Andor Season 2 premieres in just a few weeks, and creator Tony Gilroy is a busy man with multiple appearances as promotion ramps up.
During a Star Wars official questions and answers session with fans on YouTube, Gilroy admitted feeling pressure to deliver in Season 2, as he believes Andor has set the bar quite high.
Via ScreenRant, Gilroy said, "Holy crap, we put the bar down here, and we're gonna get crushed if we don't deliver," while discussing possible fan backlash should Season 2 disappoint. Taking it a bit further, Gilroy added, "You see all the other shows, you see other shows where people had trouble sticking the landing, and you're like, 'Oh, my god, we have to,' like, so there's a new pressure."
The ScreenRant article interpreted this as Gilroy throwing subtle shade at previous Star Wars shows including Ahsoka, The Acolyte, The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, Skeleton Crew, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The article went into shows like The Mandalorian which "failed to stick the landing" and therefore, their finales received a lot of criticism. If we're speaking of finales in terms of the final season of a show, then Andor is the only live-action show we know that's confirmed to be ending. The Mandalorian Season 3 was never announced as the show's last season, and some believe a fourth season will be made eventually.
Shows like The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew only had one season, and The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi were written as limited series. This leads me to believe that Gilroy may have meant these shows all ended poorly and their season finales "had trouble sticking the landing" which resulted in a crushing response from fans.
While I respect Tony Gilroy, I disagree with him. Star Wars shows have started sluggishly at times and may have floundered mid-season, but have always stuck the landing. If we go by the ratings for season finales on IMDb.com, we get a better idea of how recent shows have fared. Obi-Wan Kenobi's finale is the highest-rated episode of the show with a solid 8.4 based on 25,000 ratings.
The Mandalorian Season 1 and Season 2 finales are the highest-rated episodes of the season, with the Season 1 finale clocking in at 9.2/10 based on 30,000 ratings, and Season 2 ending strongly with a 9.8, with over 64,000 ratings. Mando Season 3's finale has an 8.4/10, making it Season 3's second-highest-rated episode. That's three highly successful finales, and if we add Kenobi, that makes it 4/4 for Star Wars television.
The Acolyte has some issues due to the review bombing, but there was nothing wrong with its season finale. The lightsaber duels were extremely well choreographed and the Darth Plagueis appearance stole the show. The only issue was a lack of that characteristic spark of hope Star Wars is known for.
Ahsoka does seem to back Gilroy's statement as it may have failed to stick the landing after a promising mid-season. The Ahsoka finale has a 7.8, compared to an 8.6 and 9.0 for its fourth and fifth episodes. The Book of Boba Fett peaked with chapters 5 and 6, which have 9.0 and 9.2 respectively, and compared to them, its finale dropped to 7.8.
Skeleton Crew has consistent ratings across the board, and the finale is the show's second highest-rated episode with a solid 7.8/10. The reactions were positive enough to give creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford hope that Season 2 would be greenlit soon.
Overall, the numbers don't support Gilroy's statement if he meant that Star Wars shows have failed to stick the landing. For a larger sample size, if we take the two biggest Star Wars animated series for comparison: the Star Wars Rebels finale has a 9.4 rating, and The Clone Wars series finale has an outstanding 9.9 on IMDb.
It's possible Gilroy meant shows in general, but it's more likely that he meant recent Star Wars shows have failed. In some respects, he's right, but if we're looking strictly at season or series finales, then Star Wars television has performed brilliantly. Apart from Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and The Book of Boba Fett, all shows ended on a high note and received a positive response from fans.
Regardless of what Gilroy truly meant, he's right that there's pressure for Andor Season 2 to perform. The show has a massive budget, and fans believe it's the best Star Wars has ever produced. As with all other Star Wars, there will be backlash if Season 2 fails to deliver, but I'm sure it will have no issues delivering a satisfying closure to the series.
Andor: A Star Wars Story streams April 22 on Disney+.