The Clone Wars Is No Longer Star Wars' Best TV Show Thanks To A 96% RT Hit

Published Sep 30, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT

Ben is a Senior Writer on the New TV team at Screen Rant. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class B.A. Degree in English Literature and History.

Born and raised in Ireland, Ben has always had a love for storytelling in all forms of media and operates multiple projects under the name Benjamin Blogs. Ben is a comic book writer and podcast host, in addition to his work as an entertainment journalist. He has worked as both a writer and editor for Screen Rant, Collider, and other media outlets across various departments, including features, news, reviews, and interviews.

For decades, the animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, stood tall as Star Wars' most beloved and widely respected TV adaptation, but it's just been dethroned. It's no secret that the Star Wars fandom is one that is frequently split on a wide number of issues. As a passionate fanbase, there is a lot for audiences to cling to and create strong emotional connections with.

However, the fight for best TV show from the wider franchise was long considered a moot point because The Clone Wars so completely owned that title ever since its release in 2008. The series managed to bridge the gap between the classic movies and the prequel trilogy, giving life to several characters who never got to shine in the mainline films, and creating an expansive lore to build out the franchise over seven seasons.

Even when production bumped up massively with a whole sway of new releases on Disney+, The Clone Wars retained its position as the most beloved Star Wars show ever made. But, one of the new additions has finally pulled ahead, claiming a higher approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and, in many ways, winning the audience back over decades after The Clone Wars debuted.

Andor Is Narrowly Better Than Star Wars: The Clone Wars

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Andor is a standout Star Wars show in many ways thanks to the decisive choice to leave behind much of the lore and characters that populated earlier stories. For the vast majority of Star Wars' history as a franchise, the focus has been on the history of the Jedi Order. However, Andor boldly leaves the Jedi behind in an effort to explore another moving part of the galaxy far, far away.

The show leans more heavily into the rebellion, espionage, political oppression, and defining how ordinary people, as in those who can't or don't wield The Force, engage with the broken system around them. It has a distinctly more mature tone and style than The Clone Wars, which makes sense since this show is designed for adults, while the animated Clone Wars was made for kids.

However, the primary reasons that Andor stands out as the better show are not simply because of the demographic it targets, but the way it consistently builds a brand-new story in an established universe and manages to make everyone care about the characters involved. Up to this point, the world beyond the Jedi seemed more like set dressing, but Andor brought these people to the forefront.

With all of that in mind, it makes perfect sense that Andor would not only overtake Star Wars: The Clone Wars in terms of public opinion on review sites like Rotten Tomatoes, but also as a generally better story and narrative that has the ability to make people care about a decades-old franchise.

The Clone Wars Is Still A Better Representation Of Star Wars Than Andor

All of that being said, it is important to acknowledge that despite Andor's improvement on the franchise, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is definitively the better representation of this universe. As mentioned above, the majority of the franchise is concerned with telling the stories of the Jedi Order. The focus remains largely on massive battles that take place between dominant powers and the remarkable heroes who change everything.

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Andor plays a pivotal part in a wider Star Wars narrative, and it's a fascinating study of the people on the ground as the rebels work to clear the way for the heroes to succeed in their own missions, but watching Andor does not give an accurate representation of what you could expect to see across the wider franchise.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars on the other hand, follows major characters like Anakin Skywalker, who is such a central figure throughout all of the movies to date, even when he is not present, that it just makes sense that this is a more appropriate series to build out the lore of Star Wars over incredible competition like Andor.