The House of Mouse has a whopping great line-up of TV shows, old and new. Eliza Janssen has compiled a guide to the very best shows now available to stream on Disney+.
See also
* All new movies & series on Disney+
* All new streaming movies & series
* The 50 best movies on Disney+
24
WATCH ON DISNEY+What a difference a day makes! In Kiefer Sutherland’s pulse-pounding TV vehicle, counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer makes the most of 24 hours with every episode, losing more than a few family members in shocking attacks along the way. The show’s fifth season garnered the best reviews—despite some nagging Islamophobia, which was almost a given for network TV during the Bush era.
Abbott Elementary
WATCH ON DISNEY+This delightfully fresh comedy proved the evergreen longevity of the workplace sitcom and the mockumentary format, following the overworked staff of a predominantly Black school in Philly. Creator and star Quinta Brunson deserved this kind of big-hearted, laugh-out-loud production for a while, first making her name in charming internet content.
American Born Chinese
WATCH ON DISNEY+Following closely in the footsteps of Everything Everywhere All At Once—and even stealing a few of its cast members!—this imaginative fantasy series revamps familiar “chosen one” tropes through underexplored cultural lenses. It’s about an out-of-place high-schooler who encounters mythical heroes and villains, among them Michelle Yeoh and Daniel Wu. Expansive, heartfelt, and full of polished action sequences.
American Crime Story: The People Vs. OJ Simpson
WATCH ON DISNEY+A blockbuster trial of the century, dramatised with pulpy bite. Cuba Gooding Jr might look nothing like disgraced football star and (alleged) murderer OJ, but Sarah Paulson and Sterling K. Brown deliver intimate interpretations of the prosecution. Of course, showrunner Ryan Murphy is shameless enough to give us a snippet of defense attorney Robert Kardashian’s soon-to-be-famous fam, too.
American Horror Story
WATCH ON DISNEY+Ryan Murphy can’t help terrorising a rotating stable of freaks in this long-running anthology series. Here’s my take: season one’s fine, season two is the franchise’s greatest chapter, and the next three are beautiful disappointments. Season six is a return to form, and the rest are really only for gore and glam-addicted superfans.
The Americans
WATCH ON DISNEY+Long touted as “the greatest show on TV that nobody watched”, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys deliver dynamic work as spies posing as a married couple. This six season series depicts the fallout of the Cold War in the fake Jennings family’s lives, with intrigue, complex characters, and political implications that reach to the present day.
Andor
WATCH ON DISNEY+There’s now many serialised Star Wars spin-offs, sequels and prequels on Disney+. If you’re taking a chance on just one of them, make it this absorbing insight into the formation of the Rebel Alliance. Diego Luna reprises his role from prequel Rogue One, capturing the titular Cassian Andor’s evolution from a cynical thief to a committed rebel spy who’d give his life for the cause.
Arrested Development
WATCH ON DISNEY+A mind-bogglingly smart show about very dumb people, filtering familiar riches-to-rags situations through an almost postmodern lens. It’s almost impossible to pick your favourite Bluth: the late, great Jessica Walters as out-of-touch matriarch Lucille, Michael Cera as king dork George Michael, or perhaps Will Arnett as prideful magician Gob? Whatever you reckon, you need to watch more than one episode at a time to appreciate running gags that are paid off across scenes, episodes and even seasons.
Atlanta
WATCH ON DISNEY+Rap star Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, imbued his hip hop chronicle with surrealism and tragicomedy, capturing the weirdness of both the music industry and Black life in the 2020s. Season two’s sixth episode is some of the greatest TV of all time, introducing us to the terrifying Teddy Perkins—Glover himself in whiteface. Brian Tyree Henry is also incredible as protagonist Earn’s cousin Paper Boi.
Baskets
WATCH ON DISNEY+Underseen and terminally offbeat, this deadpan comedy series stars Zach Galafianakis as brothers Chip and Dale Baskets—respectively a rodeo clown and a respected family man. It’s less laugh-out-loud funny than ingratiatingly strange and bemusing, although Louie Anderson still rakes in some big bits as the boys’ doting mum.
The Bear
WATCH ON DISNEY+Yes chef! Behind! Hands! As if foodie culture wasn’t insufferable enough already, here comes FX’s hit drama to spark groans of recognition in every chef and hospo worker tensely watching along. An infamously stressful series, The Bear’s cast of hard-working Chicagoans have been boosted to household names, framed in a filmmaking crucible of frenetic editing and sound design.
