Top 50 Series On Disney+ | April 2020
Each month, I bring you my list of the top 50 series available on Disney+, which include series from across Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic and Pixar. This month has seen some new additions to the list, including Sonny with a Chance and Running with Bear Grylls.
Note – Some of these shows might not be available in all regions.
Here is the “What’s On Disney Plus” Top 50 series on Disney+ for April:
50) Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers
One of the all time classic animated series from the 1980’s, Disney’s fun-loving chipmunks are re-imagined as the leaders of a team of pint-sized crime-fighters, rounding out the team are two mice, Gadget Hackwrench and Monterey Jack and Zipper, a fly. This was one of the series I used to adore as a child and is one no doubt many more people will be going back to.
49) Out There With Jack Randall
At just 14 years old, Jack Randall left his home in England to become an apprentice to Steve Irwin, learning to handle snakes and other reptiles. Today, he treks into the wild to teach others about anacondas, crocodiles and other amazing animals. Take a walk on the wild side with Randall as he searches for exotic, endangered and iconic species in some of the most unforgiving environments on the planet. No animal is too creepy or dangerous for him to get his hands on!
48) Great Migrations
Great Migrations is an epic nature documentary that features the great migrations of animals across the globe. The seven-part show is the largest programming events in the history of National Geographic If you love animal documentaries, this is one of the best and well worth checking out.
47) That’s So Raven
This great Disney Channel original series tells the story of a young Raven Baxter is a winsome teen whose ability to glimpse flashes of the future often gets her into hot water. The addition of her “abilities” makes this show stand out from other Disney Channel shows from the same era and if you enjoyed this, there is also a new follow on series called, “Raven’s Home” also on Disney+.
46) Kingdom Of The White Wolf
Journey to the Arctic with National Geographic Explorer Ronan Donovan to witness a gorgeous and desolate world where wolves hunt, howl and raise their families. As we embed with the pack, experience unprecedented intimacy with a species steeped in legend, rumor and fear. This one-of-a-kind special blends classic blue-chip wildlife filmmaking with immersive, raw and breathless reality to showcase these wolves in their natural habitat. This is one of the newest series available on the early trial of Disney+ in the Netherlands. Highly recommended.
45) The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
This classic Disney Channel sitcom tells the story of two 11 year-old identical twins called Zack and Cody, who are the newest residents of Boston’s swanky Tipton Hotel. Living in a suite with their mom Carey, the boys treat the tipton like their own personal playground.
44) Good Luck Charlie
One of the few Disney Channel sitcoms that appeals to families, not just for children. It focuses on a Denver family, the Duncans, as they try to adjust to the births of their fourth and fifth children, Charlotte “Charlie” Duncan and Toby Duncan. In each episode, Teddy Duncan creates a video diary containing advice for Charlie about their family and life as a teenager, with each video diary ends with Teddy saying the eponymous phrase, “Good luck, Charlie”. One of the few sitcoms available currently on Disney+.
43) Dr Oakley Yukon Vet
Spanning thousands of acres and incorporating hundreds of species of animals; Michelle Oakley’s veterinary practice is Yukon tough. There is no such thing as a typical day in Michelle’s practice. House calls can range from expelling dogs anal glands to getting chased down by the very large Arctic musk-ox. Accompanied by her teenage daughters and armed with humor as sharp as scalpel, Michelle deftly juggles being a full time Veterinarian, wife and doctor; taking us into unexplored and unexamined regions of the Yukon.
42) Encore
In this Disney+ exclusive series, Kristen Bell is giving one high school musical cast from 20 years ago the chance for a nationally televised Encore!
41) Gargoyles
Gargoyles is one of later popular shows from the Afternoon Series in the 1990’s and the series is credited for its relatively dark tone, complex story arcs, and melodrama; character arcs were heavily employed throughout the series, as were Shakespearean themes.
40) The Muppets
The Muppets return to primetime with a contemporary, documentary-style show, which is similar to “The Office”. For the first time ever, a series will explore the Muppets’ personal lives and relationships, both at home and at work, as well as romances, breakups, achievements, disappointments, wants and desires. It’s just a shame the original Muppet Show wasn’t available, since this modern series didn’t hit the same tone, as they tried to make it an adult Muppet show, but for “kids” of all ages.
