Disney+, if you didn’t know, isn’t just for kids. With its ownership of the Lucasfilm brand and the Marvel titles, the streaming service offers plenty of grown-up content in its bid to compete with Netflix and Amazon—and we’re not just talking movies. Since launching the service, Disney has used the name recognition of Star Wars and Marvel to launch scores of TV shows, from The Mandalorian to Loki. In the list below, we’ve collected the ones we think are the best to watch, from those franchises and beyond.
Want more? Head to our best movies on Disney+ list if you’re looking for movies, and our guides on the best shows on Netflix and best shows on Apple TV+ to see what Disney’s rivals have to offer. Don’t like our picks, or want to suggest your own? Head to the comments below and share your thoughts.
The Acolyte
A Jedi turning to the Dark Side is a concept as old as the Star Wars franchise itself, and not something fans have given much thought to in terms of the “why.” But this new Disney+ series dares to ask that question, and plays out a bit like a true crime procedural in a sci-fi landscape. Carrie-Anne Moss stars as a Jedi Master, and if her character seems a bit like Trinity from The Matrix series, that’s by design. Series creator Leslye Headland told Empire that the character owes much of its inspiration to the Wachowskis’ movies and that Moss’ Indara is basically “Trinity with a lightsaber.”
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire
It’s been five years since Disney released the last Star Wars movie, and it will likely be another two years (at least) until The Mandalorian & Grogu arrives. Fortunately, Disney+ has plenty of TV series to fill the void, including this animated anthology that adds new stories about the franchise’s Galactic empire, in the same time period in which the original trilogy existed. It follows the very different journeys of two characters: Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), a Force-sensitive human and member of the Nightsister coven who, after being one of the few of her people to survive the Clone Wars, is seeking revenge. Meanwhile, Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger) is a former Jedi who is questioning her own disillusionment with the order and what her road ahead looks like. Both are forced to make decisions that will change their individual destinies, and the galaxy far, far away with it.
Doctor Who
May 10 marked the beginning of a new era for Doctor Who fans when Ncuti Gatwa was officially handed the sonic screwdriver and to take the legendary sci-fi series in new directions as the Fifteenth Doctor. Russell T. Davies is back to oversee all the time-traveling shenanigans as the latest incarnation of the Time Lord journeys through space and time with companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). The pair officially made their debut as part of the latest Christmas specials, which also saw the return of fan favorites David Tennant (here playing the Fourteenth Doctor) and Catherine Tate in honor of the show’s 60th anniversary. While the series will keep its standing as a BBC staple in the UK and Ireland, American audiences will need to head to Disney+ to experience it all.
X-Men ’97
Of all the big-budget X-Men movies and TV shows that have existed over the years, it’s hard to believe that a cartoon series from the ’90s is one of the most beloved entries. But it’s true. And fans of that series, which ran for five years beginning in 1992, have been eagerly awaiting this revival, which arrived in March. Many of the original voice actors have returned to reclaim their characters, who must learn how to navigate a world without Professor Xavier to guide them. The events of this series pick up just one year after the point where the original show (which you can read more about below) ended.
Renegade Nell
Louisa Harland shines as Nell Jackson, the renegade of the title, who accidentally becomes one of the most feared highwaywomen in 18th-century England after she is framed for murder. Of course, this being a Disney series, it’s best to expect something a little magical—which in Nell’s case is Billy Blind, a magical sprite sent to help her realize her true destiny. What is surprising is that the series, which is perfectly suited to teens and their families, was created by Sally Wainwright, the brilliant mind behind such adult-themed series as Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack.
Iwájú
Tola Martins (Simisola Gbadamosi) is an adventurous 10-year-old who longs to discover more about the history and culture of her native Nigeria, which is portrayed as a kind of Wakanda. But her father, a wealthy scientist and tech CEO, prefers that his daughter remain within the bubble of privilege he has built around her on their island home. When she decides to travel into the city to surprise her dad, his own worst fears are realized when she is kidnapped. The limited sci-fi series, which is set in a futuristic Lagos, plays out a bit like a graphic novel—which is a good thing. With its striking animation and themes of class and racial divide and social justice, Iwájú is the thinking family’s next binge-watch.