Bob’s Burgers
WATCH ON DISNEY+We’ll always have room in our hearts for an animated family sitcom with daggy parents and weirdo kids (there’s a couple more on this very list). The difference with the burger-servin’ Bouchards is their off-hand naturalism, with overlapping dialogue and charming moments in which Bob and his kids are allowed to laugh at one another, just as we do.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
WATCH ON DISNEY+Sarah Michelle Gellar cemented her status as a butt-kicking teen idol in Joss Whedon’s supernatural series, defending her hometown of Sunnydale from countless demonic forces. The dialogue is iconically zippy, the characters are changed by their unholy encounters in believable ways, and the sex appeal of Buffy’s various love triangles still burns as hot as a vamp’s skin under sunlight.
Daredevil
WATCH ON DISNEY+This is a weird one: removed from the confusing continuity of the MCU for a minute there, before being seemingly welcomed back into the fold. Matt Murdoch’s TV adventures deserve to be seen, though, with Charlie Cox as the blind superhero-by-night and lawyer-by-day. Daredevil’s bruising action scenes are notable for their practical, mascular wallop, rather than Marvel’s usual weightless nonsense.
Doctor Who
WATCH ON DISNEY+Featuring Ncuti Gatwa as a funky and free-spirited take on Gallifrey’s favourite son, the longest-running sci-fi series ever has turned over a fresh new leaf—arguably focusing on kid audiences more than ever, shifting from the gritty and dense last few seasons. While you’ll have to look elsewhere to find the entirety of the Doctor’s adventures across time and space, series 14 feels like a soft reboot, making it a great place to start for new fans.
English Teacher
WATCH ON DISNEY+Developed by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez as a neurotic high-school educator, this fresh and fast sitcom tackles big contemporary questions with fleet dialogue and likeable performances. The show’s Texas setting and finger-on-the-pulse gags mark it as a worthy portrait of millennial vs. Gen Z anxiety.
Family Guy
Where to watchIt seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV. And so, I ask you fervently: where are those good old-fashioned values on which we used to rely? You won’t find any in Seth MacFarlane’s shameless animated comedy, which blows through mean-spirited, hit-and-miss gags at whipcracking pace. A go-for-broke voice cast and un-PC pop cultural references make each episode a flurry of laughs.
FEUD: Bette and Joan
WATCH ON DISNEY+Screen legends Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon play screen legends Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, in this camp celebration of Hollywood’s greatest diva clash. On the set of their late-period horror collaboration Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?, the stars bruise each other’s egos and only wind up hurting themselves. The acting is as delicious as you’d expect.
Firefly
WATCH ON DISNEY+Nerds will never stop weeping over this Joss Whedon series’ untimely end, forever bemoaning their torturously short adventures with Mal (a dashing Nathan Fillion) and his motley spaceship crew. The travellers are perfectly cast, a found family of renegades bouncing between shady sci-fi gigs and revelatory encounters whilst a mysterious conspiracy unfolds in the background.
Fleishman Is In Trouble
WATCH ON DISNEY+Adapted from a best-selling novel, this miniseries is packed with fascinating performances and tensely examines modern day marital rituals, beginning with the titular neurotic dad (Jesse Eisenberg) realising he’s been saddled with his kids while his estranged wife (Claire Danes) runs off to discover herself. Lizzy Caplan narrates the whole dramedy with clear-eyed ennui.
Futurama
This animated classic’s greatest strength is its boundless scope, with delivery company Planet Express able to do practically anything in their bonkers, somewhat dystopian vision of 30th century life. If that doesn’t sound like a blast to you, then you can bite my shiny metal ass.
Glee
WATCH ON DISNEY+This show ruined a generation of theatre kids. But for a brief, brilliant moment—up until the point the teen cheerleader gives birth to her baby as rivals croon “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the background—Glee was genuinely great TV: a biting satire of more sugary high-school dramas. With all those earnest song-and-dance covers of boomer classics and current pop melodies alike, it eventually turned into the thing it initially set out to mock.
The Golden Girls
WATCH ON DISNEY+Like a comforting hug from your nana, this iconic sitcom is always around for a hit of warmth and sisterhood. To refresh your memory: Dorothy (Bea Arthur) is the sensible one, Blanche (Rue McClanahan) is the sexy one, and Rose (Betty White) is the sweet one, and Dorothy’s mother Sophia (Estelle Getty) as the spicy wild card with no filter. A disarmingly groundbreaking show.
Grey’s Anatomy
WATCH ON DISNEY+This unstoppable medical drama has seen its main cast killed off by countless bomb threats, car accidents and shock diagnoses, simply replacing them and pushing ahead every time. Even if you can’t follow the romances, betrayals and hidden secrets of the docs, those “case of the week” storylines keep things chugging along.
High Fidelity
WATCH ON DISNEY+A tuneful and soulful rom-com adaptation, cut down in its prime. Zoë Kravitz was a nice pick to play record store owner Rob, considering her mum played the love interest in the 2000 John Cusack movie. It’s a shame that Hulu took the needle off the player after one season; the show has a compelling groove.
