TV Musicals: Schmigadoon (Apple TV+) & Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Paramount+)
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 3:00PM By Christopher James
TV is embracing the musical. Just this week, two new musical series premiered on different streaming services - season two of Schmigadoon (now tackling 60s/70s darker musicals) on Apple TV+ and Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies on Paramount+. Both series use previous musical IP as a launching pad for new stories, one a parody and one an “origin story.” While the level of success varies between the shows (hell, sometimes it varies episode-to-episode), it is wonderful to see new musicals with original songs streaming on our TVs in the same week...
The one thing both shows get right is that they love the musical genre, warts and all. You aren’t going to win converts punching down at musical theater. It’s a better play to lean into what’s corny, laughable and heightened about the genre. As Donald O’Connor says in Singin’ in the Rain, “make ‘em laugh.”
Unabashed love for the genre was not the name of the game for Schmigadoon, season one. Though fun and filled with catchy nods to musicals past (“Corn Puddin’” being a standout), there was a sarcastic core that flattened all the goofy, joyous musical set pieces. Our lead characters would eye roll throughout the Oklahoma! inspired numbers, trying to convince the audience that we should be embarrassed by these musical tropes too. Luckily, season two of the show leaves that snark behind and embraces the goofy, over-the-top fun of why we go to musicals.
Josh (Keegan Michael Key) and Melissa (Cecily Strong) find themselves in a marital rut as they struggle to conceive a baby. With nowhere else to turn, the couple heads to the last place they felt truly happy - Schmigadoon. The only problem, when they get there they realize they are in a new musical land - Schmicago. The narrator (Tituss Burgess) welcomes them to a land based on the grittier musicals of the 60s/70s. So many are name checked throughout the six episode season, but Cabaret, Chicago, Hair, Pippin, Sweeney Todd and Annie loom largest over the proceedings.
The musical numbers are even stronger than season one, both in terms of actual content, but also in the ways they hew back to the shows they’re parodying. In just the first episode alone, we get a jaunty welcome from Burgess’ narrator followed by a hilarious chorus song called “Does That Shock You?” The scene stealer of the show is Dove Cameron, who perfectly nails a Sally Bowles impression as an excitable dancer named Jenny Banks who performs a hilarious number “We’re Caput.” Broadway professionals all nail their characterizations, with Aaron Tveit mixing Pippin and Hair as an idealistic hippie and Jane Krakowski wearing suits and showgirls outfits as a razzle-dazzling lawyer.
What elevates this season is the way it mashes its musical influences. A later plot involves the meeting of a murderous butcher, Dooley Flint (Alan Cumming), and a cantankerous orphanage owner, Miss Coldwell (Kristin Chenoweth). The blending of Sweeney Todd and Annie leads to an uproarious plot development, completely sold by the immense talents of Cumming and Chenoweth. In just six episodes, Schmigadoon provides a humorous and heartwarming jaunt through an incredible period of relevant musicals, all wrapped around a genuinely touching arc for Josh and Melissa.
Schmigadoon comments on the 60s and 70s while still having great affection for the art of the time. Admittedly, that was a time of social upheaval and a new appetite for more explicit and challenging art. That’s an easier sell for our current moment. How does Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies evoke the 50s in a way that appeals to modern audiences, particularly its target audience of teen girls? The worst scenario is a toothless examination of how constricting the 50s time period was, overdosing on modern idioms and ideas rather than presenting these characters in the context of their time. While missteps happen, particularly in some of the more overplotted moments a few episodes in, the show is refreshingly fun and high-spirited.
The show kicks off with a bang, as our cast of characters are introduced singing “Grease is the Word” while at the drive-in movie, the lone song it shares with the original musical or movie. The grand song and dance number does a great job entertaining while also setting up the plight of our four women who will soon make up the Pink Ladies.
Similar to Sandy from Grease, Jane (Marisa Davila) is a new girl at Rydell who is excited about her summer fling with the All American football jock, Buddy (Jason Schmidt). After “sealing the deal” in his car at the drive-in, Jane arrives at school with a figurative scarlet letter hanging over her. All the men are high fiving Buddy, while shaming Jane. Pushed to the margins, she finds camaraderie with other misfits. Olivia (Cheyenne Isabel Wells) was nearly kicked out of school after having an affair with one of the teachers. Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso) wants to be a T-Bird and is clearly battling gender and sexuality concerns, so of course there’s no place to turn but the theater. One of the most winning presences is Nancy (Tricia Fukuhara), a waitress at the Frosty Palace who is part of the inaugural Pink Ladies and dreams of designing clothes. However, her origin story is less developed than the others (her friends think she’s just a bit too weird). The girls all team up together to get Jane elected student council President over Buddy.
Anchored by a strong romance, the original Grease was able to get away with being more of a series of vignettes populated by music. This Paramount+ show nails the camaraderie of its titular leads. Unfortunately, none of the storylines (namely the romances) are as grabbing as John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s courtship and few of the original songs have the earworm quality of the original (or even the camp value of Grease 2's song score). Heck, the T-Birds are almost a non-entity, even though Richie (Johnathan Nieves) is positioned to be the precursor to Danny Zuko. One of the most memorable musical moments comes later in the season from perennial scene stealer Jackie Hoffman’s solo as a pitch perfect replica of Asst. Principal McGee, channeling Eve Arden from the original film.
The Pink Ladies were always rebels whose coolness came from the ways they eschewed ladylike norms, rather than conformed to them. Yes, that doesn’t mean that Sandy should’ve changed who she was for Danny Zuko, even though it was a killer look. We can debate the merits of the original Grease at another time, a strange yet catchy musical that was the 70s way of showing 50s nostalgia. Thankfully, the show exists mostly outside of the original movie (which is supposed to take place 4 years after this series. Yes, we do find that our “not so Italian” leading lady is the older sister of Frenchie (and we get a quick glimpse of a middle school Rizzo). At its core though, Pink Ladies does right by its girl group, showing them as spunky outsiders who knew that banding together could give them legitimacy.
Both new musical projects do right by their throwback pieces of IP. Schmigadoon does a better job enjoying and embracing the genre, while Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies takes a more earnest, if disjointed, approach. Still, there is plenty to enjoy within both projects. Rejoice, musical theater lovers.
Schmigadoon Season Two: B+
Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies: B-
New episodes of Schmigdoon drop weekly on Wednesdays on Apple TV+, while new episodes of Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies follow every Thursday on Paramount+. All episodes of Schmigadoon season two were screened for review. The first five episodes of Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies were screened for this review.
Reader Comments (3)
In the first three episodes of Schmicago I clocked Pippin, Chicago, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, Sweet Charity, Hair, Bye Bye Birdie, A Chorus Line, Company, Les Miz, Annie and Godspell. Pretty crazy.
Haven't started either one yet, but I want to also put in a plug for CENTRAL PARK on Apple TV+ . It's much more genteel, family friendly, but I freaking love it. It has an impressive cast list for the voice-acting, including the always delightful Tituss Burgess.
The first season of Schmigadoon was really disappointing, and you put into words why. This season, so far, is so much better.Everyone is excellent, and Dove Cameron is a perfect Sally.
Never been a fan of Grease, so I'm gonna pass on Pink Ladies.