High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is a live-action Disney+ Original series created by Tim Federle based on the three original High School Musical films. The first episode premiered on November 8, 2019 on ABC, Disney Channel, and Freeform as a simulcast preview. It officially premiered on November 12, 2019, the day Disney+ launched. In October 2019, before the series even premiered, it was announced that it was already renewed for a second season. The first season premiered on November 12, 2019 and aired until January 10, 2020. The second season premiered on May 14, 2021 and aired until July 30, 2021. The third season premiered on July 27, 2022 and aired until September 14, 2022. The fourth and final season dropped all of its episodes at once on August 9, 2023.
Plot[]
Season 1[]
The 10-episode scripted series, set as the real-life East High, where the original movie was filmed, follows a group of students as they countdown to opening night of their school's first-ever production of "High School Musical." With meta references and some docu-style elements, it's a modern take on the "classic" from almost 15 years ago. Show-mances blossom; friendships are tested, while new ones are made; rivalries flare; songs are sung; and lives are changed forever as these young people discover the transformative power that only high school theater can provide.
Season 2[]
Joining Nini (Olivia Rodrigo), Ricky (Joshua Bassett), E.J. (Matt Cornett), Gina (Sofia Wylie), Big Red (Larry Saperstein), Ashlyn (Julia Lester), Kourtney (Dara Reneé), Carlos (Frankie A. Rodriguez), Seb (Joe Serafini), Mr. Mazzara (Mark St. Cyr), Miss Jenn (Kate Reinders), and there are several new exciting characters. Zack (Derek Hough), Miss Jenn's ex-boyfriend and former high school heartthrob, shakes things up when he returns to Salt Lake City after a successful acting career in NYC to be the new Drama Teacher at East High's rival high school, North High. Antoine (Andrew Barth Feldman), a foreign exchange student at North High, can not help but flirt with Ashlyn. Howie (Roman Banks), a hyper-smart, bespectacled, adorable high school junior, gets close to a certain Wildcat or two while working after school as a delivery guy for Big Red's family Pizza Shop, Salt Lake Slices. And Lily (Olivia Rose Keegan) is a sugary sweet, energetic East High Student who wants nothing more to be on-stage with the Wildcats, but her sweetness masks her highly competitive nature.
Season 3[]
In the new season, it's summer break! The Wildcats leave the hallways of East High for the ultimate summer at sleepaway camp, complete with campfires, summer romances, and curfew-less nights. Camp Shallow Lake, a family-owned sleepaway camp in California. With a high-stakes production of Frozen and a behind-the-scenes "docuseries" of the production in the works, the Wildcats will attempt to show who is "best in snow" without leaving anyone out in the cold.
Season 4[]
After an epic summer at Camp Shallow Lake, the Wildcats return to East High where they will prepare a stage production of "High School Musical 3: Senior Year". On their first day back, the principal announces that Disney has decided to make the long-awaited "High School Musical 4: The Reunion" movie on location at their beloved high school, and our Wildcats will be playing featured extras in the movie. It's season four, and it's now or never.
Production[]
Development[]
On November 9, 2017, it was announced that Disney was developing a television series adaptation of their High School Musical film series created by Peter Barsocchini. The series was expected to premiere on Disney's then-unnamed upcoming streaming service. The company had planned to adapt the franchise for television and approached creator Tim Federle to develop an idea for a series. Federle pitched the documentary-style series in January 2018 and went on to draft the pilot together with Disney Channel, who contributed to the production of the series. On May 30, 2018, it was announced that Federle would serve as a writer and executive producer for the series. On September 6, Disney officially gave the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. Oliver Goldstick was expected to serve as showrunner and an additional executive producer while Julie Ashton would oversee the casting process. Alongside this announcement, it was also revealed that the show would be of the mockumentary genre and a list of character names and descriptions was released. By May 2019, Goldstick had departed the series over "creative differences", having served as showrunner for the first four episodes.
In October 2019, ahead of the release of the first season, Disney+ renewed the series for a second season. Federle stated that the second season's plot would not revolve around a production of High School Musical 2; it was revealed in February 2020 that the featured production would be Beauty and the Beast. The second season consisted of twelve episodes.
