Star Wars TV shows ranked, worst to best
From The Mandalorian to the Clone Wars, here’s our list of the Star Wars TV shows ranked, worst to best.
With the long-awaited series centered on Obi-Wan Kenobi now looming on the horizon, we decided it was time to look back on all the Star Wars TV shows that have been released so far. Disney and Lucasfilm are rapidly ramping up their output of Disney Plus productions while staying quiet about upcoming theatrical releases, so it appears that Star Wars’ immediate future is tied to the streaming platform.
Of course, most of the shows available to watch at the time of writing are animated, as live-action Star Wars television took its sweet time to lift off. However, come back next year and you’ll find a ranking much more packed with live-action productions – on top of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Rogue One prequel series Andor will arrive shortly afterwards, and then we’ll be waiting for Ahsoka and The Acolyte. And that’s just the start when it comes to upcoming Star Wars TV shows.
Read on below, and don’t forget to check our list of the Marvel TV shows, ranked as well if you’re lagging behind on that front as we are being absolutely spoiled with quality sci-fi shows.
8. Star Wars: Resistance
- Release date: October 7, 2018
- Cast: Christopher Sean, Scott Lawrence, Josh Brener
A striking cel-shading animation style couldn’t salvage Resistance from being a mostly forgettable romp. It could be argued this Dave Filoni-produced series was much more child-friendly than The Clone Wars and Rebels, and certainly less ambitious, but that doesn’t suddenly make it an exciting kids show.
The 40-episode series (split in two seasons) didn’t have much worldbuilding to work with nor enough freedom to come up with a unique storyline. Instead, it shyly complemented the sequel trilogy films with a colorful cast of characters that never got to soar high on their own.
7. The Book of Boba Fett
- Release date: December 29, 2021
- Cast: Temuera Morrison, Ming-Na Wen, Frank Trigg
The second live-action Star Wars show lives in the shadow of The Mandalorian by design. After his explosive introduction in the second season of the Favreau/Filoni hit series, Boba Fett went on an unexpected journey of reflection and aimed to rebuild Tatooine as a “man of the people.” It was a welcome change of pace for the (one-note) character, but the execution was kind of messy.
The first four episodes, in spite of the uneven pacing, have nice tints of Conan and gangster films, and mostly deliver on the show’s promise of making us care about Boba. Then it suddenly becomes a (highly enjoyable) teaser for The Mandalorian’s third season, before capping off with a fun finale that inevitably felt unearned. We loved the Star Wars content presented in this one, but it largely felt like a misguided first draft.
6. Star Wars: The Bad Batch
- Release date: May 4, 2021
- Cast: Dee Bradley Baker, Michelle Ang, Noshir Dalal
The first story arc in The Clone Wars’ final season introduced us to what we can only describe to newcomers as the A-Team but Star Wars. Unsurprisingly, the Bad Batch’s guns-blazing mission alongside the veteran characters was, in fact, a backdoor pilot.
The Bad Batch might not have Dave Filoni controlling every piece on the board (he’s busy with live-action storytelling now), and the show sometimes struggles to justify its existence without high-profile cameos, but the first season retained the high-quality animation of The Clone Wars’ seventh entry and its knack for punchy drama.
5. Star Wars: Visions
- Release date: September 22, 2021
- Cast: Michael Sinterniklaas, Neil Kaplan, Adam Sietz
Lending the Star Wars IP to Japanese animation studios always sounded like an instant win, and it paid off big time when Visions arrived last year. Each studio brought their A-game to the table, making excellent use of the (unheard of) creative freedom Lucasfilm allowed for this project.
It’s hard to deny that some episodes barely feel like Star Wars, or that others are content with simply retreading overdone Jedi lore, but the purely visual aspects in each of them make this anthological take on the universe a must-watch.
4. The Clone Wars (2D micro series)
- Release date: November 7, 2003
- Cast: André Sogliuzzo, James Arnold Taylor, Mat Lucas
Genndy Tartakovsky’s The Clone Wars remains a fan-favorite Star Wars production, and with good reason: it was a highly stylized exploration of what could be done with the franchise on television, more concerned with having fun with the medium than actually following a rulebook.
The miniseries was the story that “officially” filled the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. But it quickly collided with novels and comic books that also dealt with the massive conflict. Later, it was finally kicked out of the canon by the 3D Clone Wars show, but it’s still a two-hour (more or less) watch that shouldn’t be missed.