Hill Street Blues
WATCH ON DISNEY+Almost all episodes of this seminal cop drama take place over a single day, nimbly capturing the risks and injustices of urban life. It’s still one of the most celebrated procedurals of its kind, revolutionary for its use of handheld cameras in action scenes, and for its consistent questioning of where law and justice intersect.
Homeland
Where to watchOne of the 2010s most celebrated political thrillers, Claire Danes stars as a CIA officer struggling with her bipolar disorder, and her suspicions that a returned Marine Sergeant (Damien Lewis) has been converted to a terrorist cause. Mandy Patinkin also copped plenty of praise as Danes’ superior at the CIA, overlooking a tense tangle of deceit and classified secrets.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
WATCH ON DISNEY+Craving a comedy where every single character is arguably the wild card? We know that Charlie (Charlie Day) gleefully takes on this role but really, the entire unhinged team from Paddy’s would rain chaos single-handedly in any other show. It’s Always Sunny has demonstrated shocking longevity and depth in its latest seasons, Mac (Rob McElhenney) delivering that stunning dance sequence in season 13.
Justified
WATCH ON DISNEY+In this Kentucky-fried crime drama Timothy Olyphant plays a U.S. Marshal doling out his own questionable brand of justice. Each season features its own addictive arcs, challenging Olyphant’s image of himself as a white hat cowboy and serving up perfectly scripted deep South dialogue from a rangy hillbilly cast.
King of the Hill
WATCH ON DISNEY+Stuffy Texas dad Hank Hill just wants to sell propane and propane accessories, keep his family in order, and crush some beers. But in Mike Judge’s satirical animated comedy, the fancies and follies of the modern world keep getting in his way. A deadpan and brilliantly characterised take on Southern life, the show thrives in mundane moments and laugh-out-loud line readings.
Legion
Where to watchIs he insane, a superhero, or both? The reality-altering anti-hero at the centre of this strange sci-fi show gave way to hallucinatory action sequences and near-unexplainable plot arcs, presented with Kubrickian style. Dan Stevens holds everything together capably as schizophrenic “mutant” David Haller, caught between duelling forces in a battle of psychic good and evil. The production design is stellar and the soundtrack bangs.
Lost
WATCH ON DISNEY+Forget how it ended: Lost is still a captivating puzzle box and TV experiment. By intercutting present-day survival drama with the absorbing backstories of each character, creators J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Jeffrey Lieber kept audiences addicted, even as shadowy greater forces moved in and left many fans scratching their heads.
Malcolm In The Middle
WATCH ON DISNEY+For all their dysfunction, genius Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and his fam are oddly aspirational in how they accept their chaotic circumstances and still muddle through. Tough-as-nails mum Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and doofus dad Hal (Bryan Cranston) try their best to handle life as a working class family, leaving their bright middle kid…well, it’s in the title. A zany single-cam sitcom with significant rewatch value.
The Mandalorian
WATCH ON DISNEY+You settle in for a Star Wars spin-off, focusing on the adventures of a helmeted bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal), and wind up with a lifelong devotion to a tiny green telekinetic baby. Mando’s stoic voyages across the galaxy have become their own substantial chapter in the galaxy far, far away, bringing a more adult and prestige-y tone to the franchise.
M*A*S*H*
WATCH ON DISNEY+The finale of this celebrated war comedy remains the most watched final episode of all time. If you’re unclear why, you’ve got the chance to find out, with all 11 seasons of laughs, tears, and daring tonal shifts available to watch. As Hawkeye, Alan Alda was able to bring his own army experience to set.
Modern Family
WATCH ON DISNEY+Making the most of the trendy mockumentary format that was so big in the 2010s, Modern Family looks at three limbs on the Pritchett family tree: the patriarch’s new marriage and stepkid, his son’s gay relationship and adopted daughter, and his daughter’s nuclear yet dysfunctional arrangement. The ensemble cast found their groove almost immediately and kept the laughs and “aww” moments comin’ for 11 sweet seasons.
Mrs America
WATCH ON DISNEY+Cate Blanchett is Phyllis Schlafly; Rose Byrne is Gloria Steinem; Uzo Aduba is Shirley Chisholm. With such a stellar cast dramatising huge moments in the development and discussion of second-wave feminism, this miniseries covers sweeping societal topics while remaining absorbingly entertaining. It’s an origin story for the culture wars and noise around gender roles we’re still mucking through today, with a funky 70s sheen.
The Muppet Show
WATCH ON DISNEY+Only Statler and Waldorf would turn down the chance to revisit TV’s greatest (puppet) sketch variety show, every episode brimming with fuzzy mayhem and retro celebrity cameos. Jim Henson and his team of misfits poured every ounce of their creativity into all 38 (!!!) seasons. There’s a pounding heart behind every song, gag, and felty face. It’s time to light the lights!
