Need a show to binge? These are the must watch shows this spring.
USA TODAY’s TV critic Kelly Lawler breaks down the best TV shows you don’t to want to miss this spring.
There is nothing on TV quite like “Andor.”
Sure, other series are expertly written and filmed, with superb casts and deeply thought-provoking themes, but none besides the Disney+ “Star Wars” series are such exquisitely wrought spinoffs of synergy-happy franchises. The prequel is set before the events of 2016 film “Rogue One,” itself a prelude to 1977’s “Star Wars: A New Hope.” It satisfies Hollywood’s hunger for expanding franchises and fans’ hunger for stories that are actually gosh darn great. Of all the series and films Disney has spun off from the Star Wars franchise since acquiring Lucasfilm in 2012, “Andor” remains the pinnacle of creative achievement.
Season 1, which streamed back in 2022, was all of these superlative things, which made it the very best TV show of that year. Season 2 (streaming Tuesdays, ★★★★ out of four) is that and more, a heartening reminder that crafting a compelling prequel is not a soulless art. Continuing the story of title character and rebel fighter Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), the second season is a deeply affecting narrative about love, sacrifice and belief that is desperately dark, even if “Star Wars” fans know that eventually, the good guys will win.
The series picks up a year or so after Season 1, which was all about Cassian deciding to dedicate his life to fighting the Empire, despite the sacrifice that requires. The season opens while he is on a mission to steal an Imperial TIE Fighter ship for his cause, while his lover Bix (Adria Arjona) cools her heels and attempts to resolve her post-traumatic stress after she was abducted and tortured by Imperial soldiers. But silly things like feelings and mental health don’t matter to rebellion leader Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård), who wants results at any cost. He happily helped his lieutenant and bankroller, Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), sacrifice her daughter’s future happiness to the cause in Season 1 by betrothing the teen girl to the son of a crime lord. While Cassian is off on his mission, Luthen and Mon drink and dance with the privileged bourgeoisie at the wedding festivities.
But it’s not all TIE fighters and weddings; the rebellion and the Empire are both keenly interested in the wealthy planet of Ghorman, known for its textile exports and snooty citizens. Everybody’s favorite socially awkward evil couple, Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), are doing terrible things for the Imperial Security Bureau, while Luthen and Cassian try to help the nascent rebellion movement on the planet. Everyone seems to be holding their breath, waiting for something bigger to happen. Viewers know all too well what that bigger thing is, and it’s no moon.
Near the end of the season, some plot gymnastics are needed to align the story precisely with “Rogue One.” But “Andor” isn’t great because of a slavish dedication to the “Star Wars” canon or mythology or aesthetic. The series is spiritually aligned with the original trilogy more than any other Disney “Star Wars” property because of how different it is from its cartoonish peers that attempt to recreate George Lucas’ original magic. “Andor” is transcendent because it has something to say.
Just as Lucas did in those early films, “Andor” uses the setting – a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away – to tell a universal story that’s deeply relevant. In the optimistic 1970s and 80s, Lucas went for an epic odyssey of fantasy and adventure, with clearly established villains and heroes. In our fraught 2020s, it only makes sense for creator Tony Gilroy to employ moral areas of gray, to explore trauma and sacrifice and force his characters to balance the needs of the few with the many. When “Andor” kills a character or puts another in jeopardy of sexual assault or torture, it is with purpose and forethought. The scripts deliver gut punches in nearly every installment, but they are not so harrowing as to be unpleasant and off-putting. “Andor” remains deeply compelling because of sharp writing, magnetic performance from Luna and his co-stars and plots that keep you guessing even when you know the ending.
Season 2 is everything fans of Season 1 could have hoped. The only complaint is that this marks its endpoint: the story catches up to “Rogue One,” and now it’s over. It’s the right storytelling choice, if disappointing to lose one of the best shows of the decade after only two short seasons.
But the bravery of making a show both acclaimed and popular and then ending it when it’s right for the story is just one more laudable quality. “Andor” is leaving us at a moment when it is sure to be deeply missed.
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