Apple TV Plus
The first season of Apple TV Plus’ musical romantic comedy series Schmigadoon! was a pure, candy-colored delight as it lovingly skewered and paid homage to classic Broadway musicals of the 1950s and 1960s, following dating couple Josh and Melissa as they found themselves in a rut, possibly not even right for each other, wandering into the magical land of Schmigadoon — a play on the magical land of Brigadoon, which only appears for one day every 100 years — where the pair’s relationship is tested, through song and dance, allowing them to leave only when they’ve found true love. They did, and as they finally left the bizarre land we were left to wonder if they would have that happily ever after.
Well … Season 2 picks up ‘Ten seconds after Schmigadoon’ as they leave and then quickly flashes forward through their wedding day and the first two years of their lives. Unsuccessful at conceiving a baby, the two fall into the same old rut they were in while they were dating and before Josh can even get the sentence out, Melissa quickly says yes to what she presumed was his suggestion that they go back to Schmigadoon to see if they can fix their relationship again. Donning their fanciful outfits they trudge through the forest trying to find the bridge but after hours of walking they come to realize that maybe you can’t go back to Schmigadoon. Crestfallen, they head back to the car, but it gets a flat on a bridge and as Josh decides he’s not a car guy and has no idea if they even have a spare, they hear … music! Could they have finally located Schmigadoon?
Not exactly. They are greeted by a chorus and Tituss Burgess’ Narrator welcoming them to ‘Schmicago’, a darker, grittier, edgier magical musical land, and Melissa quickly realizes that this world is more like the musicals of the 1970s that had a narrator instead of a story. Ouch! Josh kind of digs the sexiness of Schmicago and when the Narrator tells them they still have work to do, Josh is all for staying the night. During the opening number, almost all of the main players are introduced but poor Josh doesn’t seem to realize that they are all the same people from Schmigadoon … but they aren’t. And they encounter more of them as they begin their stay but the only person Josh seems to recognize is Emma (Ariana DeBose) — of course he would recognize her — who is now the emcee at the Kratt Klub (a nod to Cabaret‘s emcee). This was a really clever and fun way to include everyone from Season 1 in completely different roles. Also returning are:
- Dove Cameron (Season 1’s Betsy) as Jenny Banks, who is inspired by Cabaret‘s Sally Bowles
- Jaime Camil (Season 1’s Jorge Lopez) as Sergeant Rivera
- Kristin Chenoweth (Season 1’s Mildred Layton) as Miss Caldwell, who is inspired by Sweeney Todd‘s Mrs. Lovett and Annie‘s Miss Hannigan
- Alan Cumming (Season 1’s Aloysius Menlove) as Dooley Flint, who is inspired by Sweeney Todd‘s title character
- Ann Harada (Season 1’s Florence Menlove) as Madam Frau, who is inspired by Cabaret‘s Fraulein Schneider
- Jane Krakowski (Season 1’s Gabriele Von Blerkom, aka ‘Blerky’) as Bobby Flanagan, who is inspired by Chicago‘s Billy Flynn
- Aaron Tveit (Season 1’s Danny Bailey) as Topher, who is inspired by main characters from Pippin, Godspell and Hair
At their seedy hotel, the couple are quickly intruded upon by Jenny, who quickly decides they will be best friends and begs them to come to her show at the club as she is performing a new number. Overwhelmed by it all, they agree and are treated to a riff on Sweet Charity‘s ‘Hey Big Spender’ as the showgirls work really, really hard to shock them (‘I like boys … and girls!’, ‘I have a tattoo’) ahead of Jenny’s big number about her relationship that’s gone kaput. Both numbers are hilarious. Josh and Melissa also meet the second newcomer to the story, Octavius Kratt (Patrick Page), who takes a liking to Melissa. Josh, however, finds himself in a pickle when looking for the men’s room and instead finds a dead showgirl. Now with her blood on his hands, Josh finds out they cannot escape Schmicago and he is quickly jailed … on Death Row.
Apple TV Plus
Melissa seeks out the services of Bobby Flanagan, surprised and happy that she’s a woman lawyer (but apparently it’s still a sexist and misogynistic world that doesn’t really accept such things), who tells her that while she works the press, Melissa should do the only natural thing — audition to replace the dead showgirl so she can investigate the murder. Melissa isn’t really a dancer, which she proves hilariously during the audition (in a brilliant homage to A Chorus Line), but she already has Kratt’s eye and gets the gig over the objections of Madam Frau and the other dancers auditioning. Josh, meanwhile, gets a new cellmate, Topher, a hippie who sings nonsensical songs … about himself. He sees something in Josh and tells him he should get on the Happy Bus, which Josh assumes is a drug reference, but while Melissa is performing a number at the club with Jenny and the emcee, Josh finds the Happy Bus is very real as he and Topher make their escape.
Season 1 of Schmigadoon! was so much fun, especially for anyone who loves classic musicals like The Sound of Music, The Music Man and Carousel. With Josh and Melissa finding their happiness at the end, the question was raised as to how there would be a second season. Would there be a new couple venturing into Schmigadoon? That probably would have been a bit too repetitive, so the idea of bringing the couple back in this next progression of Broadway musicals, the darker era, was brilliant. Where Melissa wanted to absorb everything about Schmigadoon — which she did, at one point blurting out ‘who wants corn pudding’ in a grocery store — this edgier world is where Josh feels comfortable because he’s edgy too … at least he thinks so. What’s also great here is that they (well, Melissa) is quick to recognize everyone from Schmigadoon, calling out to the mayor in the opening number, ‘Welcome to Schmicao’, while Josh quickly points out that isn’t the mayor. The musical numbers in the first two episodes are all brilliant, songs you are required to listen to so you won’t miss any of the clever lyrics. The choreography is also wonderful, particularly Jenny’s ‘Kaput’ number with the gravity-defying chairs. The murder mystery is a new angle but it’s a trope that was featured in many musicals of the era. Tituss Burgess’ magical narrator is also a hoot, appearing to comment on the story and disappearing before anyone can respond.
I loved Season 1 but after watching the premiere episodes of Season 2, I dare say it’s shaping up to be even better and funnier than the last. Watching the episodes late at night, I had to stifle several loud bursts of laughter so as not to wake the house. That is a credit to the great writing, acting and over all production of Schmigadoon!. I can’t wait to see what happens over the next four weeks. Check back for our weekly episode recaps and tell us what you think!
What did you think of the season premiere? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
New episodes of Schmigadoon! stream Wednesdays on Apple TV Plus. Subscribe through our affiliate link and catch up on Season 1.
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