Andor Creator Tony Gilroy Hopes Season 2 Will Succeed Where Season 1 Failed

There’s something oddly appropriate about the idea that, of all of Lucasfilm’s recent output in the “Star Wars” franchise, “Andor” felt like one of the biggest underdogs. A spin-off/prequel series to the spin-off/prequel movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” centered on a character who (spoiler alert) died a pretty definitive death? This would probably be the moment where fans chime in with that famous line, “Never tell me the odds.” Of course, the Disney+ series went on to prove any skeptics wrong and become a critical darling (/Film very much included, as you can see from our original “Andor” season 1 review back in 2022), setting an incredibly high bar for any future series to follow in its footsteps.

So, with season 2 set to arrive in the not-too-distant future, well, leave it to the creative team to want to somehow improve on perfection. You’d have to search far and wide around these parts to find anyone with a bad thing to say about “Andor,” but creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy knows exactly where season 1 failed to live up to expectations. In the newest issue of Empire Magazine, the writer admitted that he has one regret that he hopes to set right this time around … and it’s probably not what most fans would expect. The debut season certainly gained a loyal and passionate fanbase with each and every episode, making season 2 one of the more highly-anticipated projects yet to be released, but what about among more general audiences? As he explained:

“I was surprised [‘Andor’ season 1] hasn’t translated exactly into widening the audience for people who are ‘Star Wars’-averse. That, it hasn’t done. That’s our goal this time.”

By several metrics, “Andor” was a success — from widespread critical acclaim (it’s the best-reviewed live-action “Star Wars” project ever on Rotten Tomatoes) to Emmy recognition to the more unquantifiable idea that it was just, you know, really fun to watch — but perhaps not in one hyper-specific area. Even as early as the first few weeks after its initial release, the show’s viewership ratings reflected solid yet unspectacular numbers that raised some troubling questions. Was that a case of the slow-burn plot simply taking a little time to get going in earnest, or was this proof that diehards were showing up while more casual fans needed some serious convincing? Whatever the truth of it was, Tony Gilroy clearly isn’t taking any chances with season 2.

In fact, making “Andor” appeal to as broad an audience as possible was Gilroy’s stated intent right from the beginning. Before the show ever premiered, the writer went out of his way to say that “Andor” was meant as a gateway for new fans. Theoretically, nobody needs to be a “Star Wars” expert in order to appreciate this prequel story. All you have to know is the broad strokes of the Rebellion and the Empire, along with the fact that this is building to the events of “Rogue One.” Despite the presence of fan-favorite characters like Mon Mothma and Saw Gerrera (and coming up in season 2, Ben Mendelsohn’s Orson Krennic and Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO), the writing ensures that their roles make perfect sense for anyone who might not know that they’ve appeared in past franchise movies and shows. Compare that to shows like “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” and especially “Ahsoka,” all of which require viewers to put in hours of homework from various other properties simply to understand various plot developments and characters.

Luckily, there’s still plenty of time to spread the word among hardcore fans and “Star Wars” skeptics alike, because “Andor” season 2 will arrive on Disney+ on April 22, 2025.