What to watch on Disney Plus: 15 best TV shows streaming right now (2023)

While the platform primarily served as a place for fans to find decades’ worth of Disney films during its early days, Disney+ has steadily evolved into a destination for high-profile TV series. Thanks to a growing roster of shows from Marvel (your WandaVisions) and Star Wars (your Andors), along with a cache of beloved older series, from Alias to The Simpsons, there is now plenty of content on the streamer that’s worth watching. Here then, in alphabetical order, is a look at the 15 best shows to be found right now on Disney+.

As Disney celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, The A.V. Club marks the occasion with a series of lists, essays, and more.

Stars: Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan, Ron Rifkin, Victor Garber, Carl Lumbly, Kevin Weisman, David Anders

Number of seasons: 5

J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi action thriller Alias remains one of ABC’s most binge-worthy and enjoyable dramas. Jennifer Garner stars as Sydney Bristow, a CIA double agent who has to conceal her identity from her loved ones. She assumes—you guessed it—multiple aliases to carry out her missions. (Tat red wig? Still legendary.) Alias won several awards during its run and also inspired a video game and original novel spin-offs. And much like Sarah Michelle Gellar with Buffy, the show cemented Garner as a 2000's action star.

Stars: Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Fiona Shaw, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Faye Marsay, Denise Gough

Number of seasons: 1

After the mediocre responses to Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book Of Boba Fett, Andor revitalized our faith in Star Wars TV shows. Created by Tony Gilroy, the sci-fi action drama is set five years before the events of Rogue One. It follows thief-turned-Rebel spy Cassian Andor’s journey that led up to the film, depicting how he eventually came to join the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire. As we put it in The A.V. Club’s best shows of 2022 feature: “With a surprisingly harrowing story about standing up against fascism, something George Lucas baked into the saga from the very beginning, Andor ended up feeling more like Star Wars than almost anything else produced in the franchise’s Disney era.”

Stars: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Seth MacFarlane, Patrick Stewart, Sasha Sagan, Judd Hirsch, Viggo Mortensen

Number of seasons: 1

Inspired by Carl Sagan’s beloved 1980 show, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, this modern science docuseries is narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson. And as such, it uses state-of-the-art VFX, animation styles, and dramatic reenactments to transport viewers into the history and future of humanity over the course of its 13-episode first season.

Stars: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Toby Leonard Moore, Rosario Dawson, Élodie Yung, Jay Ali, Jon Bernthal

Number of seasons: 3

Netflix’s loss is Disney+’s gain. The latter nabbed rights to the streamer’s Marvel TV shows in 2022, including the best one, Daredevil. The action drama centers on Matt Murdock, a lawyer by day and vigilante by night in New York City, who attempts to take down Wilson Fisk’s criminal empire. Daredevil is an immersive and gripping series, but it only lasted three seasons on Netflix despite critical and fan acclaim. Thankfully, Cox reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk. And he’ll also return to lead a new drama (with D’Onofrio) on Disney+ next year.

Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeremy Renner, Vera Farmiga, Tony Dalton, Fra Fee, Alaqua Cox, Linda Cardellini, Vincent D’Onofrio, Zahn McClarnon

Number of seasons: 1

Hawkeye not only brings Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton back, but also does an effective job of introducing his next-in-line. The six-episode series charts how a young Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) confronts enemies from her family’s past and ends up aiding Clint in fighting his own demons. The show also marks the return of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin (reprising the role from Netflix’s Daredevil) and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova (from Black Widow). Oh yeah, it’s also a pretty fun Christmastime binge.

Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Eugene Cordero, Tara Strong, Jonathan Majors

Number of seasons: 1

If any Avengers character deserves their own spin-off, it’s Loki. And Marvel knows it. So no wonder Loki is one of the few shows from the company returning for a second season this year. Season one takes place after Endgame, where an alternate Loki (Hiddleston) has accidentally created a new timeline after stealing the Tesseract. He’s brought to the bureaucratic Time Variance Authority, where Loki is given the chance to stop a bigger threat. The six episodes also introduce various Lokis, from Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie to a kid Loki to an alligator one. Consider it a feast for fans.

Stars: Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Nick Nolte, Taika Waititi, Timothy Olyphant, Giancarlo Esposito, Amy Sedaris

Number of seasons: 2

Jon Favreau’s space Western The Mandalorianwas Disney+’s first live-action Star Wars venture. And what a project it turned out to be. (We can all thank the show for gifting us with Baby Yoda, a.k.a. Grogu, among other things.) Set five years before 1983's Return Of The Jedi, The Mandalorian follows bounty hunter Din Djarin, who is hired by Imperial forces to retrieve Grogu. Instead, they go on the run so Din can protect the baby. While looking to reunite Baby Yoda with his kind, the duo travels to Mandalore so Din Djarin can redeem himself for the transgression of removing his helmet. Several Star Wars actors have reprised their roles, however briefly. (The most notable of them is Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker in season two.) The show returns for a third round on March 1.