On September 13, 2021, Disney+ renewed the series for a third season. It was revealed within the announcement that production of the series would relocate from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, and would begin later in the year. The season was announced to be set at a sleep-away theater camp taking place over the summer school break. On November 12, 2021, it was announced that the summer musical would be Frozen.
Casting[]
Tim Federle expressed the importance of casting real teenagers in main roles to add authenticity to the high school-based series. On October 17, 2018, it was announced that Joshua Bassett had been cast in a leading role. The rest of the cast was announced on February 15, 2019, including Sofia Wylie as Gina, Kate Reinders as Miss Jenn, and Olivia Rodrigo as Nini. Tim Federle confirmed in November 2019 that an unnamed cast member from the original film would make a cameo appearance through a fantasy sequence. After being listed as a featured artist on the soundtrack, Lucas Grabeel, who played Ryan Evans, was confirmed to be making an appearance on the series. Lucas Grabeel appears in the episode "The Tech Rehearsal" as a fictionalized version of himself, performing in a song alongside Reinders. Kaycee Stroh, who played Martha Cox, also makes a cameo appearance in the episode "What Team?"
In December 2019, it was reported that Joe Serafini, who plays Seb Matthew-Smith, would be promoted to the main cast for the second season. Further additions to the recurring cast were revealed in early 2020: Roman Banks as Howie; Olivia Rose Keegan as Lily; and Derek Hough as Zack, Miss Jenn's ex-boyfriend.[1] In February 2021, Andrew Barth Feldman and Asher Angel joined the cast for the second season in recurring guest roles, as Antoine and Jack respectively.[2] In July 2021, it was revealed that Jordan Fisher would guest star as Gina's older brother Jamie Porter in the penultimate episode of the second season.[3]
Time reported in December 2021 that Rodrigo would return for the third season, amidst speculation she would not due to her music career. It was later stated that Olivia Rodrigo would return in a recurring role as opposed to the series regular status she maintained in the first two seasons. The casting for the third season was made public in January 2022, with Joshua Bassett, Matt Cornett, Sofia Wylie, Julia Lester, Dara Reneé, Frankie Rodriguez, and Kate Reinders also confirmed to be returning. Olivia Rose Keegan was promoted to the main cast for the third season. Adrian Lyles and Saylor Bell joined the cast as new series regulars, playing Jet and Maddox respectively. Further additions to the guest cast included Jason Earles as Dewey Wood and Meg Donnelly as Val. Also appearing is Corbin Bleu, who starred in the original film series as Chad Danforth, playing himself.[4] Three further recurring characters were announced in March; Ben Stillwell, Aria Brooks, and Liamani Segura as Channing, Alex, and Emmy respectively.[5]
Filming[]
Production on the first season began on February 15, 2019, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and concluded on June 30. Production on the second season commenced in February 2020 but was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming had resumed by November 2020. Filming for the second season wrapped up in February 2021. Filming for the third season commenced in January 18, 2022, in Los Angeles rather than Salt Lake City. Filming for the third season wrapped up on April 13, 2022.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Joshua Bassett as Ricky Bowen; a Junior at East High School in Season 1 and Season 2. In Season 1, Ricky was cast as Troy Bolton in East High School's production of High School Musical In Season 2, Ricky was cast as Beast in East High School's production of Beauty and the Beast. In Season 3, Ricky was cast as Kristoff in Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen.
- Olivia Rodrigo as Nini Salazar-Roberts (Main; Season 1-2 Guest; Season 3); a Junior at East High School in Season 1 and Season 2. In Season 1, Nini was cast as Gabriella Montez in East High School's production of High School Musical. In Season 2, Nini was original cast as The Enchanted Rose in East High School's production of Beauty and the Beast, but ended up playing a fork.
- Matt Cornett as E.J. Caswell (Main; Season 1-3 Recurring; Season 4); a Senior at East High School in Season 1 and Season 2. He is Ashlyn's cousin. In Season 1, E.J. was cast as Chad Danforth and Troy Bolton's understudy in East High School's production of High School Musical. In Season 2, E.J. was cast as Gaston in East High School's production of Beauty and the Beast. In Season 3, E.J. becomes the director of Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen last minute after the original director quit the first morning at camp and was cast as Sven.