Queens
“We don’t call her Mother Nature for nothing,” says Angela Bassett in the trailer for Queens, a Nat Geo series that documents six far-flung places around the world where female animals rule the kingdom, from the mountains and rainforests to the oceans and savannas. The series’ final episode also pays special tribute to the women working to protect these fierce female warriors.
Dinosaurs
Nineties kids no doubt remember this sitcom about a family of dinosaurs. Earl Sinclair is a fortysomething megalosaurus living with his family in Pangaea circa 60,000,000 BC. While his days are spent working as a tree pusher (yep, he pushes over trees), he lives for his family: wife Fran and kids Robbie, Charlene, and Baby Sinclair, whose running gag of hitting his dad over the head with a frying pan and shouting “Gotta love me!” never gets old. Not even three decades on.
Genius: MLK/X
Since first premiering in 2017, Nat Geo’s Genius series has given viewers an exhaustive history of some of the world’s greatest thinkers, beginning with Albert Einstein (masterfully played by Geoffrey Rush). For its latest season, the network is diving into the real histories of the lives of civil rights icons Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre). Rather than just hit the high points, like the famous speeches you likely know by heart, Genius delves into the past and deep below the surface to show how their backgrounds and personalities led them to become the icons we know today.
Echo
This Marvel series continues the studio’s recent trend of shining a spotlight on its fearless—and complicated—female characters. In this case, that character is Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), aka Echo, who is best known to audiences as a baddie from Hawkeye. But over the course of its relatively short five episodes, all of which are streaming now, we learn why Maya—one of the MCU’s few deaf characters—must reconcile the events of her past and reconnect with her Native American roots in order to confront the future she has created for herself. The series is already earning solid reviews, especially for the work of Hollywood newcomer Cox, who deftly manages to shoulder the weight of an entire MCU series.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Nearly 20 years after the release of the first book in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, this small-screen adaptation of that first title is being praised for how faithful it has remained to Riordan’s beloved words. Being a tween is hard enough, but for 12-year-old Perseus “Percy” Jackson (Walker Scobell) it gets even harder when he learns he’s the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and that he has pissed off his uncle, Zeus, who believes that Percy has stolen his thunderbolt. (And you thought having a zit was bad!) Fortunately for Percy there is Camp Half-Blood—a place where demigods like himself can learn to harness their powers and use them for good. It’s there that Percy learns the whole “with great power comes great responsibility” thing and embraces it—even if he’d rather be playing video games with his friends.
Rewind the ’90s
The further removed people become from any particular decade, the more ridiculous that decade seems to become. And the ’90s are no exception, especially when you’re reminded that the government feared Furby, of all things. This limited series from Nat Geo is a loving look back at the decade that made us dependent on the internet, introduced us to the Spice Girls, and made Fabio a sex symbol around the world. If you don’t know who Fabio is, you now have even one more reason to watch. (Disclosure: WIRED’s culture editor, Angela Watercutter, is a talking head in this series.)
Behind the Attraction
Disneyland, Walt Disney’s very first theme park, opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955. In the nearly 70 years since, Disney parks have become a worldwide phenomenon and inspired rabid fan bases who make annual (if not more frequent) pilgrimages to these so-called Happiest Places on Earth. But what goes on behind the scenes? From the creation of major attractions like the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean to its bustling food scene (Dole Whip, anyone?), this docuseries goes behind the scenes of the world’s most famous amusement parks.
Goosebumps
For more than 30 years, R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps books have fed the nightmares of young readers—much to their delight (well, usually). Now Disney is inspiring a whole new generation of horror lovers with this fun series, which follows the lives of a group of high schoolers who begin to unravel the terrifying truth about a decades-old murder—and the roles their nearest and dearest might have played in it—in their otherwise picture-perfect hometown. While the always-affable Justin Long stars as a teacher who may or may not be possessed in season 1 of this anthology series, season 2—which was announced in February—will bring an all-new cast with it, including Friends star David Schwimmer.
Loki
The MCU is exhaustingly huge. Yet while Loki is undoubtedly part of that universe, the series could just as easily work as a stand-alone piece, and it’s all the more fun and surprising as a result. There are enough plot twists, silly one-liners, and time-travel antics to keep everyone entertained, and even a wisecracking alligator. If that doesn’t do it, Loki has a visual effects budget that would put most Hollywood blockbusters to shame. Sure, it’s not the most intellectually stimulating show out there, but Tom Hiddleston does a great job of turning Loki into a fairly complex, interesting character. No word yet on whether there might be a third season in Loki’s future—and even Hiddleston is in the dark. “I truly don’t know,” he admitted to Variety in a recent interview, adding: “There have been other times when I thought that it was the end and I have been mistaken. But if this is the end, I’m so proud of where we ended up.”
