Andor is the latest in a long line of Star Wars series on Disney+. The show is set before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and depicts Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in the early days of the formation of the Rebel Alliance, showing how this man who just wants to stay out of trouble ends up becoming one of the most loyal fighters for the cause and will eventually give his life to retrieve the Death Star plans.
Andor received rave reviews from critics and some fans, as many have hailed it for pushing the Star Wars franchise in a bold new direction and tackling complex themes of how an Empire keeps its power, the moral complexity of forming a rebellion, and examining the people who make up these institutions.
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A recent report from Parrot Analytics showed the daily audience demand for Andor, and it caused quite a large amount of discussion. The initial report indicated demand for Andor was low, but the report was corrected a day later, as audience interest was higher than what was originally reported. Demand for Andor is apparently 31.3 times higher than the average streaming show currently on the air, so Andor is doing perfectly fine and as always the Star Wars brand continues to be going strong. Yet one element both fans and critics of Andor latched onto was the fact that Andor was performing below the other two Star Wars series of 2022, The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Plenty of reasons were credited for this. Some say that audiences don’t have an interest in non-legacy characters or that the quality of the previous two Star Wars series may have scared audiences from checking out Andor. Just like with the original reporting about Andor’s demand, there is more to the story than meets the eye, and a few key simple factors may indicate why it is less in demand than the two previous Star Wars series, but that might not be a bad thing.
Andor is Aimed at an Older Audience
Disney Platform Distribution
Since Andor premiered, many have praised the series for offering a more mature focus on the Star Wars galaxy. There are no lightsabers, the aliens are minimal to non-existent, and much of the series is focused on the inner working of Imperial politics as opposed to the classic action-adventure of the rest of the franchise. Even the one heist so far in the series is a lot grittier than a similar one in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Andor has very much pitched itself as a Star Wars series aimed at an older audience, which is both good in terms of the storytelling but also will limit its audience reach in some regards.
This is not to say Andor cannot be viewed by younger viewers, they may in fact enjoy it. Yet Andor’s marketing has positioned as the more grown-up Star Wars series, with less family viewing and more appointment viewing to other prestige television series. This is opposed to The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Mandalorian, which have positioned themselves for all ages, which will have a wider audience reach than Andor. Comparing Andor’s viewership to the more family-friendly Star Wars series is unfair because that isn’t the base Andor is going for, and it is judging it on the wrong metrics.
Comparable to Different Star Wars Series
Disney+
While the immediate impulse is to draw a comparison between Andor and the other live-action Star Wars series, as mentioned earlier the nature of the series means that it is operating on a different level. If anything, the more apt point of comparison would be toward animated projects like The Clone Wars final season, The Bad Batch, and Star Wars: Visions, as like Andor they are aiming for a niche audience.
Animation is not a genre, it is a medium to tell a variety of stories and can be enjoyed by viewers of all ages. However, western audiences typically associate animated projects with kid’s products, unless specifically designed to be TV-MA like Ricky and Morty or Harley Quinn. While animated series like Star Wars: The Bad Batch might have a similar TV age rating to something like The Mandalorian, the viewership numbers for The Bad Batch are likely much lower and higher among young audiences. In that respect, both Andor and The Bad Batch are Star Wars projects that can be enjoyed by everyone, but target a key demographic and likely have a loyal fanbase for it.
Andor Lacks Name Recognition
Both The Book of Boba Fett and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series had one major advantage over Andor, as they were both television series focused on two of the most popular and iconic Star Wars characters ever. Boba Fett had long been a fan favorite character even before his live-action debut in The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. Having a fan-favorite character and coming hot off The Mandalorian was of course going to turn The Book of Boba Fett into a must-watch event.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is not only one of the most famous names in Star Wars but also saw Ewan McGregor reprise his role as the iconic Jedi Knight 17 years after the release of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. As an entire generation of children who grew up with the prequel trilogy had finally come of age and with it, a new love for the prequels emerged, so Obi-Wan Kenobi was something every generation of Star Wars fan knew was a big deal. Andor is a name that most general audiences don’t know, but everyone likely knows the names Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
In contrast, Cassian Andor is a relatively new character with only one on-screen appearance back in 2016. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a box office hit, yet one common criticism of the movie was its lead characters not feeling fully developed. Unlike Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 from the previous year’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which all broke out with critics and audiences, the crew of Rogue One did not really stay in the public consciousness and Lucasfilm did little with the characters outside the film even though there were opportunities to plant them in stories set before Rogue One.
That made the decision to make a Cassian Andor series a surprising one at first and should be a strong indicator that despite being based on a new character who only appeared in one movie is still performing well with audiences. This is similar to how She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Ms. Marvel did not perform on the same level as pre-established MCU heroes series like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki but still broke out with critics and expanded toward new untapped audiences. Andor is doing something similar, likely drawing in viewers who might not like the traditional format of the other Star Wars stories or have Star Wars fatigue.
Do Andor’s Ratings and Viewership Matter
Understanding the ratings and viewership of streaming series is a complicated matter. Since Disney+ and many other streamers do not release actual numbers, much of this information comes from a third party like Parrot Analytics. The function of ratings is used to determine what shows will get renewed and if similar series will be made. Andor is in no danger of cancelation as Lucasfilm has already confirmed season two with filming having recently begun. Season two will be the final one for the series, as each three-episode arc of that season will jump forward one year, leading right up to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
What does it mean for other Star Wars series? That remains to be seen. Audience reaction to the series is strong, and while it is not tracking on par with Obi-Wan Kenobi or The Book of Boba Fett at the moment the series is still performing very well. Once the first season is up on Disney+, more audiences might view it as the series does lend itself better to a binge format than a week-to-week drop.
Lucasfilm is already experimenting with expanding the Star Wars franchise, with The Acolyte set to air sometime in late 2023 or early 2024 and will be the first Star Wars series set outside the events of the Skywalker Saga, during the final days of the High Republic before the events of The Phantom Menace. Andor might indicate that more mature Star Wars-themed series are coming, or it might just be a one-time attempt. It’s unclear but what is known is that, for the time being, Andor is offering something unique and will likely grow in appreciation over time.