39) Brain Games
“Brain Games” is a groundbreaking series that uses interactive experiments, misdirection and tricks to demonstrate how our brains create the illusion of seamless reality through our memory, through our sensory perception, and how we focus our attention. With 5 seasons to binge, there is plenty here to give your brain a workout.
38) Pick Of The Litter
A docu-series based on the film of the same name, featuring the stories of service animals, their trainers, and their human companions. Follow the six loveable dogs ; Paco, Pacino, Tulane, Raffi, Amara, and Tartan as they embark on a fascinating and suspenseful quest to become Guide Dogs For the Blind, the ultimate canine career. As someone who has done Guide Dog Puppy Walking as a kid, I’ve found this series to be very educational, plus it’s got lots of cute puppies, so that gives it a bonus point!
37) Austin & Ally
A comedy about the unique relationship between a young songwriter, Ally Dawson, and Austin Moon, the overnight internet sensation who gains sudden notoriety after performing one of Ally’s songs. Austin and Ally struggle with how to maintain and capitalize on Austin’s newfound fame. Austin is more of a rebel type who doesn’t follow the rules and is somewhat immature for his age, while Ally is conservative yet self-conscious.
36) Star Wars Resistance
This new animated series set before the events of “The Force Awakens” follows Kazuda Xiono, a young pilot for the Resistance, is tasked with a top secret mission to investigate the First Order, a growing threat in the galaxy. The animation style is very different to “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels”, but if you want a more modern Star Wars animated series, try it out. The second and final season was also added to Disney+ in February.
35) Year Million
Explore what it will be like to be human one million years into the future. Today’s brightest futurists, scientists, scholars and notable science fiction writers guide viewers through the very latest advances in technology, ideas and innovations that likely will power the evolution of our species.
34) Marvel’s The Runaways
One of Marvel’s modern live action series, this series focuses on six teenagers who discover their parents are evil and must unite against them. While also discovering that they have superpowers and a pet Dinosaur. All three seasons of the show are now available on Disney+
33) Star vs. The Forces of Evil
The biggest new addition to Disney+ this month, which sees a intergalactic warrior Star Butterfly arrive on Earth to live with the Diaz family. She continues to battle villains throughout the universe and high school, mainly to protect her extremely powerful wand, an object that still confuses her.
32) Darkwing Duck
Darkwing Duck is one of the most popular series from the Disney Afternoon period in the 1990’s and it featured the eponymous anthropomorphic duck superhero whose alter ego is mild-mannered single quacker Drake Mallard. This one will no doubt be very popular for anyone from the “Afternoon” era.
31) Wizards Of Waverly Place
One of most popular Disney Channel series from the noughties, sees Alex, Justin and Max Russo are not your ordinary kids – they’re wizards in training! While their parents run the Waverly Sub Station, the siblings struggle to balance their ordinary lives while learning to master their extraordinary powers.
30) Gordon Ramsey – Uncharted
Globetrotting celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay serves up an epic adventure in “Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted.” He travels around the world meeting with indigenous people to learn about their foods and cultures. In each location, he harvests new ingredients and samples new dishes. He also teams up with local legends to cook feasts to present to the native peoples.
29) Tron Rising
TRON: Uprising is part of the TRON franchise and is set between Tron and Tron: Legacy movies, so if you enjoyed the Tron universe, this is worth checking out. A young program named Beck becomes a leader of a revolution in The Grid. Beck is trained by Tron to become a great warrior, teaching him fighting skills and mentoring him as he becomes a powerful leader. Beck’s destiny is to lead a revolution to stop the reign of Clu 2 and his henchman General Tesler, and to lead his home and friends to freedom.
28) Legend Of The Three Caballeros
This animated series featuring Donald Duck, Jóse Carioca and Panchito Pistoles is only available on Disney+. The trio find themselves inheritors of a heroic legacy, and resume their ancestors’ quest with the aid of a valiant Greek goddess.
27) High School Musical: The Musical – The Series
This drama series has become my non-so secret guilty pleasure on Disney+. A group of East High students countdown to the opening night of their school’s first-ever production of “High School Musical.” Showmances blossom; friendships are tested while new ones are made; rivalries flare and lives are changed forever as these young people discover the transformative power that only a high school drama club can provide. This is one series not to skip.
26) Disney Fairy Tale Weddings
This reality show gives us a behind-the-scenes look at weddings and one-of-a-kind engagements that take place at Disney Destinations around the globe, including Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Disney Cruise Lines. The show is hosted by Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell. If you love weddings and Disney, this has everything you need. The second season is only available on Disney+.