3. Star Wars: Rebels
- Release date: September 26, 2014
- Cast: Dave Filoni, Taylor Gray, Freddie Prinze Jr.
Rebels had a lot to live up to after The Clone Wars’ (temporary) cancellation right after Disney’s acquisition of George Lucas’ empire. While Dave Filoni remained on board, the starting budget was several steps below what fans had grown accustomed to, plus it seemed like a rather irrelevant adventure at first, but it progressively became one of the best pieces of audiovisual “classic Star Wars” storytelling around.
The show’s first season might be rough, and even the (much bigger) second and third volumes struggle with filler episodes due to Disney XD’s exhausting 22-episode orders, but Rebels quickly wins over your heart and doesn’t let go. It’s both an excellent prequel to the original trilogy (and Rogue One) and a deeply spiritual exploration of the weirdest side of Star Wars – that fourth and final season is a doozy.
2. The Mandalorian
- Release date: November 12, 2019
- Cast: Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Barry Lowin
The first ever live-action Star Wars series turned out way better than anyone was expecting. Jon Favreau’s scripts surprised fans and critics alike, and expertly condensed everything important about Star Wars under a new yet old-fashioned guise, plus ILM’s StageCraft tech brought most of the scale from the big screen to television.
There’s just something incredibly appealing about a show that goes deep into Star Wars lore while remaining accessible and inviting for viewers who aren’t well-versed in the history of Lucas’ universe. Yes, the connections to other Star Wars stories are becoming increasingly present, but so far The Mandalorian has juggled all its elements well enough.
Plus, how adorable is Baby Yoda? You can grab your very own Lego Star Wars The Child to have at home. There are also other The Mandalorian-themed Lego sets you can get your hands on, just check out our list of the best Lego Star Wars sets.
1. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Release date: October 3, 2008
- Cast: Tom Kane, Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Lanter
What began as another seemingly innocent animated production for TV ended up becoming a key part of the franchise’s past and future. The Clone Wars did it all, bridging and honoring the whole Star Wars mythos while answering lingering questions that had bothered fans for decades.
You can find handy lists online which can take you through the most important story beats of the show, but we’re of the opinion that the whole journey is worth taking. Some filler episodes might be weak, but The Clone Wars never feels dull and takes big swings to nurture pre-existing characters and create new icons that we’ll be seeing for years to come.
From The Mandalorian to the Clone Wars, here’s our list of the Star Wars TV shows ranked, worst to best.
With the long-awaited series centered on Obi-Wan Kenobi now looming on the horizon, we decided it was time to look back on all the Star Wars TV shows that have been released so far. Disney and Lucasfilm are rapidly ramping up their output of Disney Plus productions while staying quiet about upcoming theatrical releases, so it appears that Star Wars’ immediate future is tied to the streaming platform.
Of course, most of the shows available to watch at the time of writing are animated, as live-action Star Wars television took its sweet time to lift off. However, come back next year and you’ll find a ranking much more packed with live-action productions – on top of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Rogue One prequel series Andor will arrive shortly afterwards, and then we’ll be waiting for Ahsoka and The Acolyte. And that’s just the start when it comes to upcoming Star Wars TV shows.
Read on below, and don’t forget to check our list of the Marvel TV shows, ranked as well if you’re lagging behind on that front as we are being absolutely spoiled with quality sci-fi shows.
8. Star Wars: Resistance
- Release date: October 7, 2018
- Cast: Christopher Sean, Scott Lawrence, Josh Brener
A striking cel-shading animation style couldn’t salvage Resistance from being a mostly forgettable romp. It could be argued this Dave Filoni-produced series was much more child-friendly than The Clone Wars and Rebels, and certainly less ambitious, but that doesn’t suddenly make it an exciting kids show.
The 40-episode series (split in two seasons) didn’t have much worldbuilding to work with nor enough freedom to come up with a unique storyline. Instead, it shyly complemented the sequel trilogy films with a colorful cast of characters that never got to soar high on their own.
7. The Book of Boba Fett
- Release date: December 29, 2021
- Cast: Temuera Morrison, Ming-Na Wen, Frank Trigg
The second live-action Star Wars show lives in the shadow of The Mandalorian by design. After his explosive introduction in the second season of the Favreau/Filoni hit series, Boba Fett went on an unexpected journey of reflection and aimed to rebuild Tatooine as a “man of the people.” It was a welcome change of pace for the (one-note) character, but the execution was kind of messy.
