The 17 best original series on Disney+

Ahsoka (2023–present)

In the wake of the fallen Empire, double-lightsaber-wielding badass Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) is hoping it stays down. The former apprentice to Anakin Skywalker gets her own miniseries here, after appearing in animated form on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, and in live-action on The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. In the eight-episode series, Ahsoka is on a mission to find the Machiavellian Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) in the hope of preventing another Empire uprising. Dawson's steely resolve helps anchor the series, with strong support from Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Ahsoka's reckless former apprentice Sabine and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as General Hera Syndulla. While Ahsoka enjoys some familiar Star Wars tropes, from lightsaber battles to themes of good vs. evil, it's also quietly revolutionary — within the world of live-action Star Wars anyway — in centering a trio of women working together for the good of humanity. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Ahsoka: Disney+

Cast: Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ray Stevenson, Ivanna Sakhno, Diana Lee Inosanto, David Tennant

Related content: Ahsoka awakens: Rosario Dawson's journey from 'hyped fangirl' to lightsaber-wielding warrior

American Born Chinese (2023)

Based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese tells the story of Jin Wang (Ben Wang), a second-generation immigrant high schooler who is tasked with helping new exchange student Wei-Chen (Jimmy Liu) acclimate. Jin soon discovers that Wei-Chen is no ordinary exchange student: He's the son of Sun Wukong (Daniel Wu), a.k.a. the Monkey King, of Chinese mythology. Wei-Chen, as it turns out, is looking for an item that would prevent cosmic devastation, and he needs Jin's help to do so. The series, which EW called "extraordinarily fun and uplifting," also features a reunion of Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan — the Oscar-winning stars of Everything Everywhere All at Once — with a guest appearance by their costar, Stephanie Hsu. —K.J.

Where to watch American Born Chinese: Disney+

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Cast: Ben Wang, Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, Ke Huy Quan, Jimmy Liu, Sydney Taylor, Daniel Wu, Michelle Yeoh

Related content: Michelle Yeoh on the significance of American Born Chinese and her 'respectful' goddess action scenes

Andor (2022–present)

A Star Wars show that you sometimes forget is a Star Wars show, the Emmy-nominated, Peabody award-winning Andor demonstrates how you don't need wink-wink references and retreads of familiar plots to be a successful series within this universe. Diego Luna reprises his role as Cassian Andor, first introduced in 2016's Rogue One, as he goes from orphan on an abandoned planet to one of the key figures in the Rebel Alliance. Andor gradually immerses himself in the revolution against the Galactic Empire and meets friends (and plenty of foes) along the way. Andor was created by writer-director Tony Gilroy, whose previous credits include Rogue One, as well as the original Bourne trilogy and the Oscar-nominated Michael Clayton, and his expertise in action and espionage is on full display here. Much praise has been heaped on the series for its grounded approach and relevance to real-world conflicts. —K.J.

Where to watch Andor: Disney+

Cast: Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Stellan Skarsgård, Denise Gough, Genevieve O'Reilly, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau

Related content: Diego Luna and Tony Gilroy explain why Andor was a 'risk' for Star Wars

The Beatles: Get Back (2021)

Peter Jackson's stunning three-part documentary shows the world's biggest band falling apart at the peak of their popularity. After a string of meticulously-produced albums and a long touring hiatus, the Beatles circa 1969 return to their roots by making a record the old-fashioned way: four lads sitting in a room together writing music and willing new songs into existence. Despite their unparalleled success, the band finds itself backed into a corner –– they must write, produce, and perform a new album in just a few short weeks in time for a televised concert special. Their efforts resulted in a now-legendary rooftop performance and the album Let It Be, but, as Get Back reveals, high art doesn't come easy. Jackson narrowed nearly 60 hours of outtakes of Michael Lindsay-Hogg's 1970 Let It Be documentary into about eight hours of crisply-restored footage. —Wesley Stenzel

Where to watch The Beatles: Get Back: Disney+

Cast: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr

Related content: Peter Jackson says it's the perfect time for his Beatles doc Get Back: 'We all need some cheering up'

Goosebumps (2023–present)

Goosebumps as a property has haunted young readers (and viewers) for decades, and this new adaptation for Disney+ updates R.L. Stine's creepy tales for the Riverdale generation. Taking on a season-long story line rather than the anthology format of the '90s TV series, Goosebumps follows a group of teens who are haunted by the ghost of another teen, Harold Biddle, who died 30 years prior. After attending a party at the Biddle family's newly renovated home, they start to unravel the mystery behind Harold's tragic death — and how their parents might have something to do with it. The witty horror comedy takes inspiration from Stine's most memorable stories, from a haunted mask to Slappy the Dummy, while also charting its own path as a commentary on the fears and anxieties faced by high schoolers today. —K.J.

