22/05/2026

LYFE FRIDAY | MAY 22, 2026

25

TV SHOW REVIEW

Ű BY AMEEN HAZIZI

F OR a series centred on one of Star Wars ’ most enduring survivors, Maul: Shadow Lord is entertaining and slightly frustrating. It gives Maul a sharp, violent and visually striking return to the spotlight but it also feels like another piece of Dave Filoni-era connective tissue, designed to fill the gaps between The Clone Wars , Solo and Star Wars Rebels . Cunning survivor That does not make it bad. In fact, much of it is pretty good. The series understands the appeal of Maul and Sam Witwer once again gives the former Sith Lord the menace, theatricality and wounded fury that have defined the character since his resurrection in The Clone Wars . Set after the Clone Wars, seemingly around the early rise of the Empire, the show follows Maul as he tries to rebuild his place in the galactic underworld while avoiding the forces of his old master Darth Sidious. Maul’s ambitions are clear. He wants power again, not just survival. He wants to restore his criminal network, oppose the Empire in his own way and find a new apprentice in Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon), a Twi’lek fugitive whose design and arc have already led fans to suspect she may become a canon version of Darth Talon, the red Twi’lek Sith Lord from the old expanded universe. Blades and fury The action is among the show’s strongest elements. The lightsaber fights are intense, with movement

The former Sith Lord remains driven by revenge, power and the scars left by Sidious.

clearer direction, especially as Maul begins shaping her pain into something darker. Brander Lawson (Wagner Moura) brings a different texture to the story. As a local cop trying to handle a case without drawing the Empire into Janix, he gives the show a grounded entry point. His struggle to solve the crisis while being present for his son Rylee works well, even if the surname Lawson is a little too obvious for a lawman. Moura also becomes the latest Narcos cast member to join the Star Wars franchise, following Diego Luna and Pedro Pascal, while continuing the franchise’s growing line of strong Latino talent alongside Adria Arjona and Oscar Isaac. Dark alliances The supporting characters around Maul are memorable too. Rook Kast, the Dathomirian Zabrak brothers and the rude, crass Spybot all help make his Shadow Collective feel like more than a disposable gang. Their loyalty to him and his loyalty to them is rare in the darker corners of Star Wars . That makes their deaths on Janix feel harsher, especially since so much of their final push is simply about escape. Verdict The main issue is accessibility. For casual viewers, Maul: Shadow Lord may be hard to follow without knowledge of all seven seasons of The Clone Wars , Solo and Rebels . It also repeats an old problem: Many viewers still remember Maul as the villain cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace , not the long-running figure he became through animation. That is where the show feels most like Filoni filler. Maul is compelling, Witwer is excellent and the series has strong action, mood and character work. But it also feels like another expansion of Star Wars lore that exists mainly to connect existing dots. Like Ahsoka Tano or Asajj Ventress, Maul has become one of Filoni’s defining additions to the saga. He is fascinating but the result sometimes feels closer to polished fan fiction than essential storytelling. One neat touch, whether intentional or not, is the release pattern. The series dropped two episodes a week, which feels oddly fitting for a show built around Sith power struggles, apprentices and the Rule of Two. Still, Maul: Shadow Lord is a strong animated Star Wars entry. It is violent, stylish and carried by a central figure who remains more interesting than many of the franchise’s newer villains. A second season would be welcome, especially if it pushes Maul and Devon beyond lore management and into a story that feels necessary on its own.

Maul: Shadow Lord runs for 10 episodes, with each chapter clocking in at about 23 to 31 minutes for a full-season runtime of roughly four to five hours.

Maul strikes backs

o Iconic Sith Lord returns with burning rage in stylish animated series built for Clone Wars fans

before saving himself. His offer of safety to the Lawsons and their droid Two-Boots also suggests his idea of protection is not completely empty. But the series never lets that soften him too much. When he purposely allows Daki to die at Vader’s hands, the cruelty behind his ambitions becomes clear again. Vader looms Vader’s appearance is brief but effective. He barely needs to speak, if he speaks at all. His presence alone is enough. In The Clone Wars animation style, he feels massive, controlled and terrifyingly efficient. Every movement is slow and methodical, yet the power behind him is obvious. There is also something funny and terrifying about how the series almost frames him like a Jason Voorhees figure, silently appearing around corners or suddenly overwhelming characters through sheer brute force and size. Watching him overpower a Jedi master and Maul reinforces the gulf between them. It is also fascinating as what may be the first canon fight between Anakin and Maul, since they never truly crossed paths in The Clone Wars . Devon’s rage Devon gives the show its most interesting emotional perspective. She is exhausted from hiding, still loyal to her master and still compassionate. But underneath that is a rage that Maul can sense and exploit. Her arc gives the series a

more personal quality, as though the blade itself is burning with Maul’s rage. The show also tries to add more nuance to Maul without pretending he is redeemable. There are moments where he acts with a degree of loyalty or even selflessness, particularly when he looks out for his own crew

that feels sharp, messy and graceful depending on the moment. Maul’s combat style still has that animalistic edge but the animation gives it more weight this time. One of the more impressive touches is how Witwer’s own screeching is woven into the sound design of Maul’s lightsaber. It gives the weapon a harsher,

In Clone Wars animation style, Vader feels heavier, colder and more brutal than nearly everyone around him.

0 Showrunner : Dave Filoni 0 Cast : Sam Witwer, Gideon Adlon, Wagner Moura, Richard Ayoade, Vanessa Marshall, Dennis Haysbert, Chris Diamantopoulos, David W. Collins, Steve Blum, A. J. LoCascio, Charlie Bushnell

E-VALUE

8

ACTING

8

PLOT

8

Devon (left) is forced to survive in a galaxy that has already moved on while Daki remains tied to the old Jedi ways. – ALL PICS FROM IMDB