- Sofia Wylie as Gina Porter; a transferred student and Sophomore at East High School in Season 1 and Season 2. In Season 1, Gina was cast as Taylor McKessie and Gabriella Montez's understudy in East High School's production of High School Musical. In Season 2, Gina was cast as Babette in East High School's production of Beauty and the Beast. In Season 3, Gina was cast as Anna in Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen.
- Julia Lester as Ashlyn Caswell; a Sophomore at East High School in Season 1 and Season 2. She is E.J.'s cousin. In Season 1, Ashlyn was cast as Ms. Darbus in East High School's production of High School Musical. In Season 2, Ashlyn was cast as Belle in East High School's production of Beauty and the Beast. In Season 3, Ashlyn was cast for the ensemble in Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen.
- Larry Saperstein as Big Red (Main; Season 1-2 Guest; Season 3 Recurring; Season 4); a Junior at East High School in Season 1 and Season 2. He is Ricky's Best Friend. In Season 1, Big Red joined the Tech Crew in East High School's production of High School Musical. In Season 2, Big Red was cast as LeFou in East High School's production of Beauty and the Beast.
- Dara Reneé as Kourtney Greene; a Junior at East High School in Season 1 and Season 2. Nini's Best Friend. In Season 1, Kourtney was the Costume Designer/Makeup Artist and played Taylor McKessie in Act One in East High School's production of High School Musical. In Season 2, Kourtney was cast as Mrs. Potts in East High School's production of Beauty and the Beast. In Season 3, Kourtney was cast as Elsa in Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen.
- Frankie Rodriguez as Carlos Rodriguez; a Sophomore at East High School in Season 1 and Season 2. In Season 1, Carlos was the Student Choreographer and played Chad Danforth in Act Two in East High School's production of High School Musical. In Season 2, Carlos was cast as Lumiere in East High School's production of Beauty and the Beast. In Season 3, Carlos was cast as Olaf in Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen.
- Noah Rico as Young Carlos
- Mark St. Cyr as Mr. Mazzara (Season 1-2); a S.T.E.M. Teacher who teaches Engineering at East High School.
- Kate Reinders as Miss Jenn (Main; Season 1-2 and 4 Guest; Season 3); The new Drama Teacher at East High School.
- Joe Serafini as Seb Matthew-Smith (Recurring; Season 1 and Season 4 Main; Season 2 Guest; Season 3) a Sophomore at East High School in Season 1 and Season 2. In Season 1, Seb was cast as the gender bent version Sharpay Evans in East High School's production of High School Musical. In Season 2, Seb was cast as Chip Potts in East High School's production of Beauty and the Beast.
- Saylor Bell Curda as Maddox (Main; Season 3); a bright-eyed, quick-witted 'techie' who always follows the rules.[4] Jet's older sister.
- Luciana Elisa Quinonez as Young Maddox
- Adrian Lyles as Jet (Main; Season 3); Maddox's troublemaker brother who was forced to attend camp by their parents.[4] In Season 3, Jet was cast as Prince Hans in Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen.
- Jayden Hawkins as Young Jet
- Liamani Segura as Emmy (Recurring; Season 3 Main; Season 4); a wide-eyed eighth grader and first-time auditioner at the camp.[5] She will be a Freshmen at East High School in Season 4. She is Alex's Best Friend. In Season 3, Emmy was cast as Young Anna in Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen.
Recurring[]
- Alexis Nelis as Natalie Bagley (Season 1-2)
- Alex Quijano as Mike Bowen; Ricky's father.
- Valente Rodriguez as Principal Gutierrez (Season 1)
- Nicole Sullivan as Carol Salazar-Roberts; one of Nini's moms.
- Michelle Noh as Dana Salazar-Roberts; one of Nini's moms.
- Jeanne Sakata as Malou (Season 1); Nini's grandmother
- Beth Lacke as Lynne Bowen; Ricky's mother.
- Addison Morgan as Emily Pratt (Season 1-2)
- Napiera Groves as Terri Porter; Gina and Jamie's mother
- Deepti Gupta as Kalyani Patel (Season 1-2); Dean at Y.A.C.
