The birth of Disney+ brought with it a semi-revival of the High School Musical franchise in the form of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (HSMTMTS). An overemphasis towards the “semi” in semi-revival is necessary in this case.
HSMTMTS does not operate in the fictional world of High School Musical, choosing to instead take place in our own world. A world where a generation learned about the joys of movie musicals through High School Musical. Troy Bolton is not just a character from the original films, but also Zac Efron as an individual.
It is with that intimate knowledge of the High School Musical franchise that the characters within HSMTMTS perform their own versions of the now classic Disney films as their own High School Musicals. Makes sense, right?
The recent fourth season of the series concludes the story of the students at East High, where they assist in filming a reunion movie for the original cast, as well an adaptation of High School Musical 3. High School Musical 4, the reunion film, will never see the light of day, and does not actually exist. It is still a hypothetical pipedream and HSMTMTS did nothing to change that, but did the series manage to do enough to stand on its own merit?
Preying on Nostalgia
As storytelling concepts go, HSMTMTS does not possess the most original one. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the show’s overall concept isn’t compelling to its target audience. Whether you’re buying into the nostalgia, or searching for the Glee of the current age, the show has a lot to offer.
Songs in Our Heart
The series is not necessarily beholden to the soundtracks of all three High School Musical films. Music from Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, and Camp Rock manage to sneak their way into the show’s catalogue. Some much needed variety is present in these inclusions because of how small the library of High School Musical actually is.
Viewers receive some fun callbacks within the wonderful renditions of the original High School Musical songs. With that said, it is within the show’s original songs that the cast truly shines. The initial season provides viewers with Olivia Rodrigo’s All I Want, and that quality carries all the way to fourth season’s Speak Out.
Music is the defining competent of the High School Musical films, but it is complimentary to HSMTMTS. The show does not have to adhere to any musical theater laws. It can explore its deepest desires, indulging in any genre it sees fit, at any time it sees fit.
Mr. Bleu
Cameos. The sheer potential for guest appearances within a show like HSMTMTS are limitless. The appearances of Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, and Lucas Grabeel from the original movies are welcome ones. The expanded role of Bleu’s overexaggerated version of himself is a welcome addition, positioning him in a rather large role throughout the third season. Whenever given the opportunity to take up a microphone once again, they perform admirably.
To a mild degree, the show is judged upon the cameos it failed to get. Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale do not appear at any point. In a weird way, that is to be expected. A portion of the original cast has chosen to remove themselves from any additional projects in the High School Musical world. Absences that leave a portion of season four feeling halfhearted.
Everyone Loves The Office
HSMTMTS adopts a modern mockumentary approach, which is a far cry from the style of the original films. The change is fitting considering the overly meta nature of the series. It is a stylistic approach that greatly lends itself to the show’s greatest strength: humor.
Students at East High may be as overly melodramatic as any high school student, but they are far funnier than the average bunch. Ricky (Joshua Bassett) is the tour de force in that particular category. Ricky goes out of his way to constantly address the camera directly, letting it be perfectly clear that he is either uncomfortable or confused.
Nobody Loves Inconsistencies
It is a necessity that the show’s humor stays consistent throughout the four seasons given the overall shortcomings in the storytelling department. The characters of East High are as inconsistent as they come. It can be frustrating to watch characters such as Big Red (Larry Saperstein) inexplicably vanish for longs periods of time.
In addition, characters often undergo seemingly similar arcs to ones they’ve already previously experienced. From season to season, characters like Ricky or EJ (Matt Cornett) are constantly recycling stories and making the same mistakes.
A Sour Problem
The most prominent example of reusing stories being the show’s shift from Nini (Olivia Rodrigo) to Gina (Sofia Wylie). Following the events of season 2, and the success of Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album, Nini is written out of the show throughout season 3. An exit that would not be as jarring as it is if Gina didn’t immediately take over Nini’s position in the story.
Gina is provided with lackluster reason to end the developing relationship she has with EJ because Ricky is now in need of a romantic partner. If that isn’t enough, all of the success and fame that Nini’s character was close to achieving is now passed onto Gina.
Not High School Musical 4
A cast member leaving a show in the middle of production is an inescapable problem. Olivia Rodrigo’s exit from the High School Musical franchise leaves the series feeling hollow. It is overwhelmingly obvious that the direction of the story shifts dramatically upon her exit. The heavy reliance upon the show’s humor, music, and cameos is ultimately enough to satisfy viewers, but not enough to eclipse the heights of the original films.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is available to stream on Disney+