Stars: Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Arian Moayed, Laith Nakli, Nimrat Bucha

Number of seasons: 1

Ms. Marvelis one of Marvel’s more groundbreaking projects. The show introduced the MCU’s first Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), who will show up next in The Marvels movie later this year. In the series, the Pakistani American teen gains superpowers through her grandmother’s bangles and delves into her family history during 1947's India-Pakistan partition. The cast and creators mostly hail from South Asian backgrounds, lending much-needed authenticity to a TV show of this magnitude.

Stars: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Louise Gold, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson

Number of seasons: 5

Who doesn’t want to see Kermit the Frog pretends to be the showrunner of a sketch series? Jim Henson’s iconic The Muppet Show is interspersed with recurring bits, musical numbers, and plotlines taking place backstage. Expect a roster of celebrity guests and consider it a perfect throwback—or a great way to introduce the characters to kids.

Stars: Lisette Olivera, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Zuri Reed, Jordan Rodriguez, Jake Austin Walker, Lyndon Smith, Justin Bartha

Number of seasons: 1

It’s the National Treasureexpansion you didn’t know you wanted. Edge Of History introduces Jess Valenzuela (Lisette Olivera), a DACA woman living in Baton Rouge who discovers her dead father is part of a secret network of treasure protectors. Her knack for solving puzzles is put to test as she chases through a series of clues hidden in American landmarks, but she has to outsmart an antiquities dealer to find a lost treasure. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a villain, and Justin Bartha and Harvey Kietel reprise their roles briefly. Watch Olivera chat about the series and more in this A.V. Club interview.

Stars: Kyla Pratt, Karen Malina White, Aiden Dodson, Carlos Alazraquiu

Number of seasons: 1 (season 2 premiered January 7)

Created by Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar, The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder is a revival of Disney Channel’s The Proud Family, which aired from 2001 to 2005. The delightful animated series follows 16-year-old Penny Proud (Kyla Pratt) and her family, now navigating their lives in the 2020s. Expect Penny to face plenty of challenges alongside returning characters like Suga Mama, Michael, Dijonay, Zoey, and LaCienega. Season two is currently airing.

Stars: Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer

Number of seasons: 34

Matt Groening’s satirical animated sitcom has etched its name in American television legacy for life. And at the moment, The Simpsons is also the longest-running sitcom of all time. As put in The A.V. Club’s list of the best-animated series ever: “The show even captured a culture so effectively that it built its own living, breathing universe that’s currently nattering away in millions of smartphones—this is no “meh” achievement. The Simpsons is cromulent, plain and simple, and we are all embiggened for having it in our lives.”

Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Randall Park, Teyonah Parris, Debra Jo Rupp, Kat Dennings, Asif Ali

Number of seasons: 1

Marvel made a bold statement with its first show on Disney+, with WandaVision immediately setting a high bar that’s been met mostly with mixed results. The series follows Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) dealing with Vision’s (Paul Bettany) death in Infinity War, using her powers to mind control an entire town called Westview. Kathryn Hahn makes her MCU debut as a witch, Agatha Harkness, and she did so well that Kevin Feige is giving her an entire spin-off. WandaVision subverts the genre by using old-school sitcom templates to tell unique stories. And the nine episodes are more than worth a binge.

Stars: Jeff Goldblum

Number of seasons: 2

Honestly, the single-name cast list alone is reason enough to watch this, right? In the docuseries The World According To Jeff Goldblum, our host explores various topics, including video games, sneakers, magic, fireworks, puzzles, ice cream, and, crucially, dogs, among other subjects. He chats with influencers and experts in the field to learn more about everything he’s investigating. And yes, his typical Goldblum charm and fashion keep it all afloat.

Stars: Norm Spencer, Cathal J. Dodd, Lenore Zann, George Buza, Alyson Court, Cedric Smith

Number of seasons: 5

X-Men: The Animated Series features mutants like Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Beast, Professor X, Rogue, Gambit, and Jubilee, with each season following everything from Jean Grey’s transformation into Phoenix to Magneto’s attempt to start a human-mutant war. It also remains one of the best animated adaptations, along with X-Men: Evolutions, which is available to stream as well. And thankfully, a continuation of the original, titled X-Men ‘97, is set to arrive on Disney+ this fall.