Daredevil
Before Disney+ became the home for all of Marvel’s TV content, Netflix was the place to find it—beginning with Daredevil, in which blind attorney Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) spends his days seeking justice and his nights looking for revenge as a masked vigilante attempting to rid his Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of its criminal element. While the series ended in 2018, Cox has reprised the role and is at work on a new series, Daredevil: Born Again, which will be a Disney+ exclusive when it arrives in January 2025—hopefully (the reboot is in the midst of a massive overhaul).
Ahsoka
We know what you’re thinking: Wait, another Star Wars series? And we don’t blame you for asking the question. But for old-school franchise fans, Ahsoka just might surprise you. Rosario Dawson reprises the title role as Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi who studied under Anakin Skywalker, which she first played in season 2 of The Mandalorian. Here, Ahsoka sets off on a journey to locate Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen, Mads’ brother)—a master manipulator who seems to be on a mission to become the grand ruler of the galaxy. A second season is in the works.
The Wonder Years
In 2021, writer-producer Saladin K. Patterson (Frasier, The Bernie Mac Show) rebooted the award-winning, and much beloved, series The Wonder Years for a new generation. Don Cheadle narrates the adventures of Dean Williams (Elisha “EJ” Williams), as he comes of age in Montgomery, Alabama, in the final years of the Civil Rights Movement. Both seasons of the worthwhile series are now streaming.
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire
While Black Panther may have gotten an official sequel with 2022’s Wakanda Forever (which is, of course, available to stream on Disney+), this animated anthology series is in many ways a spiritual successor to that Oscar-winning MCU flick. More than a dozen up-and-coming African storytellers were handpicked to write and/or direct these 10 short films, which build on the makers’ cultures and histories to paint a fascinating, gorgeously animated—and often dystopian—picture of Afrofuturism.
Secret Invasion
From the moment it launched, Secret Invasion sparked conversation—although not for the reasons Marvel might have hoped. Turns out, the studio used artificial intelligence to create the show’s opening credits, a move that turned off some fans. Whether it’s curiosity about those Midjourney-looking visuals or general interest in what Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has been up to, Secret Invasion is worth a look. Captain Marvel costars Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn (Talos) team up again, and the show follows the two as they investigate a clandestine invasion of Earth by a shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls. If that doesn’t do it for you, you might want to tune in for Olivia Colman and Emilia Clarke’s first—though surely not their last—forays into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Muppets Mayhem
As any Muppets fan will tell you, The Electric Mayhem Band is a highlight of any show the gang puts on. This time, Dr. Teeth and the gang are front and center, on a quest to record their first studio album with the help of an ambitious music executive, played by one-time YouTube star Lilly Singh. While one season is all you’re getting, get ready to rock nonetheless.
A Small Light
While the story of Anne Frank is well known, the life of Hermine “Miep” Gies—Otto Frank’s secretary, and one of the five Dutch citizens who helped to hide the Frank family—is lesser known. This powerful Nat Geo miniseries helps to change that, with Bel Powley delivering a moving performance as a young woman who takes a heroic stand, regardless of the consequences.
American Born Chinese
Oscar winners—and Everything Everywhere All at Once costars—Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan reunite for this Disney+ original series. Jin Wang (Ben Wang) is your typical teenager who’s just trying to get through the day of dealing with high school social hierarchies. But his life is forever altered when he’s asked to serve as a mentor to Wei-Chen (Jimmy Liu), a foreign exchange student who is hiding some pretty big secrets. Like that he’s actually on an otherworldly mission from the heavenly realm and has chosen Jin to serve as his guide. Part coming-of-age tale and part mythological fantasy, the single-season series is a formidable adaptation of Gene Yang’s graphic novel.
