This Forgotten Indiana Jones Spin-Off TV Series Is Worth Your Time

Say what you want about the "Indiana Jones" franchise, but it has produced a string of big, bold, well-received movies. Despite things like the alien antics and general Shia LaBeouf-ness of 2008's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" or 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" getting banned in India for obvious reasons, the silver screen adventures of Henry Jones Jr. (Harrison Ford) have consistently received reviews that have ranged from good to great. The video game leg of the property has also yielded some well-received titles, including the sweet 1992 LucasArts adventure "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis" and the stellar 2024 game "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle." In other words, any Indy project out there has a fair chance of being good at worst or an instant classic at best. So, how come "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" seems to have slipped through the cracks? 

ABC's "Young Indy" series started airing in 1992, with future "The Boondock Saints" star Sean Patrick Flanery rocking the famous hat and whip. While it only ran for two seasons and a handful of TV movies, it filled a whole bunch of gaps in its main character's backstory. From the show directly inspiring "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" to the revelation that Carrie Fisher was (sort of) responsible for taking Indiana Jones' virginity by introducing Flanery's iteration of the hero to Mata Hari (Domiziana Giordano), "Young Indy" is an important part of pop culture in general and Indy's lore in particular. In fact, if you haven't watched it yet, /Film has compiled a handy list of essential "Young Indiana Jones" episodes you can stream on Disney+. 

The first thing to know about "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" is that it's pretty much the opposite of a hackneyed, shoestring-budget spin-off. Created, developed, and executive produced by George Lucas, it's an elaborate and ambitious look into Indy's globe-trotting early life, with an impressive 10 Emmys to its name. Every episode is a specific tale about a formative experience, set in a particular location that Indy finds himself in. While Flanery gets the bulk of screen time as Indy, some episodes also feature a 10-year-old version of the character (Corey Carrier), with Lloyd Owen portraying his father. The stories are introduced and narrated "Forrest Gump"-style by an elderly Indy (George Hall), who's in his 90s. Even Harrison Ford makes a cameo in the season 2 episode "Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues." 

The stories the episodes tell are Indiana Jones fare through and through, with a laundry list of historical figures ranging from Teddy Roosevelt (James Gammon) and T.E. Lawrence (Douglas Henshall) to Franz Kafka (Tim McInnerny) turning up as supporting characters. It's not just the historical names who are famous, either. Viewers will have a blast spotting guest stars that range from Christopher Lee, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Jeffrey Wright to ... well, a frankly astounding number of the era's stars and future greats. It didn't get any less prestigious on the other side of the camera, either. Folks like Monty Python member/Python film director Terry Jones, Joe Johnston, Nicolas Roeg, Mike Newell, Carrie Fisher (guess who helped write the Mata Hari episode?), and Frank Darabont all either directed or wrote parts of the show.

"The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" is streaming on Disney+.