When it was originally on: 2022-2025

Original network: Disney+

Where you can stream it now: Disney+

Had I seen it before: No. I’ve seen all the theatrically released Star Wars movies but none of the other Disney+ shows or Clone Wars or anything like that. I think Star Wars is fun enough, but wouldn’t consider myself a hardcore fan either.

What IMDb says: In an era filled with danger, deception, and intrigue, Cassian Andor embarks on a path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero.

Why I picked it: I know just yesterday when I wrote my The Last of Us review I lamented the pre-existing IP cash grabs, and Star Wars is certainly one of those. However, these shows are a part of our tv landscape whether I like it or not, and Andor did get a lot of buzz in a way no other Star Wars or Marvel show did. It seemed to not only be loved by people who loved Star Wars, but audience and critics more broadly, and even Best Drama Series nominations for both seasons. Ergo, Andor seemed like a no-brainer to review for this go-around of pilots.

What I liked: There are some sharp jackets I wish I could own.

What I didn’t like: I feel I spent this pilot’s entire runtime waiting for it to start. It’s like they took what should’ve been the first 15 minutes of a feature film and stretched it out into a 40 minute tv episode. It starts with enough action, Cassian kills a couple goons outside some brothel and after that it’s just… I don’t know talking about that? Cassian wants to leave but can’t for some reason, there’s some other dude who wants to investigate the crime despite his boss’s desire to sweep it under the rug. It’s still unclear though if there are real ramifications or not. It’s like the murder is an inciting incident on paper… but the pilot ends before anything’s been incited.

Upon further investigation, it turns out this is one of those shows where the first three episodes were all released together, and then the show went to week-by-week releases after that. These first two episodes are rated 7.4 and 7.3 on IMDb, and episode 3 jumps to 8.6. It’s my hunch that the first three episodes really are meant to be binged together, more like a movie. That’s less a sign of weakness in Andor specifically, and more a sign of how TV distribution has evolved, and that means TV writing has too.

I’m still left frustrated because if I truly need to watch two hours of content before the narrative starts coming together and demonstrating the show’s promise, why not just make a longer pilot? The Last of Us did that to great effect. Streaming gives shows the freedom to make episodes whatever the hell length they want, so it’s puzzling to me to break this into three 40-minute episodes when it could’ve been one feature length pilot or two 60-minute episodes so you avoid this problem.

Do I want to watch Ep. 2?: Not really.