Schmigadoon! Season 2: Release Date, Cast, And More About Apple TV+'s Musical Comedy Series
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Musicals! The kids love 'em ("the kids" meaning "me" in this context) and you can't keep 'em down, not even when their box office potential is shaky. With Broadway sensations "The Color Purple" and "Wicked" headed to the big screen and even the Joker getting bitten by the song-and-dance bug, musical movies and series are having a moment. So what better time for a show like "Schmigadoon!" to come along, poking loving fun at the Hollywood musicals of a bygone age while at the same time serving up a brand new set of toe-tapping tunes performed by some of the most talented theater kids ... er, adults, in the biz?
Part grownup rom-com and part satirical sendup of the Golden Age musicals of the 1940s and 1950s, "Schmigadoon!" season 1 earned pretty glowing reviews from critics and was able to crossover to the crowd that didn't necessarily catch all its theater in-jokes and homages right off the bat. In the end, enough people tuned in for the show's melodic hijinks for Apple TV+ to green light a second season. Here's everything you ought to know about the streaming series' encore outing ahead of time.
Schmigadoon! season 2 release date and where to watch it
While Apple TV+ has yet to snag a heavy-hitter in the viewership department on the level of a "Wednesday" or "Yellowstone," its true strength lies with its willingness to sign off on the type of creator-driven productions that few other streamers are currently making. High-art big swings "Severance" and "Pachinko" have brought prestige to the service, while the likes of "Ted Lasso," "Servant," and "Schmigadoon!" have covered just about every genre or sub-genre out there, with shows such as "Prehistoric Planet" leading the charge on the non-fiction side. Whatever itch you've got, chances are good Apple TV+ will be able to scratch it. (Thus concludes our non-sponsored PSA.)
As such, "Schmigadoon!" season 2 will serve as part of what Apple TV+ no doubt hopes will be a strong year of original offerings for the platform. During its presentation at the 2023 Winter Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, the company announced the new season will launch its first two episodes on April 7, 2023, with the remaining four episodes dropping every Friday thereafter through to May 5.
What is Schmigadoon! season 2 about?
"Schmigadoon!" season 1 is unusual in that it's a rom-com centered on two people — two childless adults firmly established in their careers no less — who've already hooked up but are now trying to figure out if they should stay together or if they're simply incompatible in the long run. The pairing in question, OBGYN Melissa Gimble (Cecily Strong) and orthopedic surgeon Josh Skinner (Keegan-Michael Key), decide to go on an organized couples' backpacking trip in the hopes of fixing their relationship, only to wander into Schmigadoon, a magical town that looks and feels like the setting of a Golden Age musical in the manner of "Oklahoma!" and "The Music Man."
The setup and title for "Schmigadoon!" are, of course, a direct riff on "Brigadoon," the hit stage musical that made the jump to the big screen in 1954, starring Gene Kelly and Van Johnson. Naturally, season 2 will mix things up a little, following Josh and Melissa (who rekindled their romance while evolving as people over the course of the first season) to the city of Schmicago, "the reimagined world of '60s and '70s musicals." With musicals from that era such as "Jesus Christ Superstar" and, as the name of the setting implies, "Chicago" providing inspiration this time, season 2 will have the benefit of both a dramatically different aesthetic and a whole new set of satirical targets to help keep things fresh.
The cast and crew of Schmigadoon! season 2
Cinco Paul, who co-created "Schmigadoon!" with his writing partner and "Despicable Me" co-scribe Ken Daurio, is serving as the showrunner on season 2 and wrote all of the series' original songs. Once again joining Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key in the cast (this time as the no doubt colorful and eccentric residents of Schmicago rather than Schmigadoon) are Broadway superstars Ariana DeBose and Kristin Chenoweth, along with stage and screen legend Alan Cumming, and such talented folk as Dove Cameron, Martin Short, Jaime Camil, Jane Krakowski, Ann Harada, and Aaron Tveit.
"Schmigadoon" season 2 will also see two Broadway heavyweights join the show's ensemble in the forms of Tituss Burgess (who all you non-theater folk probably know best for his work on streaming series like "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "Central Park") and Patrick Page, who originated the role of the Leonard Cohen-styled, raspy-voiced monarch of the Underworld, Hades, in the smash-hit "Hadestown," and has starred in the stage musical productions of "The Lion King" and "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" on top of portraying the Green Goblin in the notorious "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." Behind the camera, Lorne Michaels and Andrew Singer are acting as executive producers, with Micah Frank onboard as co-executive producer.
Schmigadoon! season 2 trailer and synopsis
Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) and Melissa (Cecily Strong) miss the magic they felt in Schmigadoon and in an attempt to return, find themselves in Schmicago — the reimagined world of '60s and '70s musicals. The new season will include new original musical numbers from co-creator and executive producer Cinco Paul, as well as returning stars Cecily Strong, Keegan-Michael Key, Ariana DeBose, Martin Short, Dove Cameron, Jaime Camil, Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Ann Harada, Jane Krakowski, and Aaron Tveit with the addition of Tituss Burgess and Patrick Page.