The first four episodes, in spite of the uneven pacing, have nice tints of Conan and gangster films, and mostly deliver on the show’s promise of making us care about Boba. Then it suddenly becomes a (highly enjoyable) teaser for The Mandalorian’s third season, before capping off with a fun finale that inevitably felt unearned. We loved the Star Wars content presented in this one, but it largely felt like a misguided first draft.
6. Star Wars: The Bad Batch
- Release date: May 4, 2021
- Cast: Dee Bradley Baker, Michelle Ang, Noshir Dalal
The first story arc in The Clone Wars’ final season introduced us to what we can only describe to newcomers as the A-Team but Star Wars. Unsurprisingly, the Bad Batch’s guns-blazing mission alongside the veteran characters was, in fact, a backdoor pilot.
The Bad Batch might not have Dave Filoni controlling every piece on the board (he’s busy with live-action storytelling now), and the show sometimes struggles to justify its existence without high-profile cameos, but the first season retained the high-quality animation of The Clone Wars’ seventh entry and its knack for punchy drama.
5. Star Wars: Visions
- Release date: September 22, 2021
- Cast: Michael Sinterniklaas, Neil Kaplan, Adam Sietz
Lending the Star Wars IP to Japanese animation studios always sounded like an instant win, and it paid off big time when Visions arrived last year. Each studio brought their A-game to the table, making excellent use of the (unheard of) creative freedom Lucasfilm allowed for this project.
It’s hard to deny that some episodes barely feel like Star Wars, or that others are content with simply retreading overdone Jedi lore, but the purely visual aspects in each of them make this anthological take on the universe a must-watch.
4. The Clone Wars (2D micro series)
- Release date: November 7, 2003
- Cast: André Sogliuzzo, James Arnold Taylor, Mat Lucas
Genndy Tartakovsky’s The Clone Wars remains a fan-favorite Star Wars production, and with good reason: it was a highly stylized exploration of what could be done with the franchise on television, more concerned with having fun with the medium than actually following a rulebook.
The miniseries was the story that “officially” filled the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. But it quickly collided with novels and comic books that also dealt with the massive conflict. Later, it was finally kicked out of the canon by the 3D Clone Wars show, but it’s still a two-hour (more or less) watch that shouldn’t be missed.
3. Star Wars: Rebels
- Release date: September 26, 2014
- Cast: Dave Filoni, Taylor Gray, Freddie Prinze Jr.
Rebels had a lot to live up to after The Clone Wars’ (temporary) cancellation right after Disney’s acquisition of George Lucas’ empire. While Dave Filoni remained on board, the starting budget was several steps below what fans had grown accustomed to, plus it seemed like a rather irrelevant adventure at first, but it progressively became one of the best pieces of audiovisual “classic Star Wars” storytelling around.
The show’s first season might be rough, and even the (much bigger) second and third volumes struggle with filler episodes due to Disney XD’s exhausting 22-episode orders, but Rebels quickly wins over your heart and doesn’t let go. It’s both an excellent prequel to the original trilogy (and Rogue One) and a deeply spiritual exploration of the weirdest side of Star Wars – that fourth and final season is a doozy.
2. The Mandalorian
- Release date: November 12, 2019
- Cast: Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Barry Lowin
The first ever live-action Star Wars series turned out way better than anyone was expecting. Jon Favreau’s scripts surprised fans and critics alike, and expertly condensed everything important about Star Wars under a new yet old-fashioned guise, plus ILM’s StageCraft tech brought most of the scale from the big screen to television.
There’s just something incredibly appealing about a show that goes deep into Star Wars lore while remaining accessible and inviting for viewers who aren’t well-versed in the history of Lucas’ universe. Yes, the connections to other Star Wars stories are becoming increasingly present, but so far The Mandalorian has juggled all its elements well enough.
Plus, how adorable is Baby Yoda? You can grab your very own Lego Star Wars The Child to have at home. There are also other The Mandalorian-themed Lego sets you can get your hands on, just check out our list of the best Lego Star Wars sets.
1. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Release date: October 3, 2008
- Cast: Tom Kane, Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Lanter
What began as another seemingly innocent animated production for TV ended up becoming a key part of the franchise’s past and future. The Clone Wars did it all, bridging and honoring the whole Star Wars mythos while answering lingering questions that had bothered fans for decades.
You can find handy lists online which can take you through the most important story beats of the show, but we’re of the opinion that the whole journey is worth taking. Some filler episodes might be weak, but The Clone Wars never feels dull and takes big swings to nurture pre-existing characters and create new icons that we’ll be seeing for years to come.