JuicyTalk
Since its debut in 2019, Disney+ has steadily expanded its slate of original shows, from franchise hits to surprising and new one-off IPs. Multi-season shows like Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again, and more have increased their respective brands’ storytelling opportunities and given characters, concepts, and eras time in the spotlight they arguably never would have gotten had Disney not entered the competitive streaming landscape.
The trouble is, much of Disney+’s (non-Hulu) original programming is largely accessible only to die-hard fans of Star Wars and Marvel. The examples above, and many others, depend on the audience’s prior knowledge of the Star Wars saga or the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s theatrical canon. That doesn’t mean most of these shows haven’t been wildly successful, of course — these fandoms are massive, after all — but they’re not suited for a wider audience. Thankfully, though, there are a handful of great Disney+ shows that can either function as standalone narratives within these major franchises or offer completely fresh, unrelated stories.
Moon Knight
Number of Seasons: 1 (2022)
A Marvel Studios Disney+ limited series, Moon Knight stars Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector, a mercenary with dissociative identity disorder (DID). Marc’s primary alternative personality is the clumsy Steven Grant, a British gift shop attendant and ancient Egyptian aficionado. Both Marc and Steven moonlight as avatars in the service of the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu (Moon Knight and Mr. Knight, respectively), as they’re drawn deeper into a bloodthirsty conspiracy orchestrated by religious zealot Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke).
Moon Knight marked the official introduction of Marc and his alter ego to the MCU and tells a relatively self-contained story across six episodes. Though there is certainly room for Isaac to return — his character did make an appearance in Marvel’s animated anthology series, What If…? — Moon Knight explores a wholly unique side of the MCU’s lore, offering a darker, complex, and intriguing mythological mystery, compelling enough for both fans of the MCU and those with little connection to the superhero genre.
Andor
Number of Seasons: 2 (2022-2025)
Tony Gilroy’s Emmy-winning Andor is, by far, the best Star Wars show Disney and Lucasfilm have ever produced. It might even be the best thing Star Wars has ever produced, period. Andor chronicles the complicated, gut-wrenching, dangerous, and ethically compromised rise of the galaxy’s iconic Rebellion through the eyes of some of its most pivotal players: Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), and Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård). Though Andor technically acts as a two-season prequel to another Star Wars prequel (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which leads directly into the original 1977 Star Wars movie), it absolutely stands on its own, as well.
That’s one of Andor‘s greatest strengths. Rather than focusing on how precisely it fits into the Star Wars timeline and including as many familiar faces as possible, Andor is completely dedicated to its own story, only including established Star Wars lore and characters when they can add something meaningful to the narrative. Andor is a universally relevant, five-year saga of hope and anguish in the face of overwhelming tyranny, and it can (and should) be watched by everyone.
Percy Jackson And The Olympians
Number of Seasons: 2 (2023-Present)
One of the few Disney+ Originals not related to Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is based on Rick Riordan’s Greek-mythology-inspired fantasy saga. The show follows young demi-god Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) as he discovers that his father is actually the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon. After a particularly harrowing encounter with some ancient Greek monsters during a museum field trip, Percy’s mother drops him off at Camp Half-Blood, where he becomes embroiled in a spate of terrifying, epic quests.
Season 1 adapts the first book in Riordan’s Percy Jackson book series, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, so both book readers and newcomers to Riordan’s world can step into and wholeheartedly enjoy this fun, adventurous, and fantastical series. Percy Jackson‘s Golden Trio, played by Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri, are wonderful, charismatic leads, supported by an incredible adult cast, including Adam Copeland, Jason Mantzoukas, Toby Stephens, and more. This one is fun for the whole family; anyone who’s ever watched the unfortunate movie adaptations should forget those ever existed and watch this show instead.
Wonder Man
Number of Seasons: 1 (2026-Present)
Wonder Man is one of the most surprising, unique, and independent shows the MCU has ever produced. Though it includes Sir Ben Kingsley’s long-running MCU character Trevor Slattery, Wonder Man 100% functions as a standalone show, offering a more meta, slice-of-life look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s everyday world rather than a multiversal, world-ending threat. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Simon Williams, a down-on-his-luck, superpowered actor trying to make it in a version of Hollywood where superpowered actors have essentially been outlawed.
