'Andor' is the best 'Star Wars' show since 'The Mandalorian' — but the least popular

• The three-episode premiere of "Andor" trailed other "Star Wars" shows in viewership, per Nielsen.
• It's also underperforming in audience demand, according to Parrot Analytics.

Disney+'s "Andor" is the best-reviewed "Star Wars" show since "The Mandalorian."

"Andor" has a 95% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes through its first seven (of 12) episodes. "The Mandalorian" has a 93% average score for its first two seasons; "Obi-Wan Kenobi" received an 82%; and "The Book of Boba Fett" a middling 66%.

But its popularity doesn't quite reflect its quality, compared to those other series.

The three-episode premiere of "Andor" was watched for 624 million minutes in the US from its debut on Wednesday, September 21 through Sunday, September 18, according to new Nielsen streaming data released on Thursday.

To put that into perspective, it wasn't even enough to get the show in Nielsen's top 10 overall streaming programs, which includes both original and licensed shows, and movies.

"Andor" isn't necessarily a flop; that's still a sizable audience. But it pales in comparison to the live-action "Star Wars" shows before it, based on previous Nielsen data:

• "Obi-Wan Kenobi's" first two episodes, which debuted on a Friday, were watched for 1.026 billion minutes in their first three days.
• The "Book of Boba Fett" premiere episode was watched for 389 million minutes in its first five days — that's one episode getting over half the viewing time that "Andor's" three episodes did.
• "The Mandalorian" nabbed 1.032 billion viewing minutes in the first weekend after its second season debuted.

Maybe it's "Star Wars" fatigue after "Boba Fett" and "Obi-Wan," which I was personally incredibly disappointed by. Rotten Tomatoes audience scores suggest they didn't quite land with others, too; the former has a 64% user ratings, and the latter a 56%.

Those who are watching "Andor," though, seem to be digging it. It has an 83% audience score.

Maybe it's also just because Cassian Andor, the rebel hero from the "Rogue One" standalone movie, isn't as well known a "Star Wars" character as Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi (even though "Rogue One" was a hit, grossing over $1 billion worldwide). And there's no Baby Yoda in "Andor."

Other data further suggests the show isn't gaining traction with as big of an audience as the other "Star Wars" series.

Parrot Analytics, which measures audience demand based on online engagement and other factors, told Insider that the show is trailing the others in demand.

In its first four weeks of release, "Andor" has peaked at 67.2 global average demand, meaning it was 67.2 times more in demand than the average series worldwide. Not bad, but here's how it compared to the other three "Star Wars" shows at their global peak:

• "The Mandalorian" season one — 137.76
• "The Mandalorian" season two — 89.2
• "Obi-Wan Kenobi" — 87.71
• "The Book of Boba Fett" — 72.25

The chart below further illustrates how "Andor" is underperforming compared to the other series in demand:

"Andor" still has time to gain more momentum with viewers, though.

The second season is already confirmed and starts filming next month. It's expected to only be a two-season show, with the second season leading up to the events of "Rogue One."

"Andor" may also be Disney+'s best bet at an awards play. "The Mandalorian" returns in February for its third season, so it could be a player at next year's Emmys considering the first two seasons were nominated for best drama series.

But "Andor" — which was created by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Tony Gilroy — is even closer to the kind of "prestige TV" that voters could gravitate towards.