First 10 Shows You Should Watch After Subscribing To Disney+

October 2, 2026 Roger Palmer

For new subscribers to Disney+, the homepage can seem an overwhelming mess of rectangles of shows and films, many of which you might not recognise.

Over the years, Disney+ and Hulu have been receiving multiple original shows each year, so they have acquired dozens of fantastic shows that you can only watch on Disney+, but can easily get lost in the shuffle.

So here’s my list of ten shows I would recommend to any new Disney+ subscriber. Because of the unique way Disney operates in the United States, many of the shows on this list are available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the United States, but globally are available exclusively on Disney+ as originals.

For this top ten list, I decided to limit the number of titles from the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, since I could have easily made a top ten list with these two franchises alone.

Here are my suggestions for original shows to watch on Disney+ after subscribing:

1) The Mandalorian

The poster boy for Disney+ is the Star Wars series, “The Mandalorian”, which blew the world up with the reveal of Baby Yoda! Set after the fall of the Empire, a lone Mandalorian makes his way through the lawless galaxy with his foundling, Grogu. This series has spawned three seasons, along with “The Book Of Boba Fett” spinoff and the movie, “The Mandalorian & Grogu”. This is a must-watch for all Disney+ subscribers.

If you love Star Wars, “Andor” and “Skeleton Crew” are also very easy recommendations, as both of those shows are excellent.

2) WandaVision

This epic series is a unique blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany)—two super-powered beings living idealised suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. This is the start of a “trilogy”, along with “Agatha All Along” and the upcoming “VisionQuest”, all of which are exclusive to Disney+.

Over the years, we’ve seen many Marvel shows drop onto Disney+ and while “WandaVision” is my favourite, if you enjoy superhero adventures, “Loki”, “Moon Knight”, “Ms Marvel” and “Daredevil: Born Again” are other very easy recommendations.

3) Paradise

“Paradise” is set in a serene community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent individuals. But this tranquillity explodes when a shocking murder occurs, and a high-stakes investigation unfolds.

This is an amazing drama series that caught the world’s attention with a unique twist that most won’t be expecting, and it’s been one of my favourite shows in recent years. The second season recently dropped onto Hulu and Disney+, with a third set to arrive in 2027.

4) Alien: Earth

When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, “Wendy” (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.

For fans of the “Alien” franchise, this is a must-watch, as it brings back that horror and thriller element that many of the latest instalments lost. This is one of the best shows of last year, and I’m glad it’s returning for another season.

5) Percy Jackson & The Olympians

Percy Jackson is on a dangerous quest. Outrunning monsters and outwitting gods, he must journey across America to return Zeus’ master bolt and stop an all-out war. With the help of his quest mates Annabeth and Grover, Percy’s journey will lead him closer to the answers he seeks: how to fit into a world where he feels out of place, and find out who he’s destined to be.

Easily the biggest and most popular Disney+ Original on the platform that isn’t part of the Marvel and Star Wars franchises. This is one for the whole family! A third season is set to arrive on Disney+ in late 2026, with plans for two more seasons to arrive in the years to come.

6) Shōgun

Based on James Clavell’s novel, FX’s “Shōgun” is set in Japan in the year 1600 at the dawn of a century-defining civil war. Lord Yoshii Toranaga is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him, when a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village.

Without doubt, this show is one of the critically acclaimed shows on the platform, and a must-watch for anyone looking for something a little skewed, a little older and offering a unique story.

7) Rivals

Set against the backdrop of power-grabbing social elites, “Rivals” dives headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986, where hair-dos are big and ambitions are even bigger. Deals are brokered in boardrooms, as well as bedrooms. Nobody can be sure who will come out on top. With every man and woman out only for themselves, can true love really blossom?

This British original series is one of my favourite shows available on Disney+, as it offers something completely different from anything else on the platform, successfully mixing the feel of the UK in the 1980s with comedy, drama and raunchiness!

8) The Bear

“The Bear” follow “Carmy”, a young chef from the fine dining world, who comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop – The Original Beef of Chicagoland – after a heartbreaking death in his family. A world away from what he’s used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff and his strained familial relationships, all while grappling with the impact of his brother’s suicide. The Bear is about food, family, the insanity of the grind, the beauty of a sense of urgency, and the steep, slippery downsides. As Carmy fights to transform both The Original Beef of Chicagoland and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew that ultimately reveals itself as his chosen family.

“The Bear” has run for five seasons, and in this cutthroat streaming world, very few comedies get to run for five seasons, and that is because this show is top-notch and worthy of a 5-star review!

9) Only Murders In The Building

From the minds of Steve Martin, Dan Fogelman and John Hoffman comes a comedic murder-mystery series for the ages. “Only Murders In The Building” follows three strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. As they record a podcast of their own to document the case, the three unravel the complex secrets of the building which stretch back years. Perhaps even more explosive are the lies they tell one another. Soon, the endangered trio comes to realise a killer might be living amongst them as they race to decipher the mounting clues before it’s too late.

Much like “The Bear”, this comedy has run for five seasons, with a sixth set to debut later in 2026. This show has an all-star cast with an incredible lineup of guest stars. A true breath of fresh air for originals.

10) Dopesick

Dopesick” examines how one company triggered the worst drug epidemic in American history. The series takes viewers to the epicentre of America’s struggle with opioid addiction, from the boardrooms of Big Pharma, to a distressed Virginia mining community, to the hallways of the DEA. Defying all the odds, heroes will emerge in an intense and thrilling ride to take down the craven corporate forces behind this national crisis and their allies.

Ending this list on a very serious note might not be the best way, but personally, even years later, this show stands out as one of the best drama shows on the platform, with an incredible true story that has to be heard.