What do the critics have to say about ‘Andor’ Season 2?
What do the critics have to say about ‘Andor’ Season 2?
‘Andor’ Season 2 is drawing quite a bit of praise. See what the critics are saying before the season premiere. ‘
Disney+ has had its share of hits and misses in the Star Wars universe. For every well-regarded series like “Ahsoka,” there’s a show like “The Acolyte” that fans don’t take to for one reason or another. All in all, it’s been a fairly up-and-down experience, to put it mildly.
But one of Disney+’s almost universally recognized exceptional Star Wars shows is returning with new episodes this week. On Tuesday, April 22 at 9 p.m. ET, “Andor” will return for Season following its highly acclaimed first season, which premiered in September 2022.
“Andor” stars Diego Luna in the title role of Cassian Andor. Once a scrounger simply trying to make his way through the galaxy unnoticed, Andor is recruited to help a cell of Rebels complete a job against the Empire. As he is exposed to more and more Imperial brutality, Andor is radicalized and becomes a full-fledged member of the Rebellion. His journey as a Rebel and his battles against the Empire continue in the show’s second season.
So far, the reviews for “Andor” Season 2 are absolutely sterling. The show has a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and also registers a 93 on Metacritic, indicating “Universal acclaim” and also earning a Metacritic Must-Watch badge. We’ve assembled excerpts from some of the more glowing reviews below.
Watch a trailer for ‘Andor’ Season 2:
Alison Herman | Variety
Season 1 of “Andor” was already by far the most exciting output of the venerable franchise’s streaming TV era. With Season 2, “Andor” cements itself as the gold standard of what modern “Star Wars” can be.
Maggie Lovitt | Collider
The first season was a riveting journey through the rise of the Rebellion and the impact that colonization and mass incarceration had on shaping Cassian Andor’s worldview. It was “peak television,” and yet — somehow — Tony Gilroy and his brilliant writing team have outdone even themselves with Season 2. If Andor Season 1 set a gold standard for Star Wars storytelling, then Season 2 has achieved an entirely new level of perfection.
Erik Kaine | Forbes
The performances are riveting throughout. Diego Luna is brilliant, of course. Skarsgard never has quite the moments he has in Season 1, but Luthen Rael remains one of the most complex and fascinating characters ever written for a Star Wars offering. Dedra’s arc is quite brilliant from start to finish as well, and Gough is mesmerizing in every scene-stealing moment.
Jeremy Mathai | Slash Film
This remains a series that goes much further than any other franchise offering ever has, looking the fascism of the Empire right in the eye and showing it in all of its evil, rather than flinching away or merely gesturing towards it in the vaguest of terms. Boardroom meetings casually discussing plans for genocide will hit differently these days, as does infighting among fractured Rebel groups or Mon Mothma’s (Genevieve O’Reilly) storyline of political helplessness in the face of unchecked authoritarianism.
Ben Travers | Indie Wire
After suffering too many trips to galaxies far, far away that were either frustratingly confined to previous visions or otherwise failed to flourish, Tony Gilroy’s two-season limited series sets itself apart, despite functioning like a puzzle piece. Yes, “Andor” is a prequel series to a prequel film to a trilogy that first debuted nearly five decades ago, but instead of getting stuck in the past (like so many similar I.P. plays), these characters look steadfastly forward; their urgent purpose firmly rooted in the present, their poignant perspective bound to their fellow man.
Meghan O’Keefe | Decider
Andor Season 2 is a glorious, life-affirming experience. There’s action, drama, and even romance, but most importantly, there’s fire. Andor will set your soul on fire and give your heart the courage it needs to keep going.
Anglie Han | The Hollywood Reporter
That the first three-parter spends so much of his precious remaining time trapping him in a forest with sniping factions we don’t really know, for reasons I never could totally comprehend, makes for a somewhat exasperating start to the season — even as other major characters like Imperial officer Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) hit the ground running elsewhere. But rest assured those early installments are as slow as Andor gets in this go-round. Once the momentum begins to pick up in the next triplet, the rest fly by in chapters simultaneously too intense to binge, and too gripping not to.
Clint Gage | IGN
Where season 1 talks about the price that needs to be paid to overthrow the Galactic Empire, season 2 very actively shows it – and how it’s starting to feel too expensive for some. There’s an exhaustion that’s very present and on the surface. Losses are felt more heavily. An inevitability begins to seep in, one these characters can’t escape, and that is where Andor season 2 is truly successful where other prequels in the Star Wars universe might not have been.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”