Entertainment
Disney+’s New Sci-Fi Crime Series Dominates Global Streaming Charts in Just 1 Week
Forty-nine years ago, what would become one of the most influential forces in the science fiction genre was born, quickly evolving into a global pop culture phenomenon. Star Wars, created by George Lucas, is now one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, spanning films, television series, books, video games, and more. The space opera began with the original 1977 film—later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope—which serves as the fourth chronological chapter in the Skywalker Saga.
Since then, a number of prequels and sequels have come to life across both the big and small screens, many of which have been well received, while others were ultimately cancelled. The latest of the bunch is Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, created by Dave Filoni for Disney+. The animated series premiered earlier this week on April 6, 2026, and is set after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which ran from 2008 to 2020. The show follows former Sith Lord Maul during the reign of the Galactic Empire, with Sam Witwer reprising his role from The Clone Wars and other Star Wars projects.
Upon its release, the new Star Wars series was an instant success, ranking among the most-watched series titles on Disney+ globally, including in the US. Maul – Shadow Lord entered the US charts as the 7th most popular title on April 7, 2026, but that quickly changed the next day as it rose to the top of the charts, a rank it still holds till now. Such a strong performance may come as no surprise to fans, considering that the sci-fi hit debuted to a perfect 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus describing it as “an inspired look into the depths of an iconic character.”
Is the New Star Wars Show Worth Watching?
Centered on Maul, who plots to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord comprises ten episodes for Season 1, with two episodes released each week until May 4. In addition to Witwer, Gideon Adlon, Wagner Moura, and Richard Ayoade lend their voices to characters as interesting as the lead, or even more so. Speaking of which, in Collider’s review, Maggie Lovitt noted that the sci-fi adventure “does a good job of making the audience care quickly about each of the new characters, to the point that they become far more interesting than whatever is going on with Maul — and there is a lot going on with Maul.“
You can watch the latest Star Wars series on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for more information.
- Release Date
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April 6, 2026
- Network
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Disney+
- Directors
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Brad Rau
- Franchise(s)
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Star Wars
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