The ‘best TV series of 2025’ is finally streaming after 10-year journey
It's all been leading to this.
Fans of a galaxy far, far away are in for a treat this month as one of the Star Wars universe’s greatest heroes finally makes his triumphant return.
Yes, that’s right, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), the thief turned spy, is finally back after a nearly three-year absence from our screens.
Ahead of its return for season 2, Metro spoke to several of the cast members at the London premiere to find out exactly what’s in store for excited fans.
We first met Cassian during the events of the 2016 film Rogue One when he and a team of highly trained rebel spies (okay, they were the only people available) helped Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) steal the Death Star plans from under the nose of the Galactic Empire’s most loathsome bureaucrat Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn).
While Cassian might have met his end on that mission, you can’t keep a good freedom fighter down, and in 2017, Disney gave writer Tony Gilroy the green light to make a prequel series focused on Andor and the formation of the Rebel Alliance.
To say Andor was a success would be a Death Star-sized understatement. The show was met with thunderous applause from fans and critics alike, and now history is repeating itself.
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Previous Page Next PageSo far, Andor season two has been met with a roar of approval from critics louder than a Wookie’s mating call, and the show’s already being called one of the best of 2025.
So, with the Andor and the rebels ready to make their move, here’s everything you need to know about their upcoming adventures.
When is Andor season 2 being released?Andor season two (of the first three episodes at least) was released on Disney Plus on Tuesday April 22 in the US in the early hours of Wednesday April 23 here in the UK.
Andor follows the titular pilot during the earliest days of the Galactic Civil War (Picture: Des Willie / Lucasfilm Ltd.)Disney is experimenting with a new release strategy for the latest season, though, so rather than dropping the episodes weekly or all at once, Andor is being released in three episode chunks.
Each of these chunks will cover a year of Andor’s life and fill in the four years between the end of the first season and the start of Rogue One. Barring a galactic emergency, that means the Andor finale should be released on May 13.
Critics are loving Andor season two.
The show has been called a masterpiece by some, scoring a spectacular 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and, perhaps most impressively, it’s currently the highest ranked show of 2025 on Metacritic.
Critics have been blown away by the show’s story and visuals (Picture: Lucasfilm Ltd/Rex/Shutterstock)In their five-star review, Empire magazine wrote that the show was beautifully made, cleverly structured and genuinely moving.
Meanwhile, Den of Geek called it ‘a breath of fresh air’ and Variety described it as ‘the best Star Wars story of the Disney era.
Not everyone’s convinced, though. Scouring internet back alleys (Rotten Tomatoes), we found a review in the Canadian paper, Globe and Mail, which said the series failed to live up to the level and intensity of storytelling set by the first season.
You can’t please everyone, I guess.
Metro's thoughts on Andor season 2 (so far)Deputy TV Editor Tom Percival shares his thoughts on the first three episodes of Andor season two…
I’m going to be honest, I’ve been hurt too many times by Star Wars at this point to have much faith in the franchise. As a result, I was sceptical that Andor season 2 could live up to its impressive first season.
Well, after watching the first three episodes, I’ll admit I was wrong. Very wrong. So far, the show’s been every bit as compelling, thrilling, and other superlatives ending in ‘ing’ as the first, and I’m flabbergasted by the bravery and confidence the series has shown in just three episodes.
There’s a long way to go, of course, but it’s clear to me that the force is still strong in this one.
Why is Andor ending at season 2?Andor is ending after season two because Cassian is about to be incinerated by a giant space laser.
All good things must come to an end (Picture: Des Willie/Lucasfilm Ltd.)Sorry, if that’s a spoiler, but realistically this is (probably… the Force works in mysterious ways) the last time we’ll ever see Cassian Andor.
For two seasons, Andor has been building to Cassian’s inevitable, but heroic, death on the beaches of Scarif.
Fans will undoubtedly remember Cassian’s final moments in Rogue One, where – after successfully sending the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance – the now fully armed and operational battle station obliterates him, his new friend Jyn, along with the planet beneath their feet.
To paraphrase Doctor Seuss (if Seuss ever wrote about Star Wars), though, don’t cry because Andor gets atomised, smile because he died doing what he loved, rebelling. That’s certainly the attitude Diego, 45, is taking now that it’s time to say goodbye to Cassian.
