The Star Wars television universe has produced a remarkable range of quality, from perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes scores down to the struggling 66% of The...
The Star Wars television universe has produced a remarkable range of quality, from perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes scores down to the struggling 66% of The Book of Boba Fett. At the top of the rankings sit Star Wars: Rebels and Tales of the Underworld, both achieving perfect critical scores, followed closely by Andor Season 2 at 98% and its predecessor season at 97%. The animated series and the gritty spy thriller have emerged as the critical darlings of the franchise, while the live-action shows that seemed like sure bets have delivered more uneven results. What makes these rankings particularly interesting is how they challenge assumptions about what Star Wars content audiences and critics want.
Skeleton Crew, a coming-of-age adventure starring Jude Law that flew under the radar for many viewers, scored a 95%””higher than almost every other Star Wars movie and TV show in the franchise’s history. Meanwhile, The Mandalorian, the show that launched Disney Plus into the streaming wars and introduced Baby Yoda to the cultural lexicon, has seen its scores decline from 93% in its first two seasons to 84% in its third. This article breaks down every Star Wars television series by its Rotten Tomatoes score, examines why certain shows resonate more strongly with critics, explores the gap between critical and audience reception, and considers what these rankings reveal about the future direction of the franchise. Whether you are deciding what to watch next or simply curious about how your favorite show stacks up, these numbers tell a compelling story about the state of Star Wars on the small screen.
Which Star Wars Shows Have the Highest Rotten Tomatoes Scores?
The top tier of star Wars television belongs to a surprising mix of animated series and prestige drama. Star Wars: Rebels, the animated show that ran from 2014 to 2018, holds a perfect 100% Tomatometer score, as does the newest entry, Tales of the Underworld. These perfect scores indicate unanimous critical approval, though it is worth noting that animated series often receive fewer reviews overall, which can make achieving consensus easier. Andor dominates the live-action rankings with Season 2 earning a 98% Certified Fresh rating from 55 reviews and Season 1 sitting at 97%.
This spy thriller, which eschews lightsabers and Force powers for a grounded examination of rebellion against fascism, has been consistently celebrated as the best Disney Plus era Star Wars show. Critics have praised its willingness to slow down, develop characters, and treat its audience as adults capable of handling moral complexity. The clone Wars, which ran for seven seasons across multiple networks and streaming platforms, holds a 94% score that reflects its evolution from a somewhat rocky start into one of the most beloved pieces of Star Wars media. For comparison, The Mandalorian Seasons 1 and 2 each scored 93%, while Star Wars: Resistance rounded out the top tier at 92%. These scores represent strong critical consensus, though they also reveal that the franchise’s animated efforts have generally outperformed their live-action counterparts in terms of critical reception.
Why Did Andor Score So Much Higher Than Other Live-Action Star Wars Shows?
andor‘s critical success stems from its fundamental departure from the Star Wars formula. Creator Tony Gilroy, known for the Bourne franchise, crafted a show that functions as a political thriller first and a Star Wars story second. The series examines how ordinary people become radicalized against oppressive systems, featuring no Jedi, minimal fan service, and a protagonist who begins the series as a morally compromised survivor rather than a chosen hero. The show’s 97-98% scores across both seasons reflect critics’ appreciation for this approach. However, if you are a viewer primarily interested in the mystical and adventure elements that define most Star Wars content, Andor may feel like a different franchise entirely.
The show moves deliberately, favoring dialogue and atmosphere over action setpieces. Some viewers find this refreshing while others find it slow””a divergence that highlights how Rotten Tomatoes scores measure critical consensus rather than universal appeal. The critical acclaim also reflects exhaustion with certain Star Wars tropes. By the time Andor premiered in 2022, audiences had experienced multiple shows relying on legacy characters, surprise cameos, and interconnected storylines. Andor offered something different: a self-contained narrative that earned its emotional moments rather than borrowing them from existing attachment to established characters. This approach clearly resonated with critics even as it divided casual viewers who came to Star Wars for lightsaber battles and familiar faces.
Star Wars TV Shows by Rotten Tomatoes Score
Rebels
100 %
Andor S2
98 %
Andor S1
97 %
Skeleton Crew
95 %
Clone Wars
94 %
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
The Mandalorian’s Declining Scores Tell a Bigger Story
The mandalorian‘s trajectory offers a case study in how success can become its own burden. Seasons 1 and 2 each earned 93% scores by delivering a simple but effective formula: a stoic gunfighter, an adorable companion, episodic adventures, and the occasional legacy character appearance deployed with restraint. The show felt fresh in 2019, offering Star Wars content that prioritized fun over mythology. Season 3 dropped to 84%, still a respectable score but a notable decline that reflected critical frustration with the show’s shifting priorities. The season devoted significant runtime to setting up spinoffs and resolving plotlines from The Book of Boba Fett, a separate series that many viewers had skipped.
