For a long time, watching the Star Wars movies in order was all that was necessary to keep track of the biggest events in a galaxy far, far away, but that’s no longer the case. Animated shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels got the ball rolling on the TV side of things, and now there also plenty of live-action shows to keep track of using your Disney+ subscription, including Andor, the prequel to Rogue One. Although Andor earned a lot of positive reception upon premiering in September 2022, Star Wars: The Force Awakens alum Simon Pegg only just started watching it, although the story behind that takes an expected turn.
Pegg, who played Unkar Plutt in the first Sequel Trilogy movie, explained on his Instagram Stories he was initially hesitant to watch Andor because he didn’t feel like the show’s dark tone was a good fit for the Star Wars franchise. He’s now come around and begun Season 1, but hasn’t made it that far because he’s been sidetracked by The Bear, which can be viewed with a Hulu subscription: In his words:
I started watching Andor. I resisted for a long time. I thought, 'Star Wars isn't dark and fucking grownup. It's fun and bright.' But then so many people told me it was fucking good. Then I was like, 'Well, that's kind of what Star Wars needs is to do something different, not to rely on the same old shit over and over again.' So I watched the first episode, I thought it was really good. But then I watched the first episode of The Bear. And now I'm not going to watch another episode of Andor until I finish The Bear. Because The Bear is fucking amazing.
As you can see, Simon Pegg liked what he saw in the first episode of Andor, so it’s not as though he’s tabled the first season for a lack of interest. Rather, the exceptional quality of The Bear, which recently premiered its third season on the 2024 TV schedule, has taken priority, and I don’t blame him. The Hulu series starring Jeremy Allen White has raked in critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including 10 Emmy wins and nominations in three other categories last year.
I’m curious what prompted Simon Pegg to check out The Bear right after watching the first episode of Andor rather than wait until after he was down with the Star Wars show’s first season. Maybe he simply wanted to learn what all the buzz surrounding The Bear is about following Season 3 dropping its 10 episodes, or maybe he wants to space out his Andor experience rather than binge Season 1. Whatever the answer is, Cassian Andor, the story of how you joined the Rebel Alliance will have to take a backseat until Pegg is finished watching Carmy Berzatto’s stressful life running a restaurant in Chicago.
For fans of one or both of these shows, The Bear Season 4 is officially on the way following Season 3’s cliffhanger ending, and Andor Season 2 is expected to premiere sometime in 2025 on the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows slate. Simon Pegg can be seen reprising Benji Dunn in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, which is streamable with a Paramount+ subscription.