- Amy Tolsky as Big Red's mom
- Derek Hough as Zack Roy (Season 2); The new Drama Teacher at North High School. Miss Jenn's ex-boyfriend from High School.[1]
- Olivia Rose Keegan as Lily[1]
- Roman Banks as Howie (Season 2)[1]
- Andrew Barth Feldman as Antoine (Season 2)[2]
- Kimberly Brooks as Michelle Greene; Kourtney's mother
- Corbin Bleu as Himself[4]/Chad Danforth
- Jason Earles as Dewey Wood (Season 3); camp director of Camp Shallow Lake, who's described as a "stone-faced killjoy."[4]
- Ben Stillwell as Channing (Season 3); a cameraman for the docuseries about Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen.[5]
- Aria Brooks as Alex (Season 3); an eighth grader and a brand new Camp Shallow Lake camper.[5] She is Emmy's Best Friend. In Season 3, Alex was cast as Young Elsa in Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen.
- Meg Donnelly as Val (Season 3); a confident and funny college student and longtime camper turned counselor-in-training, who is ready to choreograph the summer production of Frozen.[4]
- Kylie Cantrall as Dani (Season 4); a social media star[6]
- Matthew Sato as Mack Alana (Season 4); a sitcom actor[6]
- James Irving Kono as Young Mack
- Caitlin Reilly as Quinn Robbins (Season 4); an indie film director[6]
- Vasthy Mompoint as Krystal (Season 4); a choreographer[6]
- Lehi Falepapalangi as Filming Security
- Cozi Zuehlsdorff as Reporter
Guest Stars[]
- KayCee Stroh as Herself/Martha Cox
- Lucas Grabeel as Himself/Ryan Evans
- Gary Kraus as Big Red's Dad
- Jacob Young as Cash Caswell; E.J.'s father and Ashlyn's uncle
- Asher Angel as Jack[2]
- Jordan Fisher as Jamie Porter; Gina's older brother[3]
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Marvin (Season 3); a family friend of Nini's family, and her biological father.
- JoJo Siwa as Madison (Season 3); an alumnus of Camp Shallow Lake.
- Monique Coleman as Herself/Taylor McKessie (Season 4)
- Bart Johnson as Himself/Jack Bolton (Season 4)
- Alyson Reed as Herself/Ms. Darbus (Season 4)
- Gabrielle Elyse as Harper Nolan
Episodes[]
Season 1[]
- The Auditions (November 8, 2019; ABC, Disney Channel, Freeform) (November 12, 2019; Disney+)
- The Read-Through (November 15, 2019)
- The Wonderstudies (November 22, 2019)
- Blocking (November 29, 2019)
- Homecoming (December 6, 2019)
- What Team? (December 13, 2019)
- Thanksgiving (December 20, 2019)
- The Tech Rehearsal (December 27, 2019)
- Opening Night (January 3, 2020)
- Act Two (January 10, 2020)
Season 2[]
- New Year's Eve (May 14, 2021)
- Typecasting (May 21, 2021)
- Valentine's Day (May 28, 2021)
- The Storm (June 4, 2021)
- The Quinceañero (June 11, 2021)
- Yes, And... (June 18, 2021)
- The Field Trip (June 25, 2021)
- Most Likely To (July 2, 2021)
- Spring Break (July 9, 2021)
- The Transformation (July 16, 2021)
- Showtime (July 23, 2021)
- Second Chances (July 30, 2021)
Season 3[]
- Happy Campers (July 27, 2022)
- Into the Unknown (August 3, 2022)
- The Woman in the Woods (August 10, 2022)
- No Drama (August 17, 2022)
- The Real Campers of Shallow Lake (August 24, 2022)
- Color War (August 31, 2022)
- Camp Prom (September 7, 2022)
- Let It Go (September 14, 2022)
Season 4[]
- High School Musical 4 (August 9, 2023)
- HSM v. HSM (August 9, 2023)
- A Star Is Reborn (August 9, 2023)
- Trick or Treat (August 9, 2023)
- Admissions (August 9, 2023)
- Trust the Process (August 9, 2023)
- The Night of Nights (August 9, 2023)
- Born to Be Brave (August 9, 2023)
Soundtracks[]
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack album release to promote the Disney+ original series of the same name. It was recorded by the main cast of the show and features new versions of the songs from the first High School Musical as well as new songs. It was released on January 10, 2020.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Soundtrack (Season 2) is the second soundtrack album of the Disney+ original of the same name. It was recorded by the main cast of the show and features new versions of the songs from the second High School Musical, the Beauty and the Beast musical as well as new songs. It was released on July 30, 2021.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Season 1[]
Awards[]
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artios Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting: Children's Pilot and Series (Live Action) | Julie Ashton | Nominated |
