Disney+’s New Sci-Fi Crime Series Dominates Global Streaming Charts in Just 1 Week



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Forty-nine years ago, what would become one of the most influential forces in the science fiction genre was born, quickly evolving into a global pop culture phenomenon. Star Wars, created by George Lucas, is now one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, spanning films, television series, books, video games, and more. The space opera began with the original 1977 film—later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope—which serves as the fourth chronological chapter in the Skywalker Saga.

Since then, a number of prequels and sequels have come to life across both the big and small screens, many of which have been well received, while others were ultimately cancelled. The latest of the bunch is Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, created by Dave Filoni for Disney+. The animated series premiered earlier this week on April 6, 2026, and is set after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which ran from 2008 to 2020. The show follows former Sith Lord Maul during the reign of the Galactic Empire, with Sam Witwer reprising his role from The Clone Wars and other Star Wars projects.

Upon its release, the new Star Wars series was an instant success, ranking among the most-watched series titles on Disney+ globally, including in the US. Maul – Shadow Lord entered the US charts as the 7th most popular title on April 7, 2026, but that quickly changed the next day as it rose to the top of the charts, a rank it still holds till now. Such a strong performance may come as no surprise to fans, considering that the sci-fi hit debuted to a perfect 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus describing it as “an inspired look into the depths of an iconic character.”





















































Collider Exclusive · Star Wars Quiz
Which Force User
Are You?

Light Side · Dark Side · Or Somewhere Between

The Force is not a binary. It is a spectrum — from the serene halls of the Jedi Temple to the shadowed corridors of Sith space. Ten questions will reveal where you truly fall. The Force has always known. Now you will too.

🔵Jedi Master

🟡Padawan

🔴Sith Lord

Inquisitor

Grey Jedi

01

What is the Force to you?
Your relationship with the Force defines everything else.




02

When you feel strong emotions — anger, grief, love — what do you do?
The Jedi suppress. The Sith feed. Others choose differently.




03

The Jedi Council gives you an order you disagree with. You:
How you handle authority reveals your alignment.




04

You are offered forbidden knowledge that could give you enormous power. The cost is crossing a moral line. You:
The dark side’s pull is never more than a choice away.




05

Your approach to training and learning is:
A student’s habits become a master’s character.




06

In a duel, your lightsaber fighting style reflects:
Combat is the purest expression of a Force user’s philosophy.




07

A defeated enemy lies at your feet, powerless. You:
Mercy — or its absence — is the truest test of alignment.




08

The Jedi Code forbids attachment. Your honest view on love and bonds:
The source of the greatest falls in the galaxy.




09

Why do you use the Force at all? What’s the point?
Purpose is the difference between a knight and a weapon.




10

At the final moment — light side or dark side pulling at you — what wins?
In the end, every Force user faces this moment. What does yours look like?




Your Alignment Has Been Determined
Your Place in the Force

The scores below reveal how the Force sees you. Your highest number is your true alignment. Read on to understand what that means — and what it will cost you.

🔵
Jedi Master

🟡
Padawan

🔴
Sith Lord


Inquisitor


Grey Jedi

Disciplined, compassionate, and deeply attuned to the living Force, you have walked the path long enough to understand its demands — and accept them. You lead not through authority alone, but through example. You have felt the pull of the dark side and chosen otherwise, every time. That is not certainty. That is courage.

You are earnest, powerful, and brimming with potential — and you know it, which is both your greatest asset and your most dangerous flaw. You act before you think, trust your gut over your training, and sometimes confuse impatience for bravery. The Masters see something in you, though. The question isn’t whether you have what it takes — it’s whether you’ll be patient enough to find out.

You are not simply dangerous — you are certain, and that is worse. You have decided what the galaxy needs, and you have decided you are the one to deliver it. Your power is genuine and formidable, earned through sacrifice that would have broken lesser beings. But examine your victories carefully. Every Sith believed their cause was righteous. The dark side’s cruelest trick is that it agrees with you.

You were forged in fire and reshaped by those who found you at your lowest. You serve, because service gave you structure when you had none. Your allegiance is not to an ideology — it is to survival and to the master who gave you purpose. But there is something buried beneath the conditioning. The Jedi you hunt? You recognize them. Because you remember what it felt like before the choice was taken from you.

You have looked at the Jedi Code and the Sith Code and found both of them incomplete. You walk the line not out of indecision but out of conviction — you genuinely believe both extremes miss something essential. The Jedi don’t fully trust you. The Sith think you’re wasting your potential. They’re both partially right. But so are you.

Is the New Star Wars Show Worth Watching?

Centered on Maul, who plots to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord comprises ten episodes for Season 1, with two episodes released each week until May 4. In addition to Witwer, Gideon Adlon, Wagner Moura, and Richard Ayoade lend their voices to characters as interesting as the lead, or even more so. Speaking of which, in Collider’s review, Maggie Lovitt noted that the sci-fi adventure “does a good job of making the audience care quickly about each of the new characters, to the point that they become far more interesting than whatever is going on with Maul — and there is a lot going on with Maul.

You can watch the latest Star Wars series on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for more information.


star-wars-maul-shadow-lord-poster.jpg


Release Date

April 6, 2026

Network

Disney+

Directors

Brad Rau

Franchise(s)

Star Wars


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https://collider.com/star-wars-maul-shadow-lord-sci-fi-crime-series-streaming-success-disney-plus-april-2026/


Lade Omotade
Almontather Rassoul

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