This Forgotten Indiana Jones Spinoff TV Series Is Worth Your Time

Say what you will about the “Indiana Jones” franchise, but it has produced a series of big, bold, and well-received films. Despite things like the alien antics and general character of Shia LaBeouf from 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” or 1984’s ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ banned in India for obvious reasonsThe big screen adventures of Henry Jones Jr. (Harrison Ford) have consistently received good to excellent reviews. The property’s video game arm has also spawned well-received titles, including the 1992 LucasArts sweet 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 has a good 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 began airing in 1992, with future “The Boondock Saints” star Sean Patrick Flanery wearing the famous hat and whip. Although it only lasted two seasons and a handful of TV movies, it filled in many gaps in its main character’s story. From the show directly inspiring “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” to the revelation that Carrie Fisher was (sort of) responsible for Indiana Jones’ virginity 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 history in particular. In fact, if you haven’t watched it yet, /Film has compiled a handy list of essential episodes of ‘Young Indiana Jones’ that 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, low-budget spin-off. Created, developed and executive produced by George Lucas, it’s an elaborate and ambitious look at the early days of Indy’s globe-trotting star, with an impressive 10 Emmys under his belt. Each episode is a specific story about a formative experience, set in a particular location that Indy finds himself in. While Flanery spends the majority of screen time as Indy, some episodes also feature a 10-year-old version of the character (Corey Carrier), with Lloyd Owen playing his father. The stories are presented and narrated in a “Forrest Gump” style by an elderly Indy (George Hall), who is 90 years old. Even Harrison Ford makes an appearance in the season 2 episode “Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues.”

The stories told by the episodes are Indiana Jones through and through, with a long list of historical figures ranging from Teddy Roosevelt (James Gammon) and TE Lawrence (Douglas Henshall) to Franz Kafka (Tim McInnerny) appearing as supporting characters. It’s not just historical names that are famous. Viewers will have fun spotting guest stars ranging from Christopher Lee, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jeffrey Wright to… well, a frankly staggering number of stars of the era and future greats. It didn’t become any less prestigious on the other side of the camera either. People like Terry Jones, member of Monty Python and director of the film Python, Joe Johnston, Nicolas Roeg, Mike Newell, Carrie Fisher (guess who helped write the Mata Hari episode?), and Frank Darabont have all directed or written parts of the series.

“The Chronicles of Young Indiana Jones” is broadcast on Disney+.