TV Review: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

This was TV show #8/20 that I watched for my 20 for 2020 challenge. This series premiered on Disney+ on November 8, 2020. Below is a spoiler-free discussion.

I've already talked about this show a little bit in my Disney+ reviews in November and December. But now that I've watched the whole season, I wanted to discuss the show a little more in depth. I LOVED this show. I thought it was so adorable and wholesome.

I think the cast are all super talented. I am so appreciative that Disney casted kids who can sing, instead of for whatever reason choosing kids who can't sing for a musical show (which makes no sense and is a major pet peeve of mine). The cast and their characters make the show. They all feel like authentic high schoolers and they're all so different, yet charismatic and lovable. They all add something different to the table. I also think that the cast is decently diverse which is also a factor that I appreciate. The cast also feels like real friends and they all just have such good chemistry with each other. The vibe of the show just feels really authentic to the current high school experience today.

There were a few issues I had with the show. Some things didn't make sense continuity wise. The "documentary" type filming also didn't work all the time. It doesn't feel as authentic as a "documentary." It just feels like a gimmick they can use to tell their story. I also thought the climax of this plot's season got a little messy and more complicated than it had to be. But I recognize that I'm not the main demographic, and teens/kids probably need things to be a little more dramatic and over-explanatory than other demographics would need it to be. These complaints were pretty minor for me though.

I really liked the original songs that were part of this show. I'm not really going to get too much into it here because I will be doing an album review for the soundtrack in a separate post. But I thought the original songs added a lot to the show and did a lot to showcase and establish this show as it's own thing rather than just a piggyback off of the old High School Musical franchise.

There's something about this show that is just undeniably charming. It has its moments that are a little too silly for my taste, but something about it overall just feels so authentic and real. I think it is all to do with the cast and their charm and chemistry. I already can't wait for the second season. I'm glad they're doing Beauty and the Beast instead of High School Musical 2. I don't want them to get stuck doing only High School Musical material and then have nowhere to go once they've covered all of the old High School Musical movies.

I'd give this show an 8/10. I really loved it! Have you watched this show? If you have, let me know your thoughts down below!