The relationship between Simon and his unlikely acting mentor, Trevor, is one of the series’ greatest strengths; they’re incredibly charismatic together, and the scenes in which Simon showcases his significantly powerful superpowers never overshadow Wonder Man‘s compelling story or its most important character moments. While Wonder Man was originally billed as a limited series, it was recently renewed for season 2. This smaller, character-driven show is perfect for anyone feeling fatigued by the superhero machine.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Number of Seasons: 1 (2024-2025)
Despite being set in the same era of the Star Wars timeline as interconnected New Republic shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is a wonderfully individual treasure-hunting adventure in the vein of ’80s classics like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Goonies. A group of kids on a remote planet discover the remains of an old spaceship and accidentally jet off into the vast nothingness of space. With no way to navigate home, they’re stuck relying on the kindness of strangers, but the galaxy’s strangers aren’t always kind.
Skeleton Crew is a fun, eight-episode space-faring romp led by a genuinely likable group of kids, including an alien species to rival Baby Yoda’s cuteness. Oscar nominee Jude Law joins the show as the mysterious and two-faced Jod Na Nawood, as the story flies from gorgeous planets to relaxing daytime spas and terrifying pirate strongholds. For anyone unable to commit to the entire Star Wars canon, Skeleton Crew offers a perfect, low-effort entry point.
Renegade Nell
Number of Seasons: 1 (2024)
Anyone looking for an anachronistic, magical, eerie, fun, and historical adventure should watch Renegade Nell, a Disney+ Original created and written by celebrated British TV writer Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Riot Women). Derry Girl Louisa Harland stars as Nell, who becomes England’s most infamous highway(wo)man when she’s unexpectedly framed for murder. Helping her is Ted Lasso‘s Nick Mohammed as magical household spirit Billy Blind, as Nell learns to accept that her destiny is much greater than she ever dared believe.
Though the show was sadly canceled after one season, its eight episodes are full of witty banter, fast-paced action, political intrigue, magical mysteries, and genuine historical fun. Fans of My Lady Jane, The Artful Dodger, and Merlin will undoubtedly enjoy Wainwright’s and Harland’s first foray into fantasy. Hopefully, they’ll team up again in the future.
Ms. Marvel
Number of Seasons: 1 (2022)
Much like Moon Knight and Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel introduces an entirely new super-powered hero to the MCU — a hero so young she has no actual connection to the world-famous Avengers other than the fanfiction she writes about them. Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan is a genuine breath of fresh air, as she discovers her light-based (and mutant-like) powers and becomes the hero Jersey City never knew it needed.
Supported by an overbearing but loving family and a wonderful best friend, Ms. Marvel’s origin story is one of the most original beginnings in the MCU, as it ties into Kamala’s family history in Pakistan, Islamic mythology, and the magical corners of the universe. Ms. Marvel is a funny, smart, fast-paced high school-age drama that offers a colorful and unique perspective on what it means to become a hero at an age when most people are only just figuring out who they are.
Star Wars: Visions
Number of Seasons: 3 (2021-Present)
Star Wars: Visions is an entirely clean slate. The animated anthology series brings together dozens of world-renowned animation studios and lets them produce their own version of Star Wars, reimagining well-known franchise concepts like the Force, the Jedi, the Sith, the Empire, and the Rebellion without the constraints of what’s been established in Star Wars’ main timeline. The result is a collection of 18 beautifully animated, well-written shorts accessible to anyone, regardless of their relationship with the franchise.
Some of Star Wars: Visions‘ stories have proven so compelling that they’ve even been expanded beyond their original shorts. The season 1 episode, “The Ninth Jedi,” produced by Japanese anime studio Production I.G., received a sequel in Visions season 3, “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope,” and will continue in its own miniseries spinoff, Star Wars: Visions Presents: The Ninth Jedi. Despite this development, however, Visions’ stories remain non-canonical, a perfect way for newcomers and long-time fans alike to rediscover the magic of a galaxy far, far away.