Where to watch Goosebumps: Disney+

Cast: Zack Morris, Isa Briones, Miles McKenna, Ana Yi Puig, Will Price, Rachael Harris, Justin Long

Related content: Goosebumps writer R.L. Stine on fear: 'I've never experienced it'

Hawkeye (2021)

Marvel's oft-forgotten original Avenger Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) teams up with ambitious young archer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to take down a New York crime organization at Christmastime. The show is one of Disney+'s few superhero series that viewers can appreciate even if they're not well-versed in the ever-expanding universe of Marvel lore. Though it features connections to Black Widow and a certain former Netflix series (warning: spoilers at the link), Hawkeye stands on its own because it focuses so intentionally on new characters like Bishop and antagonist Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox). Hawkeye is Marvel's "most consistent on an episode-by-episode basis," asserts EW's Chancellor Agard, because it's unusually grounded for the franchise. The characters get a lot of downtime between missions to hang out, eat mac and cheese, and have charming conversations about what it means to be a hero. —W.S.

Where to watch Hawkeye: Disney+

EW grade: B (read the review)

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Tony Dalton, Fra Fee, Brian d'Arcy James, Linda Cardellini, Simon Callow, Vera Farmiga, Alaqua Cox, Zahn McClarnon, Florence Pugh

Related content: Hawkeye team on staging Rogers: The Musical and introducing Kate Bishop's story

The Imagineering Story (2019)

Disney+ has an immense collection of Disney-focused documentaries, and this six-part series about the company's theme parks is undoubtedly one of the best. Narrated by Angela Bassett and directed by Leslie Iwerks of The Pixar Story, the series follows the evolution of the Disney parks from Walt Disney's earliest ideas to their newer additions, like Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. The Imagineering Story highlights the corporate drama, engineering ingenuity, and, most importantly, creative collaboration that shaped the Disney Parks into global behemoths. The docuseries features unprecedented access to the "happiest place on Earth," taking us into the legendary rec room inside the Matterhorn and the vast network of underground tunnels that provides infrastructural support. Later episodes include interviews with contemporary creative partners like James Cameron and Danny Elfman, but the heart of the series comes from the Imagineers' nostalgic testimonies of the parks' early days. —W.S.

Where to watch The Imagineering Story: Disney+

Cast: Angela Bassett (narrator), Tom Morris, Kevin Rafferty, Tom Fitzgerald, Bob Weis, Jon Snoddy, Robert Iger

Related content: Disney Imagineer responds to backlash over Snow White ride's 'non-consensual' kiss

Light & Magic (2022)

What do X-wings, melting Nazis, flying bicycles, a liquid metal robot, and a charging T. rex all have in common? They're some of Hollywood's most iconic special effects — and they were all created by a small group of innovators at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the special effects division of Lucasfilm. Lawrence Kasdan's six-part documentary tracks the rapid evolution of the entertainment industry through the illustrious work of this one company, featuring interviews with massive filmmakers like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Barry Jenkins, and Ron Howard. Though ILM's technological achievements are stunning to behold, the documentary's real joy comes from uncovering the passionate personalities that have quietly revolutionized the film industry. We see their old experimental home movies, their playful trial-and-error processes, their casual side projects (including PhotoShop and Pixar), and, most of all, their loving kinship. —W.S.

Where to watch Light & Magic: Disney+

Cast: George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard

Related content: Lawrence Kasdan names the best Star Wars special effect ever

Loki (2021–present)

With Loki, Marvel's iconic trickster finally gets centerstage — alongside a slew of variants. The heady series finds an alternate version of Loki who didn't — as depicted in Avengers: Infinity War — die at the hands of Thanos, contending with the bureaucratic Time Variance Authority, who offer him the option of getting the Sacred Timeline back in shape in exchange for sparing his life. He takes up the mission, discovering that another variant of himself is rebelling against the TVA. The six-episode first season explores the concepts of identity, free will vs. determinism, and the gray areas of good and evil, with Loki's connection with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) — his female variant — proving to be the show's strongest emotional through-line. The series also provides an even greater showcase of Tom Hiddleston's playful yet poignant performance of the titular antihero. —K.J.

