What’s the point of following a plot to its emotional climax, if Disney is just going to change things in order to milk the series dry, asks “Streaming” columnist NICK OVERALL.

THIS month, Chilean-born actor Pedro Pascal stars in a blockbuster series where he does anything and everything it takes to protect his young companion from a hostile and desolate world.

“The Last Of Us”? Actually, no. I refer to the newest season of “Star Wars” spin-off “The Mandalorian”, which has returned for a third instalment on Disney Plus.

Pascal is back as the bounty hunter who trots the galaxy far, far away with his incorrectly named and adorably puppeteered friend “Baby Yoda”.

It’s been more than two years since the last season of “Mandalorian” dropped, one that (spoiler alert) featured an emotionally charged ending which included the return of Luke Skywalker in a nostalgic, but slightly off-putting CGI form.

In it the show’s titular bounty hunter left the young alien with Skywalker in what was a heartbreaking goodbye and terrific way to draw their journey together to a close.

Or so some of us thought.

It seems the producers realised that without that core dynamic of Mando and Baby Yoda, the show would fall apart. Oops.

In what appeared as a panic move, they quickly reunited the characters in “The Book of Boba Fett”, (yet another “Star Wars” spin-off) in order to make sure they got more episodes out of “The Mandalorian”.

What a way to water down season two’s finale.

What’s the point of following a plot to its emotional climax, if Disney is just going to change things in order to milk the series dry?

It’s an example of greed getting in the way of a good story and even as an avid fan of “Star Wars” it’s got me sceptical about coming back for a third season. Personally, the show is going to have to do a lot more to earn back my trust as a viewer.

WHETHER you’re a “Star Wars” fan or not, “The Mandalorian” star Pedro Pascal is certainly the man of the moment.

His performance of that other gritty, protective father figure in “The Last of Us” has helped to break viewership records for streaming service Binge, which has extended its deal to bring HBO content to Australia.

That means for the next few years shows such as “The White Lotus”, “True Detective”, “House of the Dragon” and more will continue to be found on Binge, giving it an almighty edge in the streaming wars.

Intriguingly, the no doubt eye-watering price of that content deal remains tight-lipped.

ON March 27 season four of “Succession” will be the latest HBO phenomenon to hit screens on the platform.

For those uninitiated, this wildly popular drama is about a fictional billionaire family called the Murdochs, sorry, I mean the “Roys” who battle and bicker over the media throne sat on by its patriarch.

It’s been confirmed that season four will be the last for “Succession”, news that has fans disappointed yet excited to see how this things will wrap up.

Yes, it will be a shame to no longer see the Roys on TV screens, but “Succession” will secure a legacy by choosing to drop the curtain now. 

I’D be remiss not to mention Netflix’s newest sensation “Emily The Criminal”, a movie which makes it easy to forgive its main character for turning to a life of crime.

It’s the trick that makes this pacy thriller work.

At the centre of the story is Emily, a twenty-something woman saddled with crippling student debt and who is locked out of the job market due to a DUI she copped a few years earlier.

In her desperation to make some money, she stumbles upon the opportunity to get involved in a credit-card fraud scheme. What comes after is a spiral into Los Angeles’ criminal underworld.

Hot off the hype of “The White Lotus”, Aubrey Plaza takes on the lead role in this film and her performance goes a long way in making the film work.

Clocking in at a crisp 96 minutes, “Emily The Criminal” does a fine job in not outstaying its welcome. It’s an example of a concept that could easily have been turned into a series, but one that chooses to leave its audience wanting more, not less. Disney could take a page from its book.