Excellent Disney+ TV Shows You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of

Disney+ isn’t just the home of headline-grabbing franchises. Tucked alongside the marquee hits is a deep bench of original series that span sci-fi, sports, reality, comedy, documentaries, and international dramas—many of them easy to miss if you don’t know what to search for. These shows were commissioned as Disney+ originals and debuted on the service, covering a wide range of subjects and styles across multiple countries and production banners within the Disney family.

Below are fifteen Disney+ original series that flew under the radar. You’ll find concise details on what each show covers, who made it, where it’s set, episode counts, and other specifics—so you can quickly decide what fits your mood without wading through endless menus.

‘Parallels’ (2022)

This French-language sci-fi series follows four teens in the French Alps whose lives are split across alternate timelines after a mysterious event. Created by Quoc Dang Tran and co-written with Anastasia Heinzl, it features six episodes produced by Empreinte Digitale and Daïmôn Films, with location shooting in Haute-Savoie and Geneva.

The production uses a mix of practical locations and VFX to contrast timelines while keeping the narrative grounded in family dynamics and friendship. Cast members include Thomas Chomel, Jules Houplain, and Timoté Rigault, and the series was released globally with dubbed and subtitled options on Disney+.

‘Save Our Squad with David Beckham’ (2022)

This four-part UK docuseries follows David Beckham as he mentors Westward Boys, a grassroots youth football team in East London facing relegation from their league. Filmed across the 2021–2022 season, it captures training sessions, match days, and community engagement around Hackney Marshes.

Produced by Twenty Twenty and Studio 99, the series includes interviews with coaches, parents, and local league officials, plus archival footage from Beckham’s early playing days to connect professional insights to youth development. Each episode tracks measurable team goals, including defensive organization, set-piece drills, and confidence-building exercises.

‘Earth to Ned’ (2020)

Produced by The Jim Henson Company, this talk show stars a towering alien named Ned who abandons an invasion to interview human guests from the comfort of a spaceship hidden beneath Earth. The show released twenty episodes in two batches, blending animatronic performance, sketch segments, and behind-the-desk interviews.

The series showcases large-scale puppetry performed live on set by a team of operators, combining traditional Henson techniques with hidden rigs and in-camera effects. Recurring segments feature Ned’s lieutenant Cornelius and on-board AI, and episodes are structured around themed curiosities about human culture.

‘Diary of a Future President’ (2020–2021)

Created by Ilana Peña and produced by Gina Rodriguez, this two-season dramedy chronicles middle-schooler Elena Cañero-Reed’s path toward a future in public service. It uses a dual-timeline device—present-day journals intercut with flash-forwards—to frame how formative experiences shape later leadership.

The series spans twenty half-hour episodes shot primarily in South Florida and Los Angeles, with a focus on family, student government, and community projects. It features a predominantly Latinx cast, integrates bilingual dialogue, and consults educators to depict school settings and civics topics accurately.

‘Just Beyond’ (2021)

Based on R. L. Stine’s graphic-novel anthology, this eight-episode series presents standalone tales that blend light horror, sci-fi, and the supernatural. Each installment features a new cast, setting, and director, allowing self-contained arcs within a consistent tone.

Episodes were filmed in Georgia with practical effects augmented by CGI for creature and spectral elements. The production partners include 20th Television and BOOM! Studios, and the format is designed for drop-in viewing—no prior episode knowledge required—making it easy to sample themes from parallel realities to witchcraft folklore.

‘Big Shot’ (2021–2022)

Co-created by David E. Kelley, Dean Lorey, and Brad Garrett, this sports dramedy follows a college coach who takes over the girls’ varsity basketball program at a private high school. Across two seasons and twenty episodes, it covers recruitment, academic eligibility, NIL discussions at the prep level, and program logistics.

The series filmed at Los Angeles-area campuses and soundstages, employing basketball choreographers for game sequences and using regulation-size courts to maintain realism. Cast includes John Stamos, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Jessalyn Gilsig, with storylines that track training cycles from pre-season conditioning to playoff brackets.

‘Encore!’ (2019–2020)

Hosted by Kristen Bell, this unscripted series reunites former high-school castmates to restage a musical they performed as teenagers. Each episode documents a compressed rehearsal schedule, vocal and choreography coaching, and tech builds leading to a community performance.