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Previous Page Next Page The Empire is everywhere in Andor season 2 (Picture: Lucasfilm Ltd/Shutterstock)Speaking to Metro on the Andor Season 2 red carpet, he explained how ‘proud’ of the story he and the team have told, admitting he’s ‘ready to go’.
‘There’s nothing [I regret]. There is nothing. I’m getting to the end of this journey after enjoying every second, and I’m ready to go because I’m still excited,’ Diego said.
‘I’m really proud of what we’ve done. I’m very happy I’ve made this family this connection, and that’s the way to end things when you’d still like to come back; otherwise, it’s wrong, you know?’
‘I’m very pleased, I thank Cathy and Tony and the universe because this has been a very interesting ten years of my life, and I’m never going to forget what I went through.’
How many episodes of Andor episode 2 are there?Andor season two is 12 episodes long, the same length as the first season.
Who’s in the cast of Andor?Diego Luna is returning as the titular rebel pilot, Cassian, and he’ll be joined by a few familiar faces from season one.
Diego Luna isn’t the only familiar face (Picture: Des Willie / Lucasfilm Ltd.)Adria Arjona is back as Cassian’s old friend Bix Caleen, while Kyle Soller and Denise Gough are both set to reprise the roles of the snivelling imperial lackeys Syril Karn and Cinta Kaz, respectively.
Hot off the success of Adolescence, Faye Marsay will also return as Vel Sartha, Mon Mothma’s rebellious cousin. Speaking of the Rebel Alliance leader, Genevieve O’Reilly, who plays Mon, can’t wait for fans to see what’s in store for the upstart senator this season.
‘I’m so excited to share this with people,’ she told Metro. ‘I promise you it’ll be worth it. I think Tony Gilroy’s writing and the way he has written is so respectful to the work that has come before and is beautifully detailed to what that pain is.’
Genevieve O’Reilly and Stellan Skarsgård are back (Picture: Lucasfilm Ltd/Rex/Shutterstock)The inimitable Stellan Skarsgård is also slipping back into Luthen Rael’s elegant robes (and coiffed wig). Rael was, of course, the hard-faced and ruthless spymaster who recruited Andor to the Rebellion, and he arguably got the most iconic moment of the first season.
During an impassioned speech to a would-be defector, Luthen explained how he’d given up everything, including his kindness and decency, to give the galaxy a future he will never see, or as he put it, ‘I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see.’
Fans will no doubt be wondering if they’ll get another incredible monologue from Luthen, but one person who might be relieved if he doesn’t is Stellan.
And so is a certain sarcastic droid (Picture: Lucasfilm Ltd/Shutterstock)Speaking to Metro on the Andor red carpet, he explained: ‘I was actually very nervous when I did it…it’s a very beautiful speech, and it sort of sums up my character in some ways. But there’s more to it, more to the character, more to history.’
Where Luthen goes, you can expect his assistant Kleya Markim, played by Elizabeth Dulau, to follow, and she’ll once again be manning the comms desk for the older spy.
Finally, two Rogue One stars are returning to a galaxy far, far away. Alan Tudyk is lending his voice to Andor’s sarcastic cybernetic pal (and fan favourite) K-2SO.
Meanwhile, Ben Mendelsohn will be menacing the corridors of imperial offices on Coruscant once again as Director Krennic.
Capes ‘maketh’ the man, says Ben Mendelsohn (Picture: Lucasfilm Ltd/Rex/Shutterstock)Speaking to us on the red carpet, Ben seemed surprised by Metro’s enthusiasm for Krennic, admitting, ‘I didn’t think people felt so good about Krennic as you’re saying’ however, he did agree with us that what the Death Star director lacks in menace, he makes up for with style.
When we asked what makes a good villain, he replied, ‘You need capes. You’ve got to have a cape. You’ll see that in some of Dath’s attire, occasionally he’s caping, he’s not always caping. If you see him after he’s got out of his bath, he capes up pretty quick, but yeah, it’s capes.’
The first three episodes of Andor season 2 are streaming on Disney+ now, with new episodes released every Wednesday.
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