“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” is a show about a high school putting on a musical within a show about a high school putting on a musical. That sounds exhausting, and sometimes it is. But the series, now in its fourth season, has found a rhythm that makes its self-referential premise work.
The premise is simple. East High School’s drama department is putting on High School Musical, the 2006 Disney Channel original movie. The students rehearse, feud, and fall in love while the camera watches everything. It’s a sitcom wrapped in a musical wrapped in a sitcom, and it mostly knows what it’s doing.
Trailer, via Walt Disney Studios Canada.
The Cast Carries the Show
The series leans heavily on its young cast, and that pays off. Joshua Bassett plays Rydell, the starry-eyed lead who wants to play the lead role of Troy. Dominic Sandoval plays Carlos, the stage manager who dreams of being a director. Olivia Rodrigo plays Gabriella, the quiet outsider who gets dragged into the spotlight.
Rodrigo’s breakout hit, “Driver’s License,” arrived during the show’s second season. It changed the show’s trajectory overnight. Suddenly, the show had a global pop star attached to it, and the show pivoted to lean into her fame.
The Musical Numbers Hold Up
The musical numbers are the engine of the show. They’re energetic, brightly lit, and often surprisingly funny. The show borrows songs from the High School Musical movies, but it also writes its own. “Just Take My Heart” and “Start of Something New” became fan favorites.
“The music isn’t just filler.”
That line, spoken by a character in the show, captures the show’s own attitude toward its songs. The numbers are not just filler. They’re the point.
Self-Referential Jokes Work
The show’s best jokes come from its own premise. Characters talk about the show-within-the-show being unrealistic, and the show acknowledges that it is. There’s a running gag about the camera crew being everywhere, and the show occasionally breaks the fourth wall to remind you that you’re watching a show about a show.
It’s a tightrope act, and the show walks it without falling off. The jokes land because the show treats its own absurdity seriously.
Interpersonal Drama Feels Familiar
The interpersonal drama is where the show stumbles. Rydell and Carlos fight over leadership. Gabriella struggles with confidence. These are familiar teen-drama tropes, and the show doesn’t reinvent them.
The show’s fourth season has shifted focus to Gabriella’s arc.
The Pop Star Problem
The arrival of Rodrigo as a pop star changed the show’s balance. Her fame overshadows the show. The show now has to compete with itself, and sometimes it loses.
The show has become a vehicle for Rodrigo’s music as much as it is a vehicle for its own plot. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it changes the dynamic.
What Remains
The show’s core formula remains intact. The cast is strong, the music is strong, and the jokes are sharp. The show knows what it is, and it doesn’t apologize for it.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s a consistently enjoyable hour of TV that knows exactly what it is.
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