Episodes were shot on location at the original schools, with Broadway professionals providing direction, music supervision, and stage management. The series highlights rights-clearance processes for staging, costuming timelines, and the local crews needed to mount a full show in days rather than weeks.

‘Prop Culture’ (2020)

Hosted by collector Dan Lanigan, this eight-episode docuseries excavates iconic screen-used props from the Walt Disney Archives and private collections. Each episode focuses on a single film’s artifacts, covering restoration, provenance, and archival storage practices.

The production features behind-the-scenes access to workshops and conservation labs, detailing materials science issues like foam latex degradation and paint stabilization. Interviews with craftspeople and filmmakers explain how specific props were fabricated and integrated into on-set workflows.

‘It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer’ (2020)

Disney Legend Bill Farmer—known as the voice of Goofy and Pluto—travels across the United States to profile working dogs and their handlers. The series documents canine roles such as conservation detection, avalanche rescue, and service animals, with training methodologies outlined by subject-matter experts.

Episodes include field demonstrations, handler briefings, and veterinary insights on conditioning and recovery for working breeds. The show was produced in cooperation with agencies and nonprofits, ensuring accurate representation of certifications, command protocols, and safety standards.

‘Be Our Chef’ (2020)

This family cooking competition, hosted by Angela Kinsey, pits teams against one another to create dishes inspired by Disney parks and characters. Challenges are filmed at Walt Disney World’s Epcot, with culinary judges assessing technique, flavor balance, and thematic interpretation.

The series details pantry rules, time constraints, and plating criteria while spotlighting park-sourced ingredients and pastry techniques. Production partners include The Mission Control and Endeavor Content, with episodes structured to show recipe development from test batch to final service.

‘Pick of the Litter’ (2019–2020)

Adapted from the 2018 documentary of the same name, this docuseries follows puppies from birth through rigorous training to become guide dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired. The show tracks milestones such as temperament testing, puppy-raiser placements, and formal training phases.

Filmed in collaboration with Guide Dogs for the Blind, episodes outline evaluation metrics, including leash work, distraction resistance, and intelligent disobedience. The series also covers veterinary care, breeding program selection, and client-dog matching procedures.

‘Marvel’s 616’ (2020)

This eight-episode anthology documents different facets of Marvel’s real-world culture and history, each helmed by a different filmmaker. Topics include comics production, cosplay craftsmanship, international adaptations, and the creative process behind character development.

The series blends interviews, archival art, and on-location footage from studios and conventions. It provides production insights such as editorial workflows, penciling and inking techniques, and costume fabrication—from pattern drafting to thermoplastic molding.

‘Among the Stars’ (2021)

This six-episode docuseries offers behind-the-scenes access to NASA operations during astronaut Chris Cassidy’s mission planning and return to the International Space Station. It chronicles extravehicular activity preparations, robotics work, and coordination between mission control centers in Houston and overseas partners.

The production team filmed inside facilities including the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and cleanroom environments, detailing suit checks, tool manifests, and safety protocols for complex repairs. Episodes incorporate real-time communications, engineering briefings, and post-mission debriefs to show how multi-agency teams execute space operations.

‘The Quest’ (2022)

A hybrid of scripted fantasy and competition, this series drops teen contestants—called Paladins—into the fictional realm of Everealm, where they tackle challenges that affect a continuing narrative. The production builds a contiguous set environment with in-world mentors guiding tasks that test teamwork and problem-solving.

Filmed in Austria, the show uses cinematic staging, custom props, and VFX overlays while tracking measurable progress through artifacts and lore objectives. Producers from court-roomed reality and fantasy filmmaking backgrounds collaborated to maintain continuity between game mechanics and story beats.

‘Family Reboot’ (2022)

From executive producers Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, this unscripted series follows families who pause packed routines for a week-long reset guided by facilitators. Each episode begins with a “calendar clean-out,” sets shared goals, and documents activities designed to improve communication and time management.

Episodes cover practical tools like device-free blocks, household task maps, and budget-aware outing planning. The series tracks outcomes with post-week check-ins, showing how families apply new structures for schedules, chore distribution, and conflict resolution.

If you’ve got a hidden-gem Disney+ original we missed, share your picks in the comments so others can discover them too!