'Andor' season 2 episode release schedule — here's why the Disney Plus show will be over so quickly

Diego Luna (as Cassian Andor) in Ferrix in ANDOR
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

"Andor" season 2 is almost here. The first episodes will premiere on Disney Plus at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 22 ... meaning you'll finish streaming them around midnight.

No, that's not a mistake. "Andor" season 2 is the Star Wars show's final season, so Tony Gilroy and his team have to cover a lot of ground — four years — in just 12 episodes.

The result of this time crunch is that episodes will be released in three-episode batches. But it also means that season 2 will end in just four weeks.

Rest assured, though, that there's a method to the madness, and we'll dive into it below.

Here's the full "Andor" season 2 episode release schedule, and an explanation of why the Star Wars show is coming in three episode drops.

'Andor' season 2 episode release schedule

Diego Luna in Andor season 2 trailer

(Image credit: Disney Plus)

As mentioned already, "Andor" season 2 premieres with three episodes on Tuesday, April 22 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on Disney Plus.

The subsequent nine episodes will air on the three subsequent Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT through May 13. Each release will feature three episodes.

Check out the release info for the entire second season of "Andor" below:

  • "Andor" season 2 episode 1 - April 22
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 2 - April 22
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 3 - April 22
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 4 - April 29
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 5 - April 29
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 6 - April 29
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 7 - May 6
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 8 - May 6
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 9 - May 6
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 10 - May 13
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 11 - May 13
  • "Andor" season 2 episode 12 - May 13 (series finale)

How many episodes of 'Andor' season 2 are there?

I've been hammering it home by this point, including in the schedule above. But just a friendly reminder, "Andor" season 2 is 12 episodes long.

That makes season 2 the same length as season 1, though, as previously mentioned, each three-episode batch will be set within a different year in the show. Season 1 took place entirely within a single year.

In terms of runtime, we don't have exact episode lengths yet, but expect a little less than an hour for each episode. Last season, while one episode managed to be just under 40 minutes, six of the 12 episodes were 50 minutes or longer.

Why are 'Andor' season 2 episodes coming in threes?

Ben Mendelsohn as Orson Krennic in "Andor" season 2

(Image credit: Disney)

While dropping episodes of "Andor" season 2 in batches of three may seem odd, there's a good reason for it.

In an interview with Empire, show creator Tony Gilroy explained why season 2 has such a unique episode release schedule.

"Look, man, I’m not trying to make a career here," Gilroy said. "If anything I’m on the downhill side of a long career. But this is an opportunity. This is 1,500 pages of the most dynamic material in these people’s lives to deal with. We got it right the first time, and you don’t want to let your foot off the gas."

Gilroy also revealed in that interview that the three-part series finale will cover "the last three days before 'Rogue One.'"

Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma in Andor

(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Gilroy revealed a bit more in a separate interview with Deadline, alongside Diego Luna, who plays the show's titular Cassian Andor.

"When we come back later [from season 1], it’ll be literally like a Friday, Saturday and Sunday," Gilroy explained. "And then, we’ll jump a year, and then it’ll be, like, four or five days, and then we’ll jump a year, and then there’ll be another four or five days, and then we jump a year, and be another four or five days."

So, while each three-episode batch is set in a different year, we're still only dealing with just a few days at a time — maybe close to just a day per episode.

The good news is that each three-episode batch will have the same director and writer on all three episodes.

Ariel Kleiman is directing episodes 1-6, with Gilroy writing 1-3 and season 1 veteran Beau Willimon writing episodes 4-6. For episodes 7-9, Janus Metz is directing and Gilroy's brother Dan is writing.

Then for the final three episodes, "Narcos: Mexico" veteran Alonso Ruizpalacios is directing, while video game writer Tom Bissell is writing. Feels like those final three episodes look set to be action-packed based on that creative team.

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Malcolm McMillan

Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.

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Malcolm McMillan
Streaming Editor

Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.

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