While pricey (unless there's a deal), there's no denying that there's a lot of quality content that comes with a Disney Plus subscription. Disney Plus has tonnes of TV shows for kids. It has lots of choices for family. And thanks to Star, Disney Plus has plenty of movie choices when you don't have to worry about max-M ratings. Whether you like the obvious Disney picks like Marvel and Star Wars shows, you want something to laugh at, or you're craving some seriously classic drama, we've got you covered.
Paradise
Nathan's notes: A presidential assassination conspiracy that'll have you hooked by the end of episode one
Nathan's rating:
I'm so anti-spoiler that I would rather talk around a plot than risk giving anything away. So when I describe Paradise as a "presidential assassination conspiracy", you can know that I'm not doing that to give anything away; rather, it's to set the scene for an even bigger misdirect that Paradise executes brilliantly. The always compelling Sterling K. Brown plays Secret Service Agent Xavier Collins who's just failed at his one job: keeping President Val Bradford (James Marsden) alive. And while there is a rich conspiracy at the heart of Bradford's death, what's more fascinating is what's happening around the characters in Paradise. Unlike the details of Bradford's death, the bigger reveal happens at the end of the first episode, and makes the show better for it. There's plenty to appreciate in the opening handful of episodes, but the penultimate episode of Paradise season one stands as what might be the best episode of television from 2025 (and 2025 was no slouch).
Creator: Dan Fogelman | Cast: Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, James Marsden | Language: English | Rating: MA15+
Genre: Conspiracy thriller
Available on: Disney Plus
Andor
Nathan's notes: Star Wars gets serious, and the results are seriously some of the best sci-fi television ever made.
Nathan's rating:
After the divisive Star Wars prequels, J.J. Abrams was the new hope with The Force Awakens. Then the sequel series went the way it did. Star Wars TV, on the other hand, has had varying quality – from Mando's jet-pack heights to Boba Fett's Sarlacc lows – but there's a reason everyone is talking about Andor.
It's not only the best Star Wars show ever made, it's also a new hope for more mature storytelling in the galaxy far, far away. Diego Luna sinks his acting chops into this Rogue One prequel as the titular Andor, surrounded by a cast of familiar and destined-to-be stars. The start of both seasons may limp a bit, but after that you're obliged to binge until you hit the end. By far, the best thing about Andor is you don't even have to be a Star Wars fan to appreciate it (but you'll absolutely get more out of it if you are).
Creator: Tony Gilroy | Cast: Diego Luna, Denise Gough, Stellan Skarsgård
Language: English | Rating: M
Genre: Sci-fi drama
Exclusive on: Disney Plus
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Nathan's notes: The gang continues to offer often hilarious episodes of Seinfeld for adults.
Nathan's rating:
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia takes the Seinfeld formula of unlikeable leads who you love to laugh at and gives it a Curb Your Enthusiasm age rating. Where the Sunny gang goes with that humour is often unhinged, and with very few disclaimers in terms of the subsequent laughs.
Sure, they're finding their rhythm in the first season, and the later seasons aren't as hilarious as the others. But if you've never seen the show, never finished, or are keen to revisit, you've got a freakishly funny stretch of viewing from season two to 12 to laugh along to (and some great highs outside of that). By shamelessly touching on topics other comedies are scared to touch, It's Always Sunny makes for laugh-out-loud entertainment and very quotable satire.
Creators: Rob Mac, Glenn Howerton | Cast: Rob Mac, Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, Danny Devito
Language: English | Rating: MA15+
Genre: Dark comedy
Exclusive on: Disney Plus
Shōgun
Nathan's notes: A miniseries so epic it's understandably being turned into a TV series instead.
Nathan's rating:
John Rhys-Davies had some less-than-stellar things to say about the prospect of yet another Hollywood remake of Shōgun. He was, after all, involved in the original. But this new take on Shōgun is one of those examples that shows "remake" doesn't have to be a dirty word. Shōgun winds back the clock to tell the fish-out-of-water story of English navigator John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) who ends up shipwrecked in Feudal Japan.
