Star Wars: Andor (September 21st, 2022)

This might be the most depressing thread on the forum right now. And I do feel for all of you who actually like this show and want it to do well. Personally I'm still struggling to find even the tiniest little positive details to help me stay awake til the end credits roll. I do believe the latest episode had alot better pacing and action and more dynamic and interesting interactions between the main characters (plus the aardvark-cow-alien was absolutely awesome). However, I'm afraid it's still not enough considering the buildup has been way too slow and unfocused i.m.o. Even IF people do drop by later on I highly doubt they'll still be around for ep 7. The reason this is doing so poorly is because it's not Star Wars enough for fans of the OT and Mandalorian and not nearly good enough for fans of any comparable 'slow burn' costume drama shows. Also, one has to wonder: Was the budget really so strained they couldn't afford to give the main character one single redeeming feature?..

wormlander said:

This might be the most depressing thread on the forum right now. And I do feel for all of you who actually like this show and want it to do well. Personally I'm still struggling to find even the tiniest little positive details to help me stay awake til the end credits roll. I do believe the latest episode had alot better pacing and action and more dynamic and interesting interactions between the main characters (plus the aardvark-cow-alien was absolutely awesome). However, I'm afraid it's still not enough considering the buildup has been way too slow and unfocused i.m.o. Even IF people do drop by later on I highly doubt they'll still be around for ep 7. The reason this is doing so poorly is because it's not Star Wars enough for fans of the OT and Mandalorian and not nearly good enough for fans of any comparable 'slow burn' costume drama shows. Also, one has to wonder: Was the budget really so strained they couldn't afford to give the main character one single redeeming feature?..

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I will say, this is definitely not on the level of Better Call Saul for me. Maybe it's comparable to the sixth season, but peak BCS had far more complexity than Andor.

It's quite a step for Star Wars, though. The only friends of mine who watch it are those who don't care about the franchise outside of the OT. And even the OT was never a huge deal for them.

This show is not for those who like cartoons.

Wor-Gar said:

This show is not for those who like Star Wars.

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Official Nielsen ratings are out for the 3 episode opening, and it didn't even make the top 10. First time ever for a live-action SW show

Our tiny bubble of love for SW in these forums is clearly not a real-world indicator of the realities of how the show is doing... whether we want to accept it or not.

Sadly, through the click-bait articles, perception is reality to the general public.

And now the official numbers back it up those articles.

They're supposed to start filming season 2 next month, so fingers crossed. But as the old industry saying goes; "it's not real until you're standing in the lunch queue."

I think this is suffering the same issue Solo was (remember Solo underperformed). IMO we have a prequel where the main characters have already died their hero's death and shows that are following in the wake of some bad movies/series so maybe there isn't as much interest towards it.

Who cares about ratings? Disney have committed to two seasons. This show is a work of art.

I keep seeing the same complaints everywhere about it and I'm sorry those people don't appreciate it.

I think that, in time, Andor might become the hidden gem of Star Wars series. Maybe even a cult series, if story and characters keep developing well. These days, lack of patience and haste make us ignore the quality of more complex shows, which may have something to say in more than just a few minutes. We have become too used to fast paced stories, that take place in 20-30 minutes, and then start all over again. We forgot the ways of our elders, to take the time to understand what is going on in life, and extrapolating here, right in this show.

Paused on Cassian's court record and it says:

Name: Keith Seymour

Crime:
Suspected Force sensitivity.
Assaulting an Imperial officer.

Sentence: Twenty five years

Bit of a disparity there with the final dialogue!

Somerset said:

Paused on Cassian's court record and it says:

Name: Keith Seymour

Crime:
Suspected Force sensitivity.
Assaulting an Imperial officer.

Sentence: Twenty five years

Bit of a disparity there with the final dialogue!

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Keith Seymour was an individual brought before an Imperial judge on Niamos[1] around 5 BBY.[2] They were accused of suspected Force sensitivity and assaulting an Imperial officer, and was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.[1]

Behind the scenes​

The character shares their name with Keith Seymour, who worked as a concept artist on the TV series Andor.[1]

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https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Keith_Seymour

I don't know if it was a mistake, or if they did not expect people to read that, or they deliberately wrote that as an easter egg.

