The concept for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series was incredibly promising right from the start. This show has gone above and beyond the mega-popular franchise it’s associated with, captivating a whole new generation of musical theater enthusiasts.
Similar to the original High School Musical films, this Disney Plus show has launched numerous successful careers, including the incredibly talented Olivia Rodrigo, as well as her co-stars Joshua Bassett and Sofia Wylie. After four consistently outstanding seasons, the cast has taken their final bows, paying tribute to the original movies.
How is High School Musical: The Musical: The Series connected to the High School Musical films?
For those who still feel deeply connected to the musical trilogy from their childhoods but haven’t given HSMTMTS a chance, the concept of the show – which premiered in 2019 – might be a bit confusing.
In short, just like in our own universe, in the story world of HSMTMTS, the three original High School Musical films are also fictional. The common thread between the show and the movies is the high school setting. Nini (played by Olivia Rodrigo), Ricky (played by Joshua Bassett), Gina (played by Sofia Wylie), and the rest of the gang are all students at East High School, which is the same school and building where the High School Musical movies were filmed. In the show, their drama teacher, Miss Jenn (played by Kate Reinders), was supposed to be a background dancer in the films but was ultimately cut.
This clever concept taps into the nostalgia associated with the movies without being a direct sequel. In the first season, the class must put on a school musical inspired by the first High School Musical film. In the fourth and final season, they decide to stage the original musical that the fictional characters in High School Musical 3: Senior Year were also working on within that film. If you find it all a bit confusing, that’s intentional. In an interview with People, the show’s creator Tim Federle described it as “Inception with jazz hands.”
Which actors from High School Musical make appearances in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series?
Thanks to this high-concept premise, there are endless opportunities for fun Easter Eggs and cameos. The characters from High School Musical (Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, Sharpay, and more) are entirely fictional in the world of the Disney Plus show, but the actors who portrayed them are very much real. As a result, they occasionally make appearances as themselves.
In season 1, KayCee Stroh – who played hip-hop brainiac Martha in the films – makes a fun cameo in the sixth episode as a member of the school board. Lucas Grabeel, the talented actor behind Ryan Evans, also stars as himself in the eighth episode of the same season, appearing in Miss Jenn’s dreams and even serenading her. Corbin Bleu has a recurring role in the third season of the show as the host of a docuseries documenting the East High students’ production of Frozen.
However, it’s in the fourth season that the stars truly shine. The students’ plan to stage High School Musical 3 is derailed when the cast of the movies returns to shoot a fictional fourth High School Musical movie called High School Musical 4: The Reunion. Ricky, Gina, Kourtney, and the rest of the gang are all cast as extras for the film and are present during filming. Monique Coleman, Bart Johnson, and Alyson Reed all make appearances, joining Stroh, Grabeel, and Bleu. They play themselves playing their characters (Taylor, Coach Bolton, Ms. Darbus, Martha, Ryan, and Chad, respectively).
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