25) The World According To Jeff Goldblum
Through the prism of Jeff Goldblum’s always inquisitive and highly entertaining mind, nothing is as it seems. Each episode is centered around something we all love — like sneakers or ice cream — as Jeff pulls the thread on these deceptively familiar objects and unravels a wonderful world of astonishing connections, fascinating science and history, amazing people, and a whole lot of surprising big ideas and insights. You will only find this show on Disney+.
24) Running Wild With Bear Grylls
The famed survivalist takes A-list celebrities on journeys into the wildest locations around the world, forcing the stars to push their bodies and minds to the limit to successfully complete the adventure of a lifetime.
23) Drain The Oceans
Maritime mysteries — old and new — come to life in this series, which combines scientific data and digital re-creations to reveal shipwrecks, treasures, and sunken cities on the bottom of lakes, seas and oceans around the world. Another National Geographic series perfect for adults to enjoy.
22) The Incredible Dr Pol
Set in Central Michigan’s farm country, this reality series follows the work done at Pol Veterinary Services. Specializing in large farm animals, Dr. Pol treats horses, pigs, cows, sheep, alpacas, goats, chickens and even an occasional reindeer. The program also features Dr. Brenda Grettenberger, who has worked with Dr. Pol since 1992. And this month there has been a few new additional series and specials added.
21) Spider-Man – The Animated Series
There have been many Spider-Man animated series over the years, but the 1990’s series feels closest to the original comies. With 65 episodes, that include a wide variety of different villains and interwoven storylines throughout, it truly raised the bar for animated shows.
20) Andi Mack
One of the most important Disney Channel series ever made, with its modern storylines and great cast. Andi is contemplative and artistic and sheltered by overprotective parents. But on the eve of her 13th birthday, Andi’s free-spirited older sister Bex returns home with a revelation that changes everything and sends Andi on an uncharted course of self-discovery.
19) Wicked Tuna
Fishing is a hard life, and harder with bluefin stocks depleted. In Gloucester, Massachusetts, there’s a special breed of fishermen. For generations they’ve used rod and reel to catch the elusive bluefin tuna. They depend on these fish for their livelihood, and the competition is brutal. Over the next 10 weeks, the most skilled fishermen will set out in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic in hopes of catching the valuable bluefin tuna. When one bluefin can bring in as much as $20,000—they’ll do whatever it takes to hook up. There is also a spin off series, Wicked Tuna – Outer Banks available.
18) Diary of a Future President
In “Diary of a Future President,” we get to see the origin story of a future leader. Told using the narration of 12-year-old Cuban American girl Elena’s diary, this new family comedy follows her journey through the ups and downs of middle school, which set her on the path to becoming the president of the United States.
17) Sonny With A Chance
Allison “Sonny” Munroe makes the leap from the Midwest to Los Angeles to join the cast of “So Random!,” the most popular sketch comedy TV show for kids and tweens. Her fellow young actors are resident teen queen Tawni, super suave Nico, gregarious funnyman Grady and quirky Zora. Now Sonny must somehow balance these new friendships while adjusting to her family’s decidedly different way of life in Hollywood. Meanwhile, Sonny must also contend with heartthrob Chad Dylan Cooper, star of the rival show “MacKenzie Falls,” who makes it known that he thinks his dramatic work is better than her comedy career.
16) Hostile Planet
This six part documentary draws attention to the most extraordinary — almost supernatural — accounts of animals that have adapted to the cruelest evolutionary curveballs. Easily one of my favourite series available on Disney+ right now, if you’re only going to watch on animal documentary, make it this one.
15) Life Below Zero
This National Geographic series allows viewers go deep into an Alaskan winter to meet six tough and resilient residents as they try to stay one step ahead of storms and man-eating beasts to make it through to spring. The closest neighbor to Sue Aikens is more than 300 miles away. Eric Salitan subsists solely on what he hunts and forages. Chip and Agnes Hailstone catch fish for currency in bartering for supplies, and Andy and Kate Bassich use their pack of sled dogs for transportation.
14) Ducktales
One of the most popular “Afternoon” animated shows from the 1980’s, Ducktales tells the story of Scrooge McDuck, who finds his hands full at home when nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie move to Duckburg. Joined by their loyal pals Launchpad McQuack, Gyro Gearloose and Mrs. Beakley, the DuckTales gang never fails to deliver a wealth of adventure. This will no doubt be a very popular series for adults to go back to. And if you like this, you might also want to check out the newest version of the show, which is also really good.