Critics noted that the show had lost its standalone charm in favor of becoming a nexus point for the larger Disney Plus Star Wars universe. This decline illustrates a limitation of the interconnected storytelling model that Disney has pursued. When The Mandalorian existed as its own thing, it thrived. When it became homework for understanding other shows””and required homework from other shows to understand it””the critical response cooled. The 84% score is not a failure by any measure, but it represents a warning about the costs of prioritizing universe-building over individual story quality.
How Should Viewers Use These Rankings to Decide What to Watch?
Using Rotten Tomatoes scores as a viewing guide requires understanding what the numbers actually measure. A 100% score means every counted critic gave the show a positive review””it does not mean the show is perfect or that you will personally enjoy it. Star Wars: Rebels earned its perfect score, but its animated style and younger target audience mean it will not appeal to everyone despite unanimous critical approval. For viewers who want prestige television that happens to be set in the Star Wars universe, the rankings clearly point toward Andor.
For those seeking family-friendly adventure, Skeleton Crew’s 95% score and coming-of-age story make it an excellent choice. The Mandalorian’s first two seasons remain the best entry point for casual viewers, offering accessible storytelling without requiring deep franchise knowledge, despite the lower score of the third season. The tradeoff worth considering is between critical acclaim and the specific Star Wars experience you want. The Acolyte at 78% attempted something ambitious””a High Republic era mystery with diverse perspectives on the Force””that divided critics but might appeal to viewers hungry for new corners of the galaxy. Similarly, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s 82% score came despite fan enthusiasm for Ewan McGregor’s return, suggesting that nostalgia and critical quality do not always align.
Why Do Some Star Wars Shows Struggle With Critics?
The Book of Boba Fett’s 66% score, the lowest among Star Wars series, reveals what happens when a show fails to justify its own existence. The series struggled to define its protagonist beyond his cool armor, often sidelining Boba Fett in his own show to feature Mandalorian characters instead. Critics noted pacing problems, unclear character motivations, and a finale that felt like it belonged to a different series entirely. The Acolyte’s 78% reflects a different kind of struggle. The show took genuine creative risks by exploring the prequel era, centering morally complex Jedi, and featuring a predominantly new cast without legacy character safety nets.
Some critics praised its ambition while others found the execution lacking. The score landed in a middle ground that suggests the show was neither a clear success nor an obvious failure””it simply divided opinion. A warning for interpreting these lower scores: critical consensus does not always predict personal enjoyment. The Book of Boba Fett contains individual episodes, particularly those focused on The Mandalorian characters, that received strong responses. The Acolyte developed a devoted fanbase despite its mixed reviews. These shows may work for you even if they did not work for critics, particularly if you are invested in the specific characters or eras they explore.
The Surprise Success of Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew’s 95% score represents one of the most unexpected results in Star Wars television history. A show about kids going on a space adventure, starring Jude Law as a mysterious Force user, seemed destined to be a minor entry in the Disney Plus lineup. Instead, critics praised its Amblin-inspired charm, genuine sense of wonder, and willingness to tell a complete story without requiring extensive franchise knowledge.
The show’s success offers a lesson about what can work within the Star Wars framework. Skeleton Crew succeeded by focusing on character relationships and adventure rather than mythology and fan service. Its young protagonists provided fresh perspectives on a galaxy that can feel overly familiar, while Jude Law’s character added enough mystery to sustain interest without drowning the narrative in lore.
What Do These Rankings Mean for Future Star Wars Television?
The critical success of Andor and the perfect score achieved by Tales of the Underworld suggest that Lucasfilm has learned certain lessons about quality over quantity. The company has reportedly scaled back its aggressive Disney Plus slate following mixed responses to several series, allowing more development time for remaining projects. The rankings point toward a future where Star Wars television might embrace more variety in tone and scope rather than attempting to make every show a event series.
Smaller, more focused projects like Skeleton Crew have demonstrated that critical success does not require massive budgets or legacy character appearances. Meanwhile, Andor has proven that the franchise can support genuinely adult storytelling without abandoning what makes Star Wars distinctive. The question going forward is whether Lucasfilm will consistently pursue quality over content volume””a shift that these Rotten Tomatoes scores seem to endorse.
Conclusion
The Rotten Tomatoes rankings of Star Wars television series reveal a franchise capable of both remarkable highs and notable stumbles. The perfect scores for Rebels and Tales of the Underworld, combined with Andor’s near-perfect 97-98% across two seasons, demonstrate that Star Wars can achieve genuine critical acclaim when creators are given freedom to pursue distinct visions. Skeleton Crew’s 95% proves that new stories with new characters can compete with legacy-driven content.
The rankings also serve as a useful guide with important caveats. Critical scores measure professional opinion, not personal compatibility with your tastes. The Mandalorian remains an excellent show despite its Season 3 decline, and even The Book of Boba Fett has its moments despite sitting at the bottom of the list. Use these numbers as one data point among many when deciding what to watch, and remember that the best Star Wars content often comes from unexpected places””as Skeleton Crew and Andor have thoroughly demonstrated.