| Directors Guild of America Award | 2021 | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs | Kabir Akhtar (for Opening Night) | Nominated |
| GLAAD Media Award | 2020 | Outstanding Kids & Family Programming | High School Musical: The Musical The Series | Won |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2020 | Favorite Male TV Star | Joshua Bassett | Nominated |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2021 | Favorite Female TV Star | Sofia Wylie | Nominated |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2021 | Favorite Kids TV Show | High School Musical: The Musical The Series | Nominated |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2021 | Favorite Male TV Star | Joshua Bassett | Nominated |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2022 | Favorite Female TV Star (Kids) | Olivia Rodrigo | Won |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2022 | Favorite Female TV Star (Kids) | Sofia Wylie | Nominated |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2022 | Favorite Kids TV Show | High School Musical: The Musical The Series | Won |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2022 | Favorite Male TV Star | Joshua Bassett | Won |
| The DisInsider's Awards | 2021 | Best Original Song | The Rose Song performed by Olivia Rodrigo | Nominated |
| The DisInsider's Awards | 2021 | Best Original Song | Let You Go performed by Joshua Bassett | Nominated |
| The DisInsider's Awards | 2021 | Best Supporting Actor (Disney+ Original Series) | Joshua Bassett | Nominated |
Trivia[]
- The first two seasons take place over the course of one semester in High School at East High School, while the third takes place at camp during summer vacation. Every season in the series so far East High School focuses on putting a production of a famous Disney musical. In Season 1, East High School puts on their first production of High School Musical based off the Disney Channel Original Movie. In Season 2, East High School puts on a production of Beauty and the Beast. In Season 3, those students attending summer camp perform Frozen together with fellow campers who do not attend East High School.
- This is the second Disney Live Action Series to featured an LGBT kiss on screen. The first Disney Live Action Series to featured an LGBT kiss was Big Shot, which beat High School Musical: The Musical: The Series by one week.[7]
- The third season is the shortest in terms of episodes (with 8 episodes), but the finale, Let it Go, is the longest episode in the season, with a running time of 51 minutes.
- Let it Go is also the only episode to cover the entire musical, with all of the others split into two different episodes.
- The second season is the longest in term of episodes (with 12 episodes) and collective minutes (with 444 minutes/7 hours 24 minutes).
- Dara Reneé who plays Kourtney Greene real life mother Kimberly Brooks plays Kourtney's mother Michelle Greene.
- The fourth and final season had reasonably more profanity, albeit bleeped. Until this, the only instance of profanity was in the pilot.
- It is never revealed who was filming the documentary about the East High theater kids. The only one to address this is Ricky, who, in the series finale, asks, "By the way, who the f**k are you guys?"
- This is the second Disney+ original series that Matthew Sato (Mack Alana), Lehi Falepapalangi (Filming Security) and Kylie Cantrall (Dani) all appeared in the first being Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.. Matthew Sato starred as Kai Kamealoha, Lehi Falepapalangi guest stared as Loto and Kylie Cantrall guest stared as Olivia in Doogie Kameāloha, M.D..
- The series finale is the longest episode in the series it is over an hour long.
- Ricky Bowen, Ashlyn Caswell, and Carlos Rodriguez are the only characters to appear in every episode.
- Ricky Bowen, Gina Porter, Ashlyn Caswell, Kourtney Greene and Carlos Rodriguez are the only characters to appear as a main character in all four seasons.
- Ricky Bowen, Ashlyn Caswell, E.J. Caswell, Kourtney Greene, Seb Matthew-Smith, Gina Porter, Big Red, Carlos Rodriguez and Miss Jenn are the only characters to appeared in every season at some point.
References[]
External Links[]
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