To survive, Blackthorne has to impress Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and try to suppress his growing feelings for his translator, Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai). Shōgun understandably cleaned up during awards season, snatching a record-breaking 18 Emmys. But this isn't just a show for the critics. The drama is deep, the characters are well-rounded, and the moments of violence hit hard. Shōgun started as a miniseries, but assuming the second season is as good as the first, you're very likely to tune in for more once the credits roll.
Creator: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks | Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai
Language: Japanese, English | Rating: MA15+
Genre: Ancient epic
Exclusive on: Disney Plus
Boston Legal
Nathan's notes: An oftentimes beautiful legal show that's at its best when it mixes big laughs with plenty of love.
Nathan's rating:
American politics are better avoided at the best of times. But before the current age of emotionally charged political division, there was a show that bravely posited that a Republican and a Democrat could be besties. Boston Legal is that show, and while it has a bit of Scrubs Syndrome – veering more into drama than comedy in the back part – it still makes for frequently entertaining viewing.
Alan Shore (James Spader) is a brilliant lawyer with biting humour and a strong code that still affords him plenty of leeway thanks to slippery ethics. Denny Crane (William Shatner) is an unbeaten lawyer who is so fond of his own name he says it all the time. While the Shore-Crane bromance holds a lot of humour and charm, the duo often clash in ways that elevate Boston Legal about the typical sitcom fare and to the better instances of dramedy whenever it's firing on all cylinders (which it often is).
Creator: David E. Kelley | Cast: James Spader, William Shatner, Candice Bergen
Language: English | Rating: M
Genre: Legal dramedy
Exclusive on: Disney Plus
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New Girl
Nathan's notes: A comedy whose supporting cast is so strong it can survive five eps without its titular New Girl.
Nathan's rating:
New Girl is one of those shows with a compelling comedy setup. After a rough break-up, quirky Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) finds her new roommates on Craigslist. Her roommates are three guys with very different personalities. There's moody loner Nick (Jake Johnson). Needy and consistently hilarious Schmidt (Max Greenfield). And then there's terrible prankster Winston (Lamorne Morris). Throw in Jess's bestie and fashion model Cece (Hannah Simone) for some guys-to-gals balance, and you've got a recipe for big laughs.
While scripted, the most entertaining bits of New Girl are when the group descends into adlibbed banter, clearly trying to outdo the others and make them break character. New Girl will charm you from start to finish in a very bingeable comedy.
Creator: Elizabeth Meriwether | Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield
Language: English | Rating: M
Genre: Romantic comedy
Available on: Disney Plus
The Simpsons
Nathan's notes: Even if you don't like the newer stuff, there's an eight-season Golden Age to revisit or discover.
Nathan's rating:
When The Simpsons first released in 1989, it had the then lofty goal to outlast The Flintstones and its 481-episode run. Fast-forward to 2025 when The Simpsons is still running, and the show about Springfield's favourite family has more than doubled that target. Whether you're an old fan or a new one, there are (at least) hundreds of episodes of gold to find. Season one may be a bit rough, but the golden era is, at worst, seasons three to seven (140 eps) or, at best, seasons two to 10 (213 eps).
That's a lot of quality episodes, and that's only accounting for old-school Simpsons purists. For anyone else who falls in love with the titular Simpson family, there are plans for up to season 40 on Disney Plus, so there's plenty more to get lost in if you're still tuning in.
Creator: James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon | Cast: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner
Language: English | Rating: M
Genre: Animated comedy
Exclusive on: Disney Plus
Only Murders in the Building
Nathan's notes: A charming amateur detective tale about a trio of entertaining murder magnets.
Nathan's rating:
Crime podcasts are hot items, so it's no wonder they get so much attention when it comes to the adaptation treatment. But instead of doing the obvious thing and adapting an existing one into a movie or TV series, creators Jeff Hoffman and Steve Martin made their own. Fictional, of course, and set within the laugh-out-loud world of Only Murders in the Building which, as the name suggests, is the core focus of the show.
Old pals Steve Martin and Martin Short hilariously snipe at each other frequently, but their old-man dynamic is cleverly balanced out by Selena Gomez's addition to the core leads. Each season, the trio tackle a new murder with a growing number of celebrities having the time of their life with the often hilarious material.
