Two of the best television series of the decade are on Disney+ in Britain. Neither has anything to do with Disney, and a great many subscribers have never found either of them.
Shogun and The Bear. Both Emmy-sweeping, both on the service you are probably already paying for, and both sitting behind a tab called Star that people scroll past because they have decided Disney+ is where the children’s programmes live.
So let us start there rather than with the Marvel shelf you already know about.
The two you should watch first
Shogun
An adaptation of James Clavell’s 1975 novel. A British sailor is washed up on the shore of Japan in the early 1600s, at the moment the country is sliding towards civil war, and finds himself a piece on a board he cannot see.
It is the most expensive-looking thing on Disney+ and the most carefully made. Most of it is in Japanese with subtitles, which put some people off and should not: the performances are the reason it works, and the politics are followed properly rather than simplified for anyone.
If you watch one thing on Disney+ this year, this is it.
The Bear
A world-class chef comes home to take over his late brother’s sandwich shop. That is the premise. What it is actually about is anxiety, grief, and what it costs to be good at something.
It has won a great many Emmys and deserved most of them. It is also genuinely stressful to watch in a way no other comedy manages, which is either the recommendation or the warning depending on your temperament. The single-take episodes are extraordinary.
Why these are here at all
Disney bought 20th Century Fox, and with it came FX, the studio behind a long run of serious American drama. In Britain all of that is carried under Star, with no separate branding and nothing to indicate that it leads somewhere different from the rest of the app.
So Shogun and The Bear are in the same place as Bluey, with the same logo on the loading screen, and the service does almost nothing to tell you.
The rest of that side
Only Murders in the Building is the easiest watch on the service: Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez investigating deaths in their own apartment block. Gentle, extremely well written, and the three of them are obviously enjoying themselves.
Furious is a serial-killer drama with a female protagonist and a female investigator, dealing directly with abuse. Harder going than anything else here and better than most of its genre.
There is a good deal more in this vein, and the general rule is that if a prestige American drama is missing from Netflix UK, Star is the first place to look.
Now the part you came for
Star Wars
Andor is the best thing with Star Wars in the title since 1980, and the least like Star Wars. It is a spy drama about how ordinary people get recruited into a resistance, almost entirely free of lightsabers, and both series are excellent. Series two was a genuine event.
It also requires no prior knowledge whatsoever, which makes it the one Star Wars series you can recommend to somebody who does not like Star Wars.
The Mandalorian is the other one that works, and The Clone Wars is a children’s cartoon that turns serious and is the key to roughly half the live-action shows. Our guide to every Star Wars title in order covers the lot, including where Maul: Shadow Lord fits.
Marvel
The honest ranking: WandaVision is the most interesting thing Marvel has made for television, Loki is the most important to the films and the most fun, and Daredevil — the original run, now on Disney+ under a mature rating — is the best of all of them and barely feels connected to the rest.
Daredevil: Born Again continues it with Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, and series two arrived in March 2026. Start with the original three series first; our guide to every Marvel film and series in order explains why and in what order.
The Netflix-era shows — Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher and The Defenders — are all here now, and all considerably more violent than the rest of the Marvel shelf.
National Geographic
The part people forget they are paying for. Strong on expedition, science and natural history, and it does not displace the BBC for pure natural history but complements it well, as our guide to the best nature documentaries streaming in the UK explains.
Children
Deeper than anywhere else in Britain, and the main reason a great many households subscribe. Worth knowing that CBeebies on iPlayer is free and excellent if your children are very small, which our guide to the best streaming service for families in the UK covers honestly.
Sort out the profiles before you start
The Bear, Furious and the Netflix-era Daredevil are in the same app as the Disney animation, and that is a real problem if there are children in the house.
The age filtering is among the better implementations, but it only works if the adult profiles are locked with a PIN. Without that, a child switches profile and the whole thing is decorative. Five minutes in the settings, covered in our guide to parental controls.
The advantage nobody mentions
Most of this is not going anywhere.
Disney owns Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, its own animation and the FX catalogue. None of it is licensed in from a third party on a short deal, so it does not expire the way a Netflix recommendation does.
A list of the best series on Netflix UK goes out of date within months. This one largely will not, and that is worth more than a headline library size, as our comparison of Disney+ and Netflix in the UK works through.
Where the series catalogue falls short
- The weekly release pattern. Disney+ leans on weekly episodes for its big titles, which suits some and frustrates others.
- Nothing between clusters. Releases arrive in bursts and then the catalogue sits still for months.
- No reality or light entertainment to speak of. If that is what a household wants, this is the wrong service.
- Star is buried. Which is the reason this article exists.
What to watch, in order, if you are starting from nothing
- Shogun. The best thing on the service.
- The Bear. The best written.
- Andor. Does not require you to care about Star Wars.
- Daredevil, the original run. Does not require you to care about Marvel.
- WandaVision, then Loki. If the Marvel films interest you at all.
- Only Murders in the Building. When you want something easier.
That is a long way into the service before you touch anything with a Disney logo on it, which is rather the point.
Common questions
What is the best series on Disney+ UK?
Shogun, comfortably. The Bear is the best written and Andor is the best of the Star Wars material.
Is The Bear on Disney+ in the UK?
Yes, under the Star tab. So is Shogun. Both came across with the 20th Century Fox and FX acquisition.
Do I need to know Star Wars to watch Andor?
No. It works entirely on its own and is the one to recommend to somebody who dislikes the films.
Are the Netflix Marvel series on Disney+?
Yes, under a mature rating. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher and The Defenders.
Do series leave Disney+?
Rarely. Disney owns almost all of it, so recommendations do not expire the way they do on Netflix.
Is Disney+ worth it for adults with no children?
If Shogun, The Bear, Andor and the FX catalogue appeal, yes. If none of those appeal, probably not.
The short version
Shogun and The Bear are on Disney+ in Britain and most subscribers have never found them, because they are behind the Star tab. Watch those two, then Andor, then the original Daredevil. The Marvel and Star Wars shelves are deep and well worth it if you are invested, and almost none of this will have disappeared by next year.
For the films, see our guide to the best films on Disney+ UK, and for the service itself, our complete guide to Disney+ UK.
