By now, everyone should know that Andor is the most expensive Star Wars show ever made. Its budget is on par with some of the most expensive Star Wars movies. Two seasons of Andor cost a whopping $650 million, but Disney wasn't always on board with giving Tony Gilroy the budget he wanted for Season 2.
In an interview with IndieWire, Gilroy revealed that "we fought hard about money" for Season 2. When he requested a higher budget for Season 2 compared to Season 1, Disney said, "Streaming is dead," and they lacked money compared to before. Andor was given the budget Gilroy wanted, which is almost twice as high as other Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, Disney's loss of faith in streaming isn't good news for the future of Star Wars television.
It's concerning that Disney seemed reluctant to give Andor a higher budget despite the positive response to Season 1. However, while Andor has been widely praised, it never generated the type of viewership that shows like Kenobi have. In comparison, Kenobi's budget was roughly $100 million, and The Mandalorian cost $120 million per season.
Shows like The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew haven't been greenlit for more seasons, which proves that Gilroy's statement about Disney's current stance on streaming is accurate. They've turned their focus to movies, and unless the next few Star Wars movies underperform, we'll probably see less Star Wars TV series than we would like.
For now, the only Star Wars live-action series under production is Ahsoka Season 2, which went into production a week after Star Wars Celebration 2025 concluded. Apart from that, there hasn't been any official confirmation regarding the future of The Mandalorian, which is the most successful Disney+ original series overall. Will the positive audience and critical response to Andor change Disney's mind? That seems uncertain, as Andor was the result of a lot of creative freedom and a generous budget.
Other shows, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett, weren't given the time, creative freedom, and budgets high enough to be compared to Andor. I hope the success of the upcoming Star Wars films, The Mandalorian and Grogu, and Star Wars: Starfighter, will lead to a positive outcome for the Star Wars television series. However, it appears unlikely that Disney will commit to streaming the way it did during the coronavirus pandemic.
Overall, it's hard to believe that Disney doesn't have the money needed to invest in streaming. Star Wars television has made a mark in a short time, and hit shows like The Mandalorian and new ones like Skeleton Crew and The Acolyte deserve better than an abrupt end.
Andor is streaming on Disney+.