Star Wars: Visions
For a franchise as varied and diverse as Star Wars, sometimes its output can feel a little same-y. That’s not the case with Visions. The point of the anthology series is to provide “all-new, creative” takes on the Star Wars universe. The first series, which premiered in 2021, featured nine installments from some of the best anime studios in Japan, including Kamikaze Douga and Trigger. The second anthology, which arrived in 2023, broadens the scope further, incorporating work from studios in India, Ireland, Spain, Chile, France, South Africa, the US, and the UK. If you’re looking for the best one-off tales from the Star Wars universe, look no further.
The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian was, and is, exactly what the Star Wars franchise needed. Everything about this Jon Favreau series feels like classic TV—from the episodic adventures to the cameos. Set in the outer reaches of the galaxy, it follows a moody, masked Mandalorian bounty hunter (WIRED cover star Pedro Pascal) and really delivers on the hype with its retro-futuristic robots, salty Space Western vibes, lack of Skywalker baggage, and, of course, Grogu (aka Baby Yoda). The Mandalorian really set the tone for what a great Star Wars series could be, and while not every subsequent show has been as good, others, like Andor, have lived up to the precedent it set—and proved Star Wars stories can make for great TV. There’s still no official word on a fourth season, but there is one more exciting adventure on the horizon: a movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is rumored to begin production in June (with a 2026 release date).
Andor
Andor is something of a miracle. Created by Tony Gilroy, the filmmaker brought in to save Rogue One, it’s the origin story of one of that movie’s most beloved characters, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). Set in the early years of the Rebellion, it charts Andor’s path to becoming one of the most integral of the Rebels. With a supporting cast that includes Fiona Shaw and Stellan Skarsgård, it also features a fantastic score from Nicholas Britell (Moonlight, Succession). After spending so much time with Mandalorians and Jedis, it’s a welcome reprieve and perhaps the closest thing to prestige TV the Star Wars universe has released yet,
Ms. Marvel
With Ms. Marvel, Disney manages to combine its knack for producing coming-of-age tween fare with its new role as caretaker of the MCU. Iman Vellani charms as Kamala Khan, an Avengers-obsessed high schooler from Jersey City who feels like an outsider in most areas of her life. But when a gold bangle arrives from her grandmother in Pakistan, Kamala begins to realize that all the time she’s spent fantasizing about what life would be like with superpowers might have been preparing her for real life. With one foot in the teen drama world and the other in the comic book universe, Ms. Marvel—which just happens to feature Marvel’s first Muslim superhero—marks yet another admirable step forward for the company in both innovation and inclusion. Vellani’s Ms. Marvel recently made the leap to the big screen to star alongside Brie Larson in The Marvels.
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures
If helping to raise a new generation of Star Wars geeks was even a small part of your reason for having kids, this brand-new animated series, which is basically the Star Wars version of Muppet Babies, is a great place to start their education. Set during the High Republic era, approximately 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, it follows a group of young Jedis—Jedi Lites—who are sometimes stumbling their way through learning the ways of the Force. Like any good kid series, it also teaches important lessons about life and making a positive difference in the world.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Tatiana Maslany is no stranger to complicated characters (see: Orphan Black) or to playing more than one side of a single character (see again: Orphan Black). In She-Hulk, she gets to hone her deft skills even further while amping up the silliness of it all. Maslany plays Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), with whom she shares that angry green gene. Ultimately, this turns out to be a boon for Walters—and the audience—when she is given the chance to head up a new branch at her law firm that’s dedicated to cases involving “superhumans” like herself. While Maslany could easily carry the show on her own (yet again, see: Orphan Black), an all-star supporting cast that includes Ruffalo, Jameela Jamil, Tim Roth, and Benedict Wong only adds to the fun and further cements the show’s place in the MCU.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ewan McGregor has not always had the kindest words for the Star Wars prequels in which he first played the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi—a role he inherited from Alec Guinness, who also had plenty of less-than-favorable things to say about the franchise. So it was somewhat surprising when Lucasfilm announced that McGregor would be donning his Jedi gear again to star in a stand-alone Star Wars series for Disney+. (Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has already said there will not be a second season.) In many ways, however, it allowed McGregor and former costar Hayden Christensen to course-correct some of their earlier work, as it follows a downtrodden Obi-Wan attempting to process his personal and professional disappointment over losing Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) to the Dark Side.