Creator: Jeff Hoffman, Steve Martin | Cast: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez
Language: English | Rating: MA15+
Genre: Whodunnit comedy
Exclusive on: Disney Plus
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#1
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Dodo
All Fixed Line nbn®
Editor's Pick
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$57.99/mth
Min. cost $57.99
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#2
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amaysim
All Fixed Line nbn®
NBN50
$45/mth
Min. cost $45
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#3
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Tangerine Telecom
All Fixed Line nbn®
Value Plus NBN 50/20
$64.90/mth
Min. cost $64.90
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The Old Man
Nathan's notes: Send out to pasture ahead of its time, what's there makes for a compelling time-jumping mystery.
Nathan's rating:
Keanu Reeves, Liam Neeson, and Bob Odenkirk have shown that you don't have to let age get in the way of being an action star on the big screen. And now Jeff Bridges does the same thing for the small screen. The biggest con of The Old Man is it was cancelled after two seasons. But that con hits hardest because the action-thriller is frequently riveting stuff.
Retired CIA agent Dan Chase (Bridges) is dragged out of retirement when an old secret is excavated. Chase is forced to do what he does best: put his very particular set of skills to use. What follows is a fast-paced thriller with brutal action sequences, as Chase is forced to trickily separate friend from foe in a relentless ride that keeps you coming back for more.
Creator: Robert Levine, Jonathan E. Steinberg | Cast: Jeff Bridges, Alia Shawkat, John Lithgow
Language: English | Rating: MA15+
Genre: Action thriller
Exclusive on: Disney Plus
Loki
Nathan's notes: The best of the Marvel TV shows is understandably led by its most charismatic villain.
Nathan's rating:
There are a bunch of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) shows that are good but not great and, even then, disclaimers abound. Some but not all of Daredevil, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, and WandaVision. But Loki doesn't have that problem. While it only has a tight two seasons, Loki marks the welcome return of Tom Hiddleston to the titular role.
Spending more time with the God of Mischief paints him as more of a misunderstood antihero than outright villain. And while that can feel like a copout in other attempts, solid writing and an excellent performance from Hiddleston veer it away from lazy revisionism. Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martiono, and Wunmi Mosaku play great supporting roles, but the show rightfully belongs to Hiddleston's Loki who's forced to face the consequences of his many, many Marvel movie misdeeds.
Creator: Michael Waldron | Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino
Language: English | Rating: M
Genre: Sci-fi adventure
Exclusive on: Disney Plus
Alien: Earth
Nathan's notes: The creator of Fargo and Legion makes a better Alien prequel than Ridley Scott's two disappointing Prometheus flicks.
Nathan's rating:
Prior to Alien: Romulus, the series was starting to tip the balance towards more bad than good, and that's even when you exclude the AvP movies (both bad) and include Alien 3 (actually good). Now Noah Hawley, the creator of the Legion and Fargo TV shows, has shown he's got a strong vision for how to make an Alien prequel work. As the title suggests, Alien: Earth is predominantly set on Earth. And while that may mentally break things a bit for timeline purists, Hawley sagely makes a compelling cocktail of the familiar and the new.
When a Weyland-Yutani research vessel crashes on Earth and outside of the company's territory, there's a deadly race to collect the terrible secrets it holds. Alien: Earth never forgets its horror roots, but the extra running time lets it explore bigger sci-fi questions that make it equally compelling in dramatic terms.
Creator: Noah Hawley| Cast: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Babou Ceesay
Language: English | Rating: MA15+
Genre: Sci-fi horror
Exclusive on: Disney Plus
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More streaming deals
Looking for something to stream tonight but don't want to pay full price? We've rounded up the best deals from Australia's major streaming services.
- Apple TV Plus deals: Get 30% off a year
- Binge deals: From $4 per month
- Kayo deals: $1 for one month or seven days free
- Netflix deals: Bonus Netflix with Optus NBN
- Foxtel packages and deals: Save up to $55 per month
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#1
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Dodo
FTTN, FTTB, FTTC
Editor's Pick
nbn100 Unlimited Plan
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#2
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amaysim
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Nathan Lawrence
Freelance Contributor
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