- - Empire Magazine Names 'Andor' The Best TV Show of 2025

Liz DeclanDecember 21, 2025 at 10:33 PM

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Photo by JC Olivera on Getty Images

Empire Magazine's ranking of the best TV shows of 2025 included some of the most popular titles in recent memory—from Stranger Thingsand Squid Gameto Severance and The Last ofUs—but it was Star Wars show Andor that came out on top.

Andor is in many ways an anomaly among Star Wars movies and TV shows. The show, which debuted in 2022 with season 1, is a prequel story to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, one of the very few Star Wars movies (at least for now) that don't center on the Skywalker family.

Equally uncommon, Andor has next to no connection to the Jedi, the Sith, or the Force. Instead, Andor sets itself apart by offering a boots-on-the-ground look at the effects of the Empire on everyday people and an exploration of what pushing back against fascist regimes means for those who don't possess superhuman abilities.

These narrative gambles are precisely what made Andor such a standout, and Empire Magazine clearly agrees. Alongside Andor's first-place ranking, Empire Magazine's description of the show stated, "...Andor stands as something quite extraordinary: a political manifesto, a masterclass in subtle character work, a gripping political thriller and the most accomplished piece of storytelling Star Wars has ever produced."

It's the latter that makes this Empire Magazine ranking so surprising (and impressive). This statement makes it clear that the top spot doesn't just mean Andor was the best of 2025—it was a franchise-defining project that, at least in this publication's view, outshines all that Star Wars has done before, including the nearly religiously adored original trilogy.

Although that assertion may ruffle feathers, it's true that Star Wars has never put out anything quite like Andor before. The galaxy far, far away has tackled major themes and politics, yes, but never has the message felt so profound, relevant and well-crafted.

Of course, that in turn raises questions about what Star Wars' future may hold. Andor concluded with its second and final season this year, and it's unlikely many of the main characters will be seen again (especially given titular lead Cassian Andor's fate in Rogue One).

With several other Star Wars projects on the horizon, including movies like The Mandalorian and Grogu and shows like Ahsoka season 2, this high praise for Andor begs the question: Is this massive Star Wars success reproducible?

This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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