three pillars of intrigue for Star Wars fans. The critical reception of Mandalorian and Andor has proved that, and now, with Ahsoka, we have our Jedi representation in full, and what a joyous ride it was. Not only standing as a full-on sequel to the Rebels television show, Ahsoka served as a continuation of The Clone Wars, Return of the Sith, all the while standing firm as its own show about master and pupil. Not only does the series bring its titular character to life with the incredible Rosario Dawson, but it brings Thrawn, the galaxy’s most feared villain, only second to Vader, to the forefront of live action. If you are a longtime extended universe fan from the 2000s, Ahsoka is tailor-made to resolve several longstanding storylines. But it also delivers the kind of Jedi action fans have yearned for from the sequel trilogy.

Much like Rouge One: A Star Wars Story, Andor tells a ground-zero perspective about the Empire’s reign, the galaxy’s political structure, and how it affects other planets under its rule. Folks praise the series for its fresh take on the property, as it effectively showcases massive scale and intimate storytelling instead of relying on nostalgia. Characters are layered, and they’re entrenched in high-stakes conflict. But others find the show’s initial slow burn towards the beginning boring.

The show stars Diego Luna once again as the titular Cassian Andor. It introduces a slew of new characters played by Stellan Skarsgård and Adria Arjona, but also returning people like Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mod Martha and Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera. The series is currently at 96 percent from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 85 percent from the audience. Although the show’s success sets a new precedence for what the tone of Star Wars can be, it’s too soon to tell if the influence will carry through.

During the down period of the franchise between the prequels and Lucasfilm’s acquisition, The Clone Wars was the only property holding down the fort. It started off rocky when it initially debuted on Cartoon Network, choosing to tell stories during this era in the galaxy in a non-linear fashion. Then things picked up steam when Netflix picked up the series for 13 episodes. Finally, creator Dave Filoni could close out his chapter in the franchise when the series returned as the first piece of new Star Wars media on the platform — and it returned in grand fashion. The series is known for fleshing out the stories and relationship between Kenobi and Anakin between Episode II and Episode III. It also introduced Ahsoka, Anakin’s Padawan, Dark Side users like Asajj Ventress, and several other secondary characters from the books or films at an earlier (or later) time. It was also the first mainstay animated Star Wars series that was canonical and followed focal figures within the mythos.

The success and recognition of The Mandalorian are undeniable. Your mom probably even knows who Baby Yoda is. Any new piece of media that you can have an in-depth conversation about with a fan, as well as your mother, is a sign of widespread success, and that’s just what Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have. They tied the timeless genre of Westerns alongside Star Wars, specifically Mandalorian culture rather than Jedi, and effectively changed the franchise’s course forever.

In its wake, we’ve seen more stories that don’t involve lightsabers, individuals from the Skywalker family, or The Force than we’ve ever gotten before. Its existence ushered in an entirely new era for the franchise. Some may ask, “well, is it even still Star Wars?” Yes. After the fall of the Galactic Empire (the events of Return of the Jedi), a lone gunfighter makes his way through the lawless galaxy with a lil baby green guy that looks like Yoda. Grogu (his real name), by the way, is the glue that holds together the series’ widespread appeal. Come for the little green guy, but stay for the simple yet captivating episodic adventures.