Ranking the live-action Star Wars TV series

The Star Wars universe continues to expand, but these days it's mostly on the small screen. That's not a bad thing, because what's been released has largely been good, and there's plenty more on the horizon.

Here's my absolutely-definitive-no-need-to-argue ranking of the live action Star Wars TV series.

1. Andor

Much like its parent film Rogue One, Andor doesn't feel like Star Wars usually does. Instead it takes the familiar universe, strips out the mysticism, and makes it a real place, inhabited by real people trying to go about their usual lives in the face of real struggles. No Jedi here - just folks pushing back against their oppressors. The heist is great, but it's fascinating to see the answers to the questions we all forgot to ask, such as "how did the Empire maintain control before the Death Star?", and "how do you fund a rebellion?". Great cast too, filled with hard-nosed performances and a script squarely aimed at those too old for Ewoks.

2. The Mandolorian

Star Wars does the Lone Wolf & Cub series, all the while leaning into its space-western roots. Pedro Pascal is great as The Man With No Face AKA The Mandolorian AKA Din Djarin, but Gorgu AKA "Baby Yoda" steals the show, proving that there are still iconic characters to be created in this universe. The episodic nature has become a bit of an in-joke - almost every episode is a side-quest - but it's still fun and perfectly captures the Star Wars spirit. Its use of deep lore and throwing in some big name characters doesn't hurt either.

3. Obi-Wan

Largely great, give or take an episode or two, this crowd-pleasing gap-filler was more of a fan-service frenzy than the other shows on this list, building quite obviously towards a rematch between two of the franchise's biggest names. The gravitas of MacGregor helps sell this, as does the arc given to Kenobi, and its neat little story is nice, despite inflaming many a plot-hole-spotter. It says something of the revisionist appreciation for the prequel trilogy that this works as well as it does - much like the animated Clone Wars TV series, this helps build the prequel world, making it all the more rich.

4. The Book Of Boba Fett

An utter disappointment. So many cool characters (Fett, Fennec Shand, Cad Bane) are under-written, as is the series itself. What does work - Fett's emergence from the Sarlacc and life with the Tuskens - is interspersed amid a non-sensical plot about taking control of Mos Espa. The final showdown is fun, but it's telling when the show's best episode is about a character from another series.