Out of all the more recent installments to the Star Wars franchise, one of the more acclaimed is The Mandalorian. The Disney+ original TV show from creator Jon Favreau follows a bounty hunter named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), who becomes the adoptive father to a powerful “child” named Grogu, who was widely referred to as "Baby Yoda" before his actual name was revealed.
What is it about this series – which has spawned its own upcoming Star Wars movie spin-off, aptly titled The Mandalorian and Grogu – that has helped it earn nearly intergalactic acclaim? The secret, beyond the usual themes and tones associated with a galaxy far, far away, could be its refreshing combination of sci-fi with elements of action, drama, Western, and even some dark comedy. There are plenty of other TV shows that boast a similar feel to them for one reason or another and the following are some of our favorite choices in the matter.
The Last Of Us (2023-Present)
Years after a fungal outbreak turns most of the human race into rabid flesh-eaters, a hardened survivor (played by Pedro Pascal) becomes the travel companion to a teenage girl (played by Bella Ramsey) who may hold the key to a cure.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: Even before Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann’s series adaptation of the hit video game, The Last of Us, premiered on HBO, people were drawing comparisons to The Mandalorian as another show starring Pascal as the guardian to a special child in a lawless world.
Altered Carbon (2018-2020)
In a time when human consciousness can be digitized and re-used, a former special forces agent is downloaded into a new body (played by Joel Kinnaman and later by Anthony Mackie) to solve the murder of a wealthy businessman.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: Admittedly, Altered Carbon has much more in common with Black Mirror than The Mandalorian on a narrative or even thematic level, but the futuristic thriller is similar in the way it fuses sci-fi elements with a strongly contradictory genre – in this case, noir.
Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999)
In the distant future, a group of bounty hunters travel through space in search of adventure.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: The idea of a bounty hunter hopping from planet to planet is what attracted many non-Star Wars fans to The Mandalorian in the first place and would surely attract similar audiences to Cowboy Bebop – a classic Japanese anime also praised as one of the best sci-fi TV shows of its time for incorporating Noir and Western elements of into a cosmic setting.
- Stream Cowboy Bebop on Hulu
- Stream Cowboy Bebop on Crunchyroll
- Buy Cowboy Bebop on Amazon
- Buy Cowboy Bebop on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Witcher (2019-Present)
The adventures of a lone hunter of monsters (Henry Cavill) who finds himself at odds with humans who prove to be an even worse threat.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: If you throw out Mando’s helmeted anonymity and obvious soft spot for Grogu, he and Cavill’s portrayal of the socially-disinterested Geralt of Rivia from Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher are pretty much one in the same.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and others fight to defend the Grand Army of the Republic against the oppressive Separatists.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: For a list of TV shows related to a Star Wars spin-off series, of course, we would have to recommend another Star Wars spin-off series and The Clone Wars is already a must for die-hard fans for its thrilling action and unique animation, but also relates to The Mandalorian for introducing key characters like Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze.
- Stream Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+
- Buy Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Amazon
- Buy Star Wars: The Clone Wars on DVD on Amazon
Farscape (1999-2003)
Astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is accidentally thrown into a deep stretch of the universe that is a long, long way from Earth, where he must make allies with a group of aliens outrunning an oppressive military race.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: Like Mando, John Chrichton’s adventures on SyFy’s cult favorite series, Farscape (of which James Gunn is a fan) involve encountering various bizarre creatures on different planets, with the exception that Chrichton had no experience with such dangers when he found himself stuck in a galaxy far, far away.
- Stream Farscape on Amazon Prime
- Stream Farscape on Tubi
- Stream Farscape on Peacock
- Stream Farscape on Pluto TV
- Buy Farscape on Blu-ray on Amazon
Firefly (2002-2003)
The adventures of a ragtag crew searching the colonized solar system for a job while avoiding government detection.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: You cannot talk about The Mandalorian’s Western influences without bringing to mind one of the first full-blooded space Westerns (and, arguably, Nathan Fillion’s best TV show), Firefly, which was unlike any adventure series on TV at the time, which must be why it was doomed from the start and cancelled before it could complete its first season.
The Expanse (2015-2022)
The crew of a commercial space freighter comes across a conspiracy affecting their seemingly peaceful, colonized solar system that changes their lives forever.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: Based on James S.A. Corey’s novels, The Expanse (originally a SyFy before it became exclusive with an Amazon Prime subscription) boasts a protagonist similar to Din Djarin in Jim Holden (Steven Strait), who is usually one to follow orders, until a dark discovery gives him reason to rebel.
Killjoys (2015-2019)
The adventures of a trio of bounty hunters (played by Hannah John-Kamen, Aaron Ashmore, and Luke MacFarlane) trying to remain independent in the wake of interplanetary conflict.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: Here we have yet another story of space bounty hunters in Syfy’s Killjoys, which will surely satisfy any Mandalorian fans looking for a little more comic relief in their sci-fi.
Justified (2010-2015)
A rebellious, Miami-based U.S. Marshall (played by Timothy Olyphant) is relocated to his hometown in Kentucky.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: One of The Mandalorian’s most celebrated guest stars, in the role of cosmic gunslinger Cobb Vanth, is Olyphant, whose defining role then, as the lead of the FX’s Justified cast, was Earthbound gunslinger Raylan Givens.
Westworld (2016-2022)
A futuristic theme park allows guests to live out their deepest desires in a highly realistic Western-style setting, inhabited by unsuspecting, human-like androids who truly believe they exist in an era prior to modern civilization.
Why it is a great show to watch if you like The Mandalorian: One of the most unique combinations of sci-fi drama with Western action can be found on Westworld – a futuristic cautionary tale that reimagines a 1973 movie of the same name.
I know what you are thinking: these shows could use a little more “Baby Yoda.” Perhaps, but, if you need something to binge while you wait for The Mandalorian and Grogu to hit theaters, I think these may suffice.
