As the streaming service landscape continues to widen and get denser and denser, it's becoming hard to decide which services to subscribe to. One service that has differentiated itself from the others is Disney Plus. It's got everything. While Disney's back catalog is a huge draw for the service, so is the new original content on the service.
While The Mandalorian is the big one, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is an adorable show that sees students of the real East High putting on a production of High School Musical.
It's a novel idea that really works, and today we're going over ten reasons that we already love the show. Let's get into it.
The Tropes
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is ridiculously tropey, and the show is completely and utterly aware of that. The show plays up the tropes really well.
The main girl got broken up with, she's sad but a new boy who's better shows up. The old boy is sad because she is a theater kid, while he is not. He auditions to win her back. Now, they are Troy and Gabriella. Alas, the new boy is now mad. Meanwhile, the overachieving girl wants to be Gabriella.
And, that sounds like a plot! The show knows that its story is largely inspired by the original High School Musical, and it is done very unabashedly.
The Playful Nature Of The Show
As we previously stated, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series loves its tropes, which just makes it an overall playful show. They're not afraid to reference the original movie all the time, the main cast practically worships it.
There's Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens references everywhere, it's adorable. It's a very light and easy watch overall, it's just a fun show that isn't afraid to play on nostalgia pretty hard.
The Characters
Our main characters are Ricky and Nini, with the former being the latter's old boy, who he's trying to win back. They're both incredibly charming, and make you start rooting for them the second you start watching. Beyond that, you have a great cast of characters.
There's Miss Jenn, the new drama teacher who's a wannabe star, her very flamboyant choreographer Carlos, the best friends of Ricky and Nini, there's something to like about everyone here.
The Actors
Part of the reason the characters are so likable is due to how they're portrayed. The casting on the show is absolutely perfect, as each character is played in a way that really makes you want them to do their best.
The entire group has a ton of chemistry, and they all play off of one another beautifully. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has a fantastic cast that really helps to draw you into the show.
The Fanservice
As this show is a sequel (???) to High School Musical, it only makes sense that there are references to its source material everywhere. As we mentioned earlier, the characters bring up Troy, Gabriella, and everyone else from the original pretty consistently.
Beyond that, Ricky uses the movie to learn his choreography, there's some of the original music, this show has no problem bringing back all of your old High School Musical memories. Honestly though, is that really a problem? You knew what you were getting into with this show.
It's Genuinely Funny
The show is actually very funny. Disney Plus needs new content to keep fans subscribed, so High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has some great writers on deck. The show consistently provides very funny moments and does so through the use of its characters and their various quirks.
We mentioned earlier how well the entire cast works together, and the many comedic moments of the show showcase this brilliantly. If the cast wasn't so good, the show wouldn't be nearly as funny as it is.
The Charm
The show has a certain charm to it that just can't be ignored. Ricky's character truly seems driven to be with Nini, no matter what it takes. This results in a boy that hates musicals religiously studying the dances moves from High School Musical.
You just can't help but want Ricky to succeed. All of the characters have their own separate motivations that push them to reach their goals. The show does a wonderful job of making you want to support them throughout it all.
Real Issues
While only episodes one and two have been released as of the time of this writing, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series seems to be delving into some fairly real topics. The impending divorce of Ricky's parents seems to be looming over him, and it obviously isn't making his pretty stressful situation any better.
This goes to show that the show clearly has some grounding in reality, despite how wild its cast and core idea may be. Hopefully, this is something that continues as the show progresses, as it's providing a great subplot to an already very enjoyable show.
The Soundtrack
The series is looking to have a pretty boppin' soundtrack. While we've already gotten some great original songs from the first two episodes, the full soundtrack is set to run 41 tracks long, full of old and new songs.
This is great, as we'll get to hear new songs and fresh takes on some classics. One of the songs seems to feature a surprise that we won't spoil here. If you're looking to perhaps see a spoiler about the show, take a look at the official soundtrack's tracklist.
The Potential
If you can't tell from this entire article yet, this show has a ton of potential. We're only into episode two and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is already a delightfully charming comedy with a fantastic cast of characters that you can't help but connect with.
If the series manages to maintain such a decent standard throughout its first season, we're really in for a great show.