Disney+, if you didn’t know, isn’t just for kids. With its ownership of the Lucasfilm brand and the Marvel titles, the streaming service offers plenty of grown-up content in its bid to compete with Netflix and Amazon—and we’re not just talking movies. Since launching the service, Disney has used the name recognition of Star Wars and Marvel to launch scores of TV shows, from The Mandalorian to Loki. In the list below, we’ve collected the ones we think are the best to watch, from those franchises and beyond.
Also: Because Disney+ merged its content with Hulu in 2024, most of the same shows you might like on Hulu (see our list of picks here) are also available to stream on Disney+.
Want more? Head to our best movies on Disney+ list if you’re looking for movies, and our guides on the best shows on Netflix and best shows on Apple TV+ to see what Disney’s rivals have to offer. Don’t like our picks, or want to suggest your own? Head to the comments below and share your thoughts.
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Eyes of Wakanda
Disney is betting big on the Black Panther universe. Just one month after the premiere of the new live-action series Ironheart (see below) comes this new animated anthology series that delves even further into the Wakanda mythology. Two-time Oscar nominee Ryan Coogler—the man behind both Black Panther movies—developed this four-episode prequel in which the Hatut Zaraze, aka Wakanda’s “War Dogs,” embark on adventure-filled missions to retrieve long-lost Vibranium artifacts.
Ironheart
Ryan Coogler is responsible for what is arguably the best movie in the MCU (2018’s Black Panther), and now he’s executive producing one of its most interesting small-screen endeavors. Playwright Chinaka Hodge created this series, which picks up right after the events featured in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It stars Dominique Thorne, who reprises her role as Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, a brilliant MIT student who has successfully managed to create a Tony Stark–like suit of armor. It gives her the kind of invincibility that changes her outlook on the world—and leads her down a pothole-filled path that could see her heroic character go the way of the antihero in a way that critics have described as being similar to The Sopranos’ Tony Soprano and Breaking Bad’s Walter White.
Underdogs
Ryan Reynolds brings his penchant for turning genres on their heads to National Geographic with a brand-new kind of nature special. The Deadpool star narrates and serves as executive producer on this fun docuseries which puts the spotlight on the “underdogs” of the animal kingdom—those creatures and critters who don’t always warrant the same amount of respect as the kings and queens they share real estate with. Or, as Reynolds calls them, the “super zeroes.”
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