New Girl
WATCH ON DISNEY+A single gal at the end of her rope moves in with three bachelors, and an underrated riot of a rom-com is born. Zooey Deschanel plays on her Manic Pixie Dreamgirl persona in pretty typical twentysomething-rom-com stuff, but with quirky sidequests and characters you’ll fall in love with.
Only Murders in the Building
WATCH ON DISNEY+The Arconia keeps attracting dead bodies: good for the main characters of this sweetly unserious murder-mystery series, and great for the fans. Steve Martin and Martin Short dive back into their established comic friendship, with Selena Gomez bringing some friction as their younger neighbour. Meryl Streep arrives in season three, playing a bad actress—possibly the most challenging role of her career.
Phineas and Ferb
WATCH ON DISNEY+One of the superior animated kids shows to arrive on the Disney Channel over the last 20 years, this zippy and imaginative comedy should give you (or your kids) some solid ideas for what to do over the summer holiday. In each episode, the titular step brothers concoct crazy schemes to entertain themselves, while their pet platypus carries out bombastic acts of espionage. The show’s original songs are genuinely catchy earworms.
Pose
WATCH ON DISNEY+The Harlem ballroom scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s has been appropriated and remixed, warped beyond the recognition. In this vibrant series, the scene’s pivotal players—house mothers, sex workers, queer, Black and Latinx New Yorkers trying to find their place—serve drama on their self-made runway, and in their turbulent private spaces.
Scrubs
WATCH ON DISNEY+Overworked and terminally inclined to goof off, the staff of teaching hospital Sacred Heart “can’t do this all on [their] own”, as this beloved sitcom’s opening theme informs us. It takes the whole cast’s efforts, bursting with comic chemistry, to take us through eight seasons of laughs plus some surprising emotional lows. And yes, I said eight: season nine isn’t bad, but it’s just not the same without so many of the main players.
Shōgun
WATCH ON DISNEY+This rousing historical drama set in feudal Japan is a feast of intricate political plotting and breathtaking production design. Cosmo Jarvis plays a scoundrel English sailor taken under the wing of daimyo Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), increasingly appreciating his captor’s complex way of life. Anna Sawai is a stand-out as translator Mariko, carrying much of the miniseries’ themes of cross-cultural conflict.
The Simpsons
WATCH ON DISNEY+Since 1989, the world’s favourite animated family have been delivering perfectly cromulent comedy. Although we’re sure some trueheads will only ever revisit seasons one through eight, there’s dozens of seasons (and some regrettable Disney+ specials!) at your selection. You can also thankfully choose the show’s aspect ratio, Disney+ formerly botching many of the series’ most iconic sight gags by trimming the frame for streaming optimisation. D’oh!
Terriers
WATCH ON DISNEY+Cancelled after one season, this crime comedy is often touted as one of the biggest missed opportunities on the 2010s TV scene. It follows an alcoholic ex-cop who teams up with his loser buddy to start a shady private investigation service—pretty typical, streaming service filler, right? Watch the series’ cruelly-short output of 13 episodes and you’ll leave wondering what the network was thinking.
Under the Banner of Heaven
WATCH ON DISNEY+Jon Krakauer’s troubling non-fiction book of the same name is adapted into an absorbing expose of the Mormon faith’s darkest corners. Andrew Garfield plays a fictionalised detective, himself a believer in the Church of Latter-day Saints, tasked with finding the killers of a devout housewife and her infant child. What he finds has startling implications for the entire belief system, embodied by an unexpectedly impressive villainous performance from Sam Worthington.
WandaVision
WATCH ON DISNEY+The best of the MCU’s foray into TV, WandaVision remixes classic sitcom formats to depict Scarlet Witch’s (Elizabeth Olsen) delusions of a happy homelife with fellow superhero Vision (Paul Bettany). From the starchy domestic bliss of 1950s shows, through to the mockumentary format of more recent comedies, the series offers sassy subversions of beloved TV tropes before devolving into the usual CGI-fuelled superheroics.
X-Men ‘97
WATCH ON DISNEY+With its retro designs and returning voice cast, this series picks up almost exactly where the original cartoon left off, reintroducing us to Professor X’s golden children—Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine and the rest. It’s an exercise in nostalgia that allows new talented youngsters in on the action.
You’re The Worst
WATCH ON DISNEY+Plenty of shows about modern romance boast that they’re actually “anti-rom-coms” but this one has a truly, deliciously dark heart. Jimmy (Chris Geere) and Gretchen (Aya Cash) are gasp-inducingly selfish and insensitive, hooking up after they meet at a wedding and will-they-won’t-they-ing through five seasons of callous chaos.