The Beatles: Get Back
In January 1969, just more than a year before they announced they were breaking up, the Beatles allowed a film crew unprecedented access to the creative process and recording of Let It Be, which would be their final studio album. Fifty years later, Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson was presented with the nearly 60 hours of film footage and more than 150 hours of audio that resulted from this project, and he remastered it and turned it into a three-part docuseries. Whether you’re already a Beatles fan or not, the documentary is a fascinating look at the creative process of one of the music world’s most influential bands as they work against the clock to finish recording an album, decide to have a free concert on their label’s rooftop, and occasionally butt heads. Knowing what the subjects do not know—that this will be the last time they perform live together or record an album—only adds to the project’s intimacy. The miniseries won all five Emmys it was nominated for, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
Moon Knight
Oscar Isaac brings yet another marquee name to Marvel’s growing roster of all-star talents with Moon Night. Here, Isaac plays a man with dissociative identity disorder, giving us not one but three distinct characters: mercenary Mark Spector, British gift shop employee Steven Grant, and the mysterious—and seemingly ominous—Jake Lockley. Ultimately, he must face off against himself to get the answers he’s seeking. For Moon Knight, Isaac told Empire that he was thrilled to be able to do something “really fucking nutty on a major stage”—and he delivers.
The Book of Boba Fett
As with The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau helms this Disney series, in which the criminally unsung bounty hunter of the Star Wars films finally gets his day in the sun. The series is technically a spinoff of The Mandalorian and takes place in the same time frame, after the events of Return of the Jedi. That explains why Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and his partner Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) are attempting to take over the underworld previously controlled by Jabba the Hutt.
The Muppet Show
While The Muppet Show, which ran for five seasons between 1976 and 1981, is considered a piece of classic television today, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for creator Jim Henson. Henson produced two one-off Muppet specials that were intended to take the show into prime time, but neither came to fruition. Fortunately, the Muppets did have a recurring gig in “The Land of Gorch” sketches that aired during Saturday Night Live’s first season, which—when that became a hit—gave Henson proof that there was a potentially massive audience for an adult-oriented Muppet show (not to mention celebrity connections to entice plenty of A-list names to host). The rest is Muppet history.
The Punisher
The Punisher is yet another Netflix-turned-Disney+ Marvel series that also happens to be a spinoff of Daredevil. Like Daredevil, the Punisher (real name: Frank Castle, played by Jon Bernthal) is a vigilante who seems to relish exacting revenge, regardless of the results. He and Daredevil operate within the same universe, and while the Punisher sort of admires Daredevil’s quest for true justice, Daredevil despises the Punisher’s by-any-means-necessary methods. Bernthal brings an intensity to the role that, while undoubtedly violent, also has a sense of humor about it.
Boy Meets World
If ABC’s TGIF lineup wasn’t a part of your night as a kid, you clearly didn’t grow up in the ’90s. But Disney+ is happy to right that wrong by housing all seven seasons of the teen sitcom in its library. Corey Matthews (Ben Savage) deals with the ups and downs of growing up and ever-evolving relationships with friends and family—plus that one teacher, Mr. Feeny (William Daniels)—who always has the right answer to your problems, whether you like it or not. As the show progressed and the kids grew up, serious issues like drugs and sex were thrown into the mix, which didn’t always please the network. When the show aired on the original Disney Channel, a few episodes weren’t included in the lineup because of the more mature subject matter. You can also check out all three seasons of Girl Meets World, the series reboot (which features Corey as the parent and Mr. Feeny) when you’re done.
Jessica Jones
Just about six months after Daredevil arrived on the scene, Netflix took another chance on a Marvel property with Jessica Jones. In this dark dive into the world of superheroes, Krysten Ritter plays a private investigator who gave up her days as a superhero after a major catastrophe. But you can’t deny who you are, as Jessica discovers when it seems like every case that comes her way forces her to confront her past—and the supervillain Kilgrave (David Tennant), who turned her into a shell of her former self.
Hawkeye
Yet another in an ever growing string of spinoff TV shows from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hawkeye gives some long overdue attention to Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton, who in many ways has often seemed like the forgotten Avenger. The supernaturally skilled archer is in most of the ensemble Avengers films, but this Disney+ series marks his first solo outing. The show sees Hawkeye teaming up with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), a precocious twentysomething who shares his skills for slinging arrows but lacks his eye for danger. It’s set during the holidays, and there are shades of Die Hard as the eponymous character tries to save the day and make it home in time for Christmas. Let the arguments about whether it’s a Christmas TV show begin.
