When you’re looking for a show to fill the void left behind by Star Wars: The Clone Wars, you always get suggestions such as Rebels or Resistance or even The Mandalorian. Those aren’t helpful! You’re a loyal Star Wars fan! You’ve been keeping up with those shows since day one! What you need is something that can still give you all the action, adventure and emotion that you got from The Clone Wars, but doesn’t necessarily involve lightsabers since you’ve already consumed everything with Star Wars in the title.
No matter what it is that made The Clone Wars so special to you, there’s something out there that is sure to fill that Clone Wars sized hole… or at least come close. For that, we give you five animated shows for Clone Wars fans to try.
5. Avatar: The Last Airbender
Length: 3 seasons
For what may be the best all-around spiritual successor to The Clone Wars, we actually have to take a look at a show that came out before The Clone Wars first aired. Dave Filoni, the creator of The Clone Wars, directed several of the early episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and it was his work on that series that caught the eye of George Lucas and led to him getting the job spearheading The Clone Wars.
Everything that makes The Clone Wars what it is, is present in Avatar: The Last Airbender. The characters are charming and three dimensional. The conflict is intriguing, yet well-grounded. The show feels just as comfortable telling personal, character-driven stories as it does telling stories where the fate of the world is at stake. Best of all, each episode of Avatar works together to tell a greater story, resulting in an epic tale that spans across all three seasons.
From Netflix:
"A young boy must make an impossible journey to fulfill his destiny. If he fails, the whole world is in trouble."
4. Voltron – Legendary Defender
Length: 8 seasons
If you’re looking for an epic space opera with universe-altering consequences, you might want to check out Netflix’s update of Voltron. If you’ve been avoiding the latest version of Voltron because you associate it with the cartoon from the eighties that you assumed was a Transformers knockoff, you need to give this one a chance.
The latest iteration of Voltron has all the hallmarks of a classic space opera that we’re all familiar with. There are space battles, inspired by aerial dogfighting. There are fantastic planets with strange and interesting creatures. And as for the main plot of the series, there’s a princess leading a ragtag team of fighters against an evil empire. Sound familiar? Plus, all of this is done with the charm and excitement you have come to expect from the Star Wars animated series.
From Netflix:
"They never guessed they’d have to save the universe. But together, they’ll form a mighty robot and take on cosmic evil."
3. Samurai Jack
Length: 5 seasons
One thing you never got tired of seeing during The Clone Wars, was one man with a sword (or lightsaber) taking out an entire army of robots. If those action sequences were your favorite parts of the show, you should try watching Samurai Jack. Featuring a samurai from the past trapped in the future, this show has no shortage of incredibly animated sequences with a quick pace allowing an unusually high amount of action in any given episode.
In fact, Samurai Jack had a direct influence on The Clone Wars. It was creator Genndy Tartakovsky’s work on Samurai Jack that allowed him to create and animate the first Clone Wars TV series (the one from 2003). This micro-series was the one that paved the way for the animated masterpiece that we all love today.
From HBOmax:
"Samurai Jack must battle in a dystopian future ruled by the man who destroyed his father’s empire, the wizard Aku."
2. She-Ra
Length: 5 seasons
One of the most popular additions to Star Wars from The Clone Wars was the character of Ahsoka. The teenage character has become a fan favorite in the years since her debut and has offered a different kind of protagonist to the Star Wars universe. If you’re looking for characters like Ahsoka, you might want to try another update from the eighties, She-Ra.
Also streaming on Netflix, this new version of She-Ra fleshes out the character more. She-Ra’s character growth is a driving force of the series as she goes from a young, easily impressionable child, to a leader worthy of the “Princess of Power” title. Moments where she questions the causes she’s always fought for are particularly reminiscent of some of Ahsoka’s best storylines from later seasons.
From Netflix:
"A new hero rises on a war-torn planet and discovers her destiny. With help from her friends, she fights to restore balance to the world."
1. Infinity Train
Length: 3 seasons (so far)
Despite being a show aimed at pre-teens, The Clone Wars didn’t shy away from the more morally gray aspects of the stories it was telling. Heroes could be flawed, often doing the wrong thing. Villains may have been in the wrong, but they had motivations that were compelling or at least sympathetic.
If you are looking for an animated show that doesn’t shy away from complicated issues, you might want to try out Infinity Train. Each episode thrusts the main characters into a new car on the Infinity Train, forcing them to confront a problem with no easy answer. The show deals with some fairly heavy subjects including moral responsibility and the burden of free will. It’s still a fun, and often heartwarming, show, but story elements from Infinity Train will stay lodged in your brain long after the episode is over.
From HBOMax:
"Tulip, a headstrong 13-year-old girl, finds a mysterious train where every car contains its own universe."
There are quite a few animated series out there that are worth your time. Just like with The Clone Wars, you don’t have to be a child to be able to appreciate how incredible and rich the stories are in these animated series. So try one of the other animated series out there, at least until The Bad Batch finally premieres.