Where to watch Loki: Disney+

Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Eugene Cordero, Tara Strong, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Sasha Lane, Jack Veal, DeObia Oparei, Richard E. Grant, Jonathan Majors

Related content: Tom Hiddleston suggested that emotional Thor callback in the Loki season 2 finale

The Mandalorian (2019–present)

Projects like Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett may have premiered more recently, but The Mandalorian remains one of Disney's strongest live-action Star Wars shows to date. Amalgamating cowboy movies, samurai stories, and episodic sci-fi serials, the series feels both like a natural extension of George Lucas' early work and something completely new. Set five years after Return of the Jedi, The Mandalorian follows an enigmatic bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) on his adventures as he encounters new and familiar faces, including Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), Kuiil (Nick Nolte), and Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). One might think that a show which requires its main character to wear a helmet for 95% of his scenes might suffer from an emotional disconnect, but one of the series' greatest strengths lies in Mando's commanding physical presence. He's cool, sympathetic, and, in spite of his costuming, somehow still expressive. —Wesley Stenzel

Where to watch The Mandalorian: Disney+

EW grade: C+ (read the review)

Cast: Pedro Pascal, David Acord, Katee Sackhoff, Giancarlo Esposito, Nick Nolte, Carl Weathers, Amy Sedaris, Werner Herzog

Related content: Pedro Pascal reveals his favorite day on set of The Mandalorian

Ms. Marvel (2022)

Like Shazam! and Spider-Man: Homecoming, Ms. Marvel is a teenage coming-of-age comedy first and a superhero story second. The series follows Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a bubbly Captain Marvel superfan who obtains powers of her own, but finds they don't automatically solve the problems she faces at her Jersey City high school, and at home with her tight-knit Pakistani American family. Before their Batgirl film was unceremoniously canceled, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah helmed Ms. Marvel's pilot –– and made it the most creative episode of Marvel TV to date. Boasting a similar aesthetic to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the first episode of the series features many more visual flourishes than we're used to seeing in the MCU. Kamala's thoughts appear as colorful animated sketches and text messages seamlessly integrate into the background of numerous scenes. —W.S.

Where to watch Ms. Marvel: Disney+

Cast: Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Laurel Marsden, Azhar Usman

Related content: Why Ms. Marvel's powers look different from the comics

Muppets Now (2020)

The Muppets leap into the digital era with a new format that targets kids who might prefer YouTube over standard broadcast. The six-episode series updates the variety show structure of the original Muppet Show for modern times: Instead of straightforward sketches and performances, each episode consists of several loosely connected, individualized segments that imagine each Muppet as the star of their own web series. As is age-old Muppet tradition, the series boasts an impressive lineup of human guest stars. Each web series assignment highlights the personal strength of its respective star — Miss Piggy is a fashion and pseudo-wellness guru, the Swedish Chef has a cooking program, Honeydew and Beaker blow stuff up, and Statler and Waldorf judge the whole thing via a digital focus group. The series is so chaotic that it threatens to become overwhelming, but it's a unique experiment that playfully lampoons the norms of the social media age. —W.S.

Where to watch Muppets Now: Disney+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Peter Linz, David Rudman, Matt Vogel

Related content: Muppets Now: Miss Piggy reveals Lin-Manuel Miranda's link to Disney+ series

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023–present)

Rick Riordan's book series Percy Jackson & the Olympians has had multiple adaptations over the years, but none got it quite as right as this Disney+ series. Unlike the film adaptations of the early-2010s, the TV show is faithful to the source material — likely due to Riordan's involvement as a co-creator. Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows Percy (Walker Scobell), the demigod son of Poseidon whom Zeus accuses of stealing his mighty Master Bolt. He must go about finding the thunderbolt in time with the threat of war weighing down on him. Despite these big stakes, as EW's critic observes, "Percy Jackson's biggest achievement is how it makes Percy’s coming-of-age story feel every bit as epic as the legends from Mount Olympus." —K.J.