Monsters at Work
Monsters at Work is the Monsters, Inc. spinoff you didn’t know you needed. It picks up the action six months after the end of the iconic Pixar movie—after Sully and his friend and colleague Mike (a giant green eyeball) have reworked the Monstropolis energy grid to run on laughter instead of children’s screams. The show, which includes elements of a workplace comedy, premiered in the summer of 2021 and just debuted its long-awaited second season in April.
The Bad Batch
Yes, Disney really is milking its Star Wars properties for all they’re worth. The Bad Batch is an animated spinoff series set in the aftermath of the Clone Wars, between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy in the overarching timeline. It follows a group of clone soldiers with genetic defects that give them individual traits and personalities, making them well suited to taking on daring mercenary missions. All three seasons are available to stream.
WandaVision
This slow-burning sitcom parody is unexpectedly compelling. For the first couple of episodes, even hardened Marvel fans will have very little idea what’s going on, as Avengers Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) live out an idyllic family life in black-and-white 1950s suburbia. Quickly, it becomes clear that something is wrong in the quiet town of Westview, as the world of the show ties into the wider MCU. Olsen reprises her role in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which picks up right after the events of WandaVision. Though there will not be a second season, fan-favorite Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) is getting a spinoff, Agatha All Along, which is expected to drop in September.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
After the surreal sitcom stylings of WandaVision, the second Marvel show to land on Disney+ covers more familiar ground. It’s an action-packed thriller that follows Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as they try to fill the void left by Captain America in the months after the events of Avengers: Endgame.
Star Wars Rebels
Accessible for kids and adults alike—and undoubtedly one of the best Star Wars TV series on Disney+—this animated series follows a group of rebels led by the former Jedi Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and featuring his force-sensitive Padawan, Ezra Bridger (Ezra Gray). Fan favorite Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) is another regular character across its four seasons, which do a neat job of fleshing out the time between the end of the prequel trilogy and the beginning of the original one.
The Simpsons
Have you got some time on your hands? Well, the 34 seasons of The Simpsons currently streaming on Disney+ should keep you busy. What can be said about one of the longest-running—and arguably most famous—animated TV shows ever made? While the first season is a little patchy by today’s standards, and there are ongoing arguments about when the show went from essential viewing to neglected cash cow, whatever your view, there are literally weeks worth of entertainment here.
X-Men: The Animated Series
If you really want to nerd out, this critically acclaimed animated X-Men series from the ’90s is worth a watch. In fact, the first two films in the live-action movie franchise drew heavily from this cartoon, which serves as a nice reminder of what can be done with rich source material.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
This seven-season series, which is for serious Marvel fans, revolves around S.H.I.E.L.D.’s less super agents, led by Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). The first season takes a while to warm up, but it really hits its stride in its second and especially third seasons, and it eventually ramps up with a complex plot that ties into the films.
Agent Carter
Agent Carter is a better show than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but it struggled to find an audience during its two seasons. Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Peggy Carter from several MCU films in this 1940s-set series, where she doubles as an agent for the US government while helping Howard Stark (Tony’s dad) out of more than one jam. The two seasons stretch to only 18 episodes, so it’s a quick watch, but one worth making the time for.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
This is another Star Wars animated show worth seeking out, though it’s not to be confused with the equally worthy 2003 animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars from legendary Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky. Both series deal with the period between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith and chronicle the rise of Anakin Skywalker from arrogant Padawan to powerful Jedi Master.
Inside Pixar
There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes content on Disney+. These are short clips that, in another age, would have been confined to the DVD extras menu. But this series of 20-minute documentaries on different Pixar movies offers a fascinating insight into the animated hit machine.
What If …?
Here’s an animated series based on one simple question: What if? The Watcher, played by Jeffrey Wright, is an extraterrestrial being who observes the multiverse, occasionally making minor changes to influence events. This series looks at how events in the Marvel movies would have turned out differently if they’d had a Sliding Doors moment. The first episode follows an alternate timeline in which Steve Rogers remains a scrawny sidekick and Agent Carter becomes a Union Jack-draped super soldier. Actors from the films reprise their roles, including Josh Brolin as Thanos, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and Karen Gillan as Nebula. The second season arrived in late 2023.
