She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
A reboot of the 1985 series, following Adora's transformation into She-Ra.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is an American animated superhero series created by ND Stevenson for DreamWorks Animation Television and Netflix. A reboot of the 1985 Filmation show She-Ra: Princess of Power, it follows Adora, a teenager who can turn into the hero She-Ra and leads a coalition of magical princesses fighting the villainous Lord Hordak and his Horde. The show aired on Netflix from November 13, 2018, to May 15, 2020, with 52 episodes across five seasons.
Critics praised the series for its diverse cast and the nuanced dynamic between She-Ra and her former best friend turned nemesis, Catra. In 2019, it earned nominations for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming and a Daytime Emmy at the 46th Daytime Emmy Awards. In 2021, it tied with First Day to win the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming. On linear television, it originally aired on CBBC in the United Kingdom before moving to Pop on January 30, 2023, and also aired on Disney Channel and DreamWorks Channel internationally.
Set on the planet Etheria, the story follows orphans Adora and Catra, raised as soldiers in the Horde under the tyrant Hordak. After finding a magic sword that transforms her into She-Ra, Adora realizes the Horde is evil and joins the Rebellion, rebuilding the Princess Alliance. This puts her in conflict with Catra, whose feelings of betrayal drive her to become Adora's archenemy. In season one, Adora reassembles the Alliance and defends Bright Moon from the Horde, while Catra rises to become Hordak's second-in-command. Seasons two and three see Hordak building an interdimensional portal to contact his creator, Horde Prime; Catra activates it, threatening Etheria, and Queen Angella sacrifices herself to stop it. In season four, tension grows between Adora and Glimmer, Angella's daughter and new queen, when Adora learns her sword is a key to an ancient superweapon. She destroys the sword, losing her powers, but Etheria is pulled through a portal, leaving it vulnerable to Horde Prime. The final season follows Adora freeing a redeemed Catra and Glimmer, discovering her innate She-Ra powers, and working with the princesses to disable Horde Prime's hivemind. Adora and Catra's love ultimately allows She-Ra to destroy the weapon and Horde Prime.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Science fantasy / Sword and planet / Magical girl / Dramedy / Superhero
- Based On
- She-Ra: Princess of Power · Larry DiTillio and J. Michael Straczynski
- Developer
- ND Stevenson
- Theme Music Composer
- Kari Kimmel
- Open Theme
- "Warriors" · Aaliyah Rose
- Composer
- Sunna Wehrmeijer
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 5
- Num Episodes
- 52
- List Episodes
- List of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power episodes
- Executive Producer
- ND Stevenson / Chuck Austen
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series is set on the planet Etheria and follows Adora and Catra, orphans raised as soldiers in the Horde, an evil army led by Hordak. After finding a magic sword that transforms her into She-Ra, Adora learns the Horde is evil and joins the Rebellion, rebuilding the Princess Alliance. This pits her against Catra, her former best friend, whose feelings of betrayal lead her to become Adora's archenemy. The first season sees Adora reassemble the Princess Alliance and defend Bright Moon, while Catra rises to become Hordak's second-in-command. In the second and third seasons, Catra activates an interdimensional portal that threatens to tear the planet apart, and Queen Angella sacrifices herself to stop it. The fourth season involves friction between Adora and Glimmer, and Adora destroying her sword to prevent an ancient superweapon from activating, leaving Etheria vulnerable to Horde Prime's armada. The fifth season follows Adora's liberation of Etheria from Horde Prime, with Adora and Catra's love enabling She-Ra to destroy the weapon and Horde Prime.
Reader's Guide
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power received critical acclaim, particularly for its diverse cast and the complex relationship between She-Ra and Catra. In 2019, it was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming and a Daytime Emmy Award at the 46th Daytime Emmy Awards. In 2021, it tied with First Day when it won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming. The series was removed from Netflix on February 21, 2026, due to the expiration of DreamWorks' license. The show's thematic core is relationships, addressing abusive relationships, trauma, prejudice, colonization, imperialism, and genocide. It emphasizes breaking free of sociopolitical indoctrination and portrays magic as dependent on the wielder's skill and determination. The series was influenced by Steven Universe, 1970s and 1980s sci-fi, Dungeons & Dragons, and magical girl anime. LGBTQ representation was a noted aspect, with Stevenson stating that early in the show's run there 'had to be plausible deniability' around most queer relationships.
Did You Know?
- The series was developed by ND Stevenson and produced by DreamWorks Animation Television for Netflix.
- It was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in 2019 and won the award in 2021, tied with First Day.
- Stevenson said that Catra was designed as a 'brown Latina,' though this was not explicitly present in the show.
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