"Oh, no, don’t you dare sing to me, you sicko! I shut down a dream ballet, I will shut down this!"
After leaving Schmigadoon, Josh and Melissa get married and move to the suburbs to start a family. They both miss Schmigadoon, especially as things in their lives do not go as planned. They decide to go back to Schmigadoon, but they can't find it.
Disappointed, they drive back home in the rain and get a flat tire on a bridge. They are surprised to learn that they are in Schmicago, but the town is darker and their friends are in new role. There is also a Narrator (Burgess). Melissa realizes they are in musicals from the 1960s-1970s that are darker and have different tropes. Josh convinces her to stay the night.
Josh stumbles across a dead body and is arrested by Sergeant Rivera (Camil) for murder. The Leprechaun (Short) tells them they can't leave until they find a happy end. Josh befriends his hippy cell mate Topher (Tveit) and gets the best attorney in town Bobby (Krakowski). Melissa takes a job at the Kratt Klub which is owned by Kratt (Page) and run by Madame Frau (Harada). She moves in with the main performer Jenny (Cameron) and befriends butcher Dooley (Cumming) and Miss Codwell (Chenoweth) who runs the orphanage. Can Josh and Melissa find the real culprit and find happiness?
The second season of this Apple TV+ series is based on musicals of the 1960s-1970s.
Every episode features original songs, that are reminiscent of musicals of the era. The characters, costumes, songs, and dancing reminds me of the following musicals:
A Chorus Line. Broadway debut 1975
Annie. Broadway debut 1977
Cabaret. Broadway debut 1966
Chicago. Broadway debut 1975
Company. Broadway debut 1970
Dreamgirls. Broadway debut 1981
Godspell. Broadway debut 1976
Grease. Broadway debut 1971
Hair. Broadway debut 1967
Jesus Christ Superstar. Broadway debut 1970
Pippin. Broadway debut 1972
The Rocky Horror Show. Broadway debut 1975
Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Broadway debut 1979
Sweet Charity. Broadway debut 1966
The Good:
The main cast, other than Fred Armisen, return for season 2. Everyone but Josh and Melissa play a new part. They are joined by Broady vets Tituss Burgess and Patrick Page, who are welcome additions to the cast. Burgess is great as the Narrator, with a knowing wink and a large helping of sarcasm and sass. Page is a great villain and gets to show off his low register. Also the Tribe, specifically the ones with names (Alex Gullason, Marisa Gold, and Michael Delleva), are fun additions. Gullason previously appeared as one of the singers in the "Cross that Bridge" song in Season 1.
Most of the recurring actors in Season 1 return in new capacities here and it is fun to find them each episode.
There are also fun references to the composers and writers of the musicals of this time: Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, John Kander and Fred Ebb, etc.
The Bad:
I like Kristin Chenoweth but her character's accent is obnoxious.
Other Comments:
-Season One focuses on musicals of the 1940s-1950s.
-"Bells and Whistles" in episode 3 is an incredible showcase for Jane Krakowski
-My favorite song is "Famous as Hell" in episode 5. "Talk to Daddy" in episode 4 is also a standout.
-I prefer the musicals of the 1940s and 1950s, but I enjoyed this season as much as the first.
-Apple TV+ canceled the show in 2024, which is disappointing. I was looking forward to a third season focused on musicals of the 1980s-1999s.
Schmigadoon (2023, Season 2)
Creator: Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio
Starring: Keegan-Michael Key as Dr. Josh Skinner
Cecily Strong as Dr. Melissa Gimble
Tituss Burgess as the Narrator
Dove Cameron as Jenny Banks
Jaime Camil as Sergeant Rivera
Kristin Chenoweth as Miss Codwell
Alan Cumming as Dooley Blight
Ariana DeBose as Emcee
Ann Harada as Madam Frau
Jane Krakowski as Bobby Flanagan
Patrick Page as Octavius Kratt
Martin Short as Leprechaun
Aaron Tveit as Topher
Alex Gullason as Alex
Marisa Gold as Marisa
Michael Delleva as Michael
Karin Konoval as Female Barfly
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