Darth Maul’s Solo Series Is Disney+’s Top Animated Show of 2026

Disney+ has heavily relied on nostalgia to shape its 2026 programming lineup, and few characters evoke as much fan affection as Darth Maul. The horned Sith apprentice has evolved over two decades from a one-dimensional villain in ‘The Phantom Menace’ to one of the most intricate figures in the Star Wars animated universe, largely due to Dave Filoni’s ongoing contributions across various series.

This evolution continues with ‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord,’ a 10-episode animated series crafted by Filoni that debuted on Disney+ on April 6. The series follows the former Sith Lord as he seeks to rebuild his criminal empire on a planet untouched by the Empire, set approximately a year after the events of ‘The Clone Wars.’

Recent streaming data confirms that this reinvention has resulted in significant viewership success. According to data from Luminate, ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’ has become the most-streamed animated series on Disney+ in 2026, amassing 1.1 billion total minutes viewed in the first half of the year.

This achievement places the series among the elite of Disney+’s original programming. Only three shows surpassed ‘Maul’ in total streaming minutes during the same timeframe: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ with 3.6 billion minutes across two seasons, ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ at 2.6 billion minutes, and ‘Wonder Man,’ which rounded out the top tier ahead of Filoni’s animated project.

This is a remarkable accomplishment considering ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’ was vying for viewer attention against major live-action franchises. Its ability to outperform all other new Star Wars content released on the platform in 2026 highlights the character’s enduring appeal, even as Disney+ expands its Marvel and other franchise offerings.

Interestingly, Luminate’s data revealed an even larger streaming narrative within the Star Wars catalog. ‘The Mandalorian’ garnered an impressive 2.4 billion minutes on Disney+ during the same period, despite having no new episodes released, largely driven by catch-up viewing ahead of the theatrical release of ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ in May.

This dominance underscores a broader trend within Disney+’s Star Wars library, where older, established series consistently outperform newer content season by season. According to the same report, ‘The Mandalorian’ held three of the top ten spots on Luminate’s Disney+ originals chart for the half, with its individual seasons, some dating back seven years, each out-streaming every new Star Wars episode released in 2026, with the exception of ‘Maul.’

Other titles from the Star Wars catalog lagged behind on the same list, with ‘Andor’ achieving 918 million minutes a year after its final season, followed by ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ at 358 million and ‘The Bad Batch’ at 268 million. Notably, ‘The Acolyte’ was absent from the chart entirely, reportedly failing to out-stream even ‘The Bad Batch’ despite earlier speculation about a potential viewership resurgence via FlixPatrol rankings.

The series features Sam Witwer reprising his role as Maul, alongside Gideon Adlon, Wagner Moura, and Richard Ayoade, with Filoni collaborating with Matt Michnovetz on the development of the show. A second season is already confirmed to be in the works, providing a clear path for the character’s animated resurgence to build on this year’s impressive streaming performance.

For a character whose live-action debut in 1999 lasted barely a few minutes before his apparent death, Maul’s rise to become one of Disney+’s top-performing animated properties of 2026 illustrates the significant impact of Filoni’s ongoing investment in the character’s mythology.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!