Johnny Utah said:

Who cares about ratings? Disney have committed to two seasons. This show is a work of art.

I keep seeing the same complaints everywhere about it and I'm sorry those people don't appreciate it.

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Yeah, ratings are just numbers, they don’t mean anything to anyone.

Sarcasm aside, the reason Andor isn’t doing well is hardly a surprise. A non-beloved character who we’ve already seen the best of when he died. The baggage from everything else Disney has been bad at with Star Wars, (if there is a bright spot in the Disney Star Wars universe, most of their products float along the outer rim), and a slow burn intrigue show from a name known best for pew pew boom boom (and that’s not a knock, just reality). Without hyperbole, it’s safe to assume a good 50% of the audience who would have loved this show 10 years ago have just lost all interest in the brand. And their replacements simply aren’t dedicated enough to wait for something to happen.

People are making the same arguments for Andor that they made for Stargate Universe compared to SG-1 and Atlantis. You can call the “fans” immature babies all you want and be smug about your intellectual superiority in your choice of television, but that isn’t going to boost ratings.

They can't see the forest for the trees. These two seasons will tie into Rogue One and that's it. I don't understand why people are moaning about falling asleep etc etc

I do think BoBF and Obi Wan may have lost D+ some viewers. Not the sole reason this show isn't charting but maybe they thought it was another cartoon with hover Vespa gangs?

Can't help but think what a different situation the brand would have been in if Gilroy was the one they brought in originally for eps 7-9. Imagine his quality of craft with the beloved characters/settings, etc.

Could have been something truly special, instead of the forgettable mess that was lumped on us

I'm seeing a lot of requests for Gilroy to handle a KOTOR series. The less said about the ST, the better.

If Gilroy is the shoe then JJ is the poop and Rian is the bubble gum.

Bubble gum initially tasted good lol

jye4ever said:

If Gilroy is the shoe then JJ is the poop and Rian is the bubble gum.

Bubble gum initially tasted good lol

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Jye are saying that you have at last turned on the sequel trilogy ... one of us now?

Have Game of thrones and Andor recalibrated your taste in movies and streaming to the point that you accept the truth that the sequel trilogy murdered your beloved OT characters and shouldn't be given a pass just because the actors returned?

Elsewhere Khev senses a disturbance in the force whilst Jye considers his response.

vailus said:

Yeah, ratings are just numbers, they don’t mean anything to anyone.

Sarcasm aside, the reason Andor isn’t doing well is hardly a surprise. A non-beloved character who we’ve already seen the best of when he died. The baggage from everything else Disney has been bad at with Star Wars, (if there is a bright spot in the Disney Star Wars universe, most of their products float along the outer rim), and a slow burn intrigue show from a name known best for pew pew boom boom (and that’s not a knock, just reality). Without hyperbole, it’s safe to assume a good 50% of the audience who would have loved this show 10 years ago have just lost all interest in the brand. And their replacements simply aren’t dedicated enough to wait for something to happen.

People are making the same arguments for Andor that they made for Stargate Universe compared to SG-1 and Atlantis. You can call the “fans” immature babies all you want and be smug about your intellectual superiority in your choice of television, but that isn’t going to boost ratings.

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I don't think anyone's being smug - it is what it is. Plenty of really good movies don't do well at the box office for the same reasons.

For whatever attracts a huge general audience, I suspect if that happens at all it will be towards the end of the show. Meanwhile there's nothing to attract an impatient general audience - it's not quirky and and doesn't have a character like Downey's Ironman; there's nobody to ship, it's not rollicking with lots of explosions, there's no tough guy with a soft heart, all of the characters are stressed out and hoping to survive and/or climb the professional ladder.

For me think it's fascinating, because I don't really know how these characters will end up (except the obvious from Rogue One). They aren't even necessarily that likeable or purely good. Great performances too.