5 Best Star Wars Live-Action Series, Ranked

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In 2019, Disney made a massive push to give us as much “Star Wars”- tinted action as possible, and part of that involved live-action television shows. These were unknown chapters in George Lucas’ beloved franchise, introducing us to all-new characters and reacquainting us with ones we’d seen elsewhere. It was a multi-million dollar gamble that paid off in some areas and not so much in others, but there’s no question that some Skywalker-absent stories ended up becoming popular in their own right.

After making some careful picks, we’ve put together the top five live-action “Star Wars” shows that were so good, they’d get revisited as much as the other big-screen chapters that we all adore so much. Some are standalone stories, and others branched off from crucial stories from the Skywalker Saga that we know so well. Either way, they all kept us gripped in different ways, with only one ending up leagues ahead of the rest. Take a look at what we settled on and just accept that, no, “Ahsoka” unfortunately didn’t make the cut, and we’re not even going to consider “The Book of Boba Fett.” 

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Of all the shows on this list, the one that had the strongest connection to the Skywalker Saga also, annoyingly, ended up being the one with the most issues. “Obi-Wan Kenobi” was set a decade after the events of “Revenge of the Sith” and saw Ewan McGregor’s Jedi Knight living a quiet life and keeping an eye on a young Luke Skywalker. His duties get interrupted, though, when Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) is kidnapped, forcing him to go on a rescue mission years before the one that would lead to his demise.

Not without its faults and questionable story beats, there’s something undeniably thrilling about seeing McGregor’s Kenobi do a “Shane” and “Unforgiven”- like mission that leads him to face his demons and former friends in Anak…sorry, Darth Vader. This confrontation makes the show as much Hayden Christensen’s killer comeback as it is his former on-screen master. The two slip seamlessly back into their respective roles, and their second duel overshadows the first for its emotional impact. It might be too dark, but the light coming from both of their brilliant performances makes this so-so series worthy of being among the greats. Let’s just hope that if McGregor does reprise his role for one final time, the lighting department gets more budget than anything else.

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History has shown that the braver and bolder some creatives are in the “Star Wars” universe, the more they’ll strike a chord with fans who are desperate for it. That’s what we got with “Skeleton Crew,” the series that essentially felt like what if “The Goonies” ended up in the “Star Wars” universe. Running for a single season, the story follows four friends who climb aboard a hidden ship and end up on the other end of the galaxy. It’s only with the help of a mysterious Force-user (Jude Law) that they find their way home and unfortunately bring a big batch of danger along with it.

Law leans into a Long John Silver type as Jod Na Nawood, the crafty space pirate who gets some help from the youngsters, who are all stars in their own right. There’s also a great voice addition of Nick Frost as the ship’s droid, SM:33, who has secrets about why our heroes have been flung off on an adventure and the truth about Jod too. In hindsight, there’s an argument that the show might’ve worked better as a film, since eight episodes dragged out a predictable but still refreshing tale longer than it needed to. Nevertheless, if you’re ever concerned about your kids getting a bit too scared of Darth Vader or the various space monsters that appear in the movies, “Skeleton Crew” is a safe voyage to make.

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If by chance you could handle a “Star Wars” series led by a non-white, non-binary lead because you, pfft, went out and touched grass on the odd occasion, you might have appreciated the bold and brooding prequel series “The Acolyte.” This daring effort took everything we knew about Jedi and Sith and turned it in on its hooded head. Amandla Stenberg played both Osha and Mae, twins separated at a young age (sounds familiar), only to find themselves on very different paths in the Force. Surrounding their reunion is a mystery as various Jedi are killed by a lethal, unknown threat that ignites a war between the light and dark sides of the Force.

Setting the story 100 years before the events of “The Phantom Menace,” creator and showrunner Leslye Headland had freedom to really mess around with the history of the Jedi and their counterparts. The result was, unfortunately, a mix of heinously cutthroat highs and lengthy lows that had the show treading water. Stenberg does a great job in both roles, as does Lee Jung-jae as devout Jedi Sol, who is on a mission to keep a forgotten secret just as it is. The real star, though, is Manny Jacinto as Qimir, one of the most complex and interesting screen “Star Wars” characters in years. The Stranger is quite simply a force to be reckoned with and proves himself in some of the most shocking lightsaber battles since the prequels. How annoying that we’ll never get to see more of it. Thanks a lot, toxic fandom.

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Dancing that fine line between fan service and fresh stories, “The Mandalorian” made its mark in 2019 with its first season by giving us Pedro Pascal as yet another surrogate father figure in a sci-fi world years before he did in “The Last of Us.” Set after the events of “Return of the Jedi,” this lonely bounty hunter pairs up with a kid who would be known forever as Baby Yoda, even if we learned his name was Grogu. The outcome was some good old-fashioned “Star Wars” fun, crammed with both fan-favorite characters making the occasional cameo, but also some impressive A-listers dropping in for some action as well.

Just like George Lucas looked to Japanese stories with “The Hidden Fortress” when he created “A New Hope,” so too did “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau pull from the pages of “Lone Wolf and Cub,” and pump it full of lasers and space monsters. It might have dipped in quality by its third season and the recently released “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which bombed at the box office, but just like “Star Wars” as a whole, Mando’s early adventures are still worth going back to. Let’s just hope that when he returns, he gets back to that standard as well.

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The biggest gamble in the “Star Wars” universe remains the franchise’s greatest addition since its 2015 revival. Created by Tony Gilroy, “Andor” explored the origins of the “Rogue One” team leader before his demise and, in turn, showed us a side of the galaxy that had never been given this much exploration before. There’s no Force to save the day, or a Skywalker to swoop in last minute to lend a hand. Instead, the writer of the “Bourne” movies and “Michael Clayton” introduced us to characters who got their hands dirty and went above and beyond to fight back against the Empire, unknowingly lighting the spark that would draw a line between the galaxy forever.

Spanning only two seasons, Diego Luna’s leading man might’ve had his name on the poster, but there were so many pieces to this show that made it the compelling and award-winning human drama that it would become. Talents like Stellan Skarsgård, Fiona Shaw, and Andy Serkis brought the A-level talent, while the likes of Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, and Genevieve O’Reilly, to name a few, became fan favorites in a show that was on par with some of the greatest television in years. This wasn’t just another “Star Wars” story, but an effective and nail-biting espionage show that, whether it wanted to or not, was a chest-thumping statement against tyranny and injustice. The galaxy far, far away had never felt closer than with “Andor,” and it’s unlikely to ever be this good again.