Why You’re Probably Missing Out on the Best TV Series of the Year

By Jonathan J Taylor

On September 21st, a new series set in the Star Wars universe, Andor, released on the
Disney+ streaming service. The show followed Cassian Andor, a Rebel alliance spy that
appeared solely in the Star Wars film “Rogue One'' back in 2016, not appearing in any other
related media outside of a handful of comics. Due to how obscure the character was the series
bearing his name was expected to flop, and to some degree it did. However, that is not the full
story.

Set several years before A New Hope, the story followed a number of characters using
their own means of dismantling the oppressive Empire. From amoral mercenaries, to
disillusioned soldiers out for revenge, to benevolent politicians trying to fix the system from
within, the story expertly alternates between faced-paced action and incredibly tense political
espionage. Characters’ motivations are often questionable, with very few cases of truly “heroic”
characters and the majority of the cast falling firmly into the morally gray area, something rarely
seen in the Star Wars franchise.

The show also takes a nuanced approach with how its antagonists are written. With the
main threat being the oppressive empire, the enemies are not “mustache-twirling” villains, but
rather ambitious careerists. People filled with Imperial propaganda, who do their job with gusto
because they feel they are restoring order and justice, while also accumulating their own power
and influence, drawing a fascinating parallel to how real fascist governments develop.

One common complaint against many of the recent series produced by Disney for their
service is that they are effectively the “junk food” of television. Fast paced, flashy, and with a lot
of jokes thrown in without a great degree of depth. Andor is different though- action is used very
sparingly, with the majority of episodes used to build tension and anticipation for when things
finally break loose. When they do, the stakes are massively higher than before, as the cast have
been preparing for this moment for ages at this point, and the audience really feels the weight of
what is taking place.

So how did it do? Well, not so great. According to Forbes, the series performed
significantly worse than the other Star Wars series put out by Disney. This can be attributed to a
number of possible causes. The lack of big-name characters in the show certainly makes it less
appealing to some, with no major stars from other Star Wars media making appearances.
Another is the fact that another Disney+ series, SheHulk, was already still coming out at the
time of Andor’s release, somewhat muffling its marketing campaign. However, one thing that
cannot be counted against the series was its actual quality. While the show’s audience may be
limited, it is rated quite well, and has developed a very committed following over the course of
its brief run. Many consider it among the best, if not the best Star Wars project to date due to the
sheer quality and complexity of its writing.