Where to watch Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Disney+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri

Related content: Percy Jackson and the Olympians introduces a new generation of demigods

Star Wars: Visions (2021–present)

Animated anthology series are all the rage on streaming (hello, Love, Death & Robots), and for good reason — they allow a wide array of artists to flex their boundless creativity in short bursts that wouldn't have a place in theaters or on traditional television. With Star Wars: Visions, Lucasfilm enlisted seven Japanese animation studios to produce whatever short stories they wanted in a galaxy far, far away. The anthology isn't restricted by the main series canon — instead, each episode tells a wholly original story while drawing from the ideas, designs, and sounds that make Star Wars so unique. Some of the best installments are the ones that are furthest from typical Star Wars conventions: "The Duel" imagines a Jedi-Sith face-off in the style of feudal Japan, while "T0-B1" follows a kid droid (who looks a lot like Astro Boy) on the path to becoming a Jedi himself. —W.S.

Where to watch Star Wars: Visions: Disney+

Cast: Henry Golding, Lucy Liu, David Harbour, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Neil Patrick Harris, Alison Brie, George Takei

Related content: How Star Wars: Visions went global for its spectacular season 2

WandaVision (2021)

Marvel's first series for Disney+ proved to be a home run, for longterm MCU fans and casual viewers alike. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) creates an idyllic suburban world with Vision (Paul Bettany), in which they live comfortably...until the artifice begins to show. Following classic TV sitcom tropes, their reality continues to shift, with clever homages to The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Malcolm in the Middle, Modern Family, and more. What starts as a fun trip through TV history eventually reveals itself to be the MCU version of a woman processing her grief. WandaVision earned critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including 23 Emmy nominations and three wins. Olsen, Bettany, and scene-stealer Kathryn Hahn all earned acting nominations of their own, and Hahn will lead a spinoff series, Agatha All Along. —K.J.

Where to watch WandaVision: Disney+

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Debra Jo Rupp, Fred Melamed, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Randall Park, Kat Dennings, Evan Peters

Related content: Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany break down the playful sitcom allusions of WandaVision

The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse (2020–2022)

Mickey Mouse is one of Hollywood's most recognizable characters, but most modern audiences are more familiar with him as a corporate logo than an entertainer. The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse is a 2020 cartoon with old-fashioned flair that reinvigorates the iconic rodent by bringing him back to his roots. The series can be viewed in any order, with the first season composed of 20 unrelated episodes all under 10 minutes in length, while the second is comprised of four 22-minute specials. Each episode is full of kid-friendly slapstick violence and mean-spirited comedy, giving the series more in common with Looney Tunes and Tex Avery than with squeaky-clean Disney fare. It's also a loving tribute to the era of traditional animation, with retro designs and brief guest appearances from classic Disney characters, including Dumbo, Cinderella, and Ursula (voiced by Pat Carroll in her final role). —W.S.

Where to watch The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse: Disney+

Cast: Chris Diamantopoulos, Kaitlyn Robrock, Tony Anselmo, Bill Farmer, Tress MacNeille

Related content: Check out retro Mickey Mouse pics from never-seen hand-drawn short

X-Men '97 (2024–present)

While anxieties over the future of Marvel post-Avengers: Endgame continue, this revival of X-Men: The Animated Series is certainly a step in the right direction. Tapping into the nostalgia for the beloved '90s cartoon with a more modern sociopolitical edge, X-Men '97 picks up where the original left off as the X-Men try to figure out a path forward without their leader, Professor Charles Xavier. Complicating matters further, Xavier has bequeathed his school to his frenemy Magneto. With mature storytelling and a clear fondness for the comics and original series, X-Men '97 is one of Marvel's best projects of the decade thus far. —K.J.

Where to watch X-Men '97: Disney+

Cast: Ray Chase, Jennifer Hale, Alison Sealy-Smith, Cal Dodd, J.P. Karliak, Lenore Zann, George Buza, A.J. LoCascio, Holly Chou, Isaac Robinson-Smith, Matthew Waterson, Ross Marquand, Adrian Hough

Related content: How X-Men '97 embraces the legacy of the original series