13) Marvel’s Agent Carter
This series is set back in 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life – Captain America Steve Rogers. If you missed this series when it came out, this is a good way to fill out why Captain America made his decision in Avengers: Endgame.
12) Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is an classic American television sitcom that chronicles the coming of age events and everyday life-lessons of Cory Matthews, a Philadelphian who grows up from a young boy to a married man. And recently Disney brought the characters back for Girl Meets World, so if you fancy going back to where it all started, there are seven seasons available.
11) Star Wars Rebels
Set between the events of Star Wars: Episodes III and IV, when the evil Galactic Empire is tightening its grip of power on the galaxy. The motley crew of the starship Ghost make a stand against the Empire. And together, they will face threatening new villains, encounter colorful adversaries, embark on thrilling adventures, and become heroes with the power to ignite a rebellion. If you are a fan of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this is a must watch and also helps fill in those gaps between the two trilogies.
10) X-Men: The Animated Series
Easily my personal favourite Marvel animated show, this series from the 1990’s features lots of different X-Men characters and will introduce you to the world of mutants better than any of the live action movies. The series showcases how the X-Men fight for mutant rights against hostile Government agencies, whilst at the same time protecting mankind from mutant supremacist Magneto who seeks to destroy the human race in return for the atrocities committed against mutant kind. For Marvel fans, this is a must watch.
9) Jessie
This Disney Channel live action series brings an idealistic teen from rural Texas embarks on the adventure of a lifetime when she decides to leave behind starry nights for big city lights. Thrilled to be on her own and determined not to be intimidated by New York City, she accepts a job as nanny for a high-profile couple with four kids. Helping to keep her moral compass in check are Bertram, the family’s butler, and Tony, the building’s 20-year-old doorman.
8) One Strange Rock
This series takes viewers on a mind-bending, thrilling journey exploring the fragility and wonder of planet Earth, one of the most peculiar, unique places in the entire universe, brought to life by the only people to have left it behind – the world’s most well known and leading astronauts. The show is hosted by Will Smith and is a very polished documentary series that will get you thinking.
7) Gravity Falls
This series is all about twin brother and sister Dipper and Mabel Pines, who end up on an unexpected adventure when they spend the summer helping their great uncle Stan run a tourist trap in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. This is one of the best modern Disney channel animated series, that is great for adults and children alike.
6) Hannah Montana
One of the biggest Disney Channel shows of all time and a perfect way to see Miley Cyrus growing up. The show tells the story of Miley Stewart, a typical teenager, but when the lights go down and the curtain goes up, she emerges as the glamorous and talented Hannah Montana. Having the “Best of Both Worlds” is a complicated proposition, and keeping her identity under wraps leads Miley and her friends into some hilarious capers as she tries to balance her normal life with her rock star persona.
5) Phineas & Ferb
Each day, two kindhearted suburban stepbrothers on summer vacation embark on some grand new project, which annoys their controlling sister, Candace, who tries to bust them. Meanwhile, their pet platypus plots against evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz. This is one of the best animation series from recent times and with the new Disney+ Original movie coming soon, this is a perfect opportunity to catch up on the adventures of Phineas and Ferb.
4) The Imagineering Story
Easily my favourite series I’ve watched on Disney+. This 6 part documentary series explore the past, present and future of Walt Disney Imagineering with noted filmmaker Leslie Iwerks. Ms. Iwerks comes from a family with deep Disney history — her grandfather was an early Disney animator and her father is a former Imagineer — and her previous work includes profiles of Pixar Animation Studios and visual effects house Industrial Light & Magic.
3) Star Wars: The Clone Wars
This series fills in the story between “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge Of The Sith”, where Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu and other Jedi Knights lead the Grand Army of the Republic against the droid army of the Separatists. The 7th season of the show is a Disney+ exclusive plus there are over a hundred episodes available, making this one of the most binge worthy shows on Disney+.
2) The Simpsons
Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general. There is 30 seasons of this show, with almost 700 episodes!
1) Star Wars: The Mandalorian
With almost the entire series now available for fans to enjoy, get to know Mando and the adorable Baby Yoda in this fantastic series, which is no doubt one of biggest draws for most people subscribing to Disney+ right now, this is the first live action Star Wars series and is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order, we follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
What show are you going to watch next?