“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” was released November 8, 2019 on the streaming service Disney+. At first when the announcement of a sort of reboot of the infamous High School Musical movie was presented, fans were a bit skeptical over the concept. However, the series has received nothing but great reviews. Coming from a generation that grew up with these movies, for me I was especially skeptical over someone remaking the movies. When I saw the pilot of the series however, I was surprised on how well the show had executed bringing back the original movie without literally remaking it. 

The show takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City is the place where the original “High School Musical” was shot. The series follows a group of theatre kids who attend the well-known high school of Salt Lake City. In the pilot of the show, a new theatre teacher is introduced, she makes note that although the high school is known for High School Musical, it has never put on High School Musical: The Musical, so she makes sure to have that as her first production as the theatre teacher. The series is a great concept and sheds light on the greatness of the original High School Musical movies without taking away from it. Many of the cast members from the series have mentioned that the show is not trying to remake the original, and that the show will open doors to a whole new generation of Wildcats. Not only does the show follow a group of new students, but a few episodes feature cameos of original cast members of “High School Musical.” These cast members now play themselves and give viewers a sort of nostalgia when their faces appear on a show based on the same concept, but fourteen years later. 

The original “High School Musical” came out in 2006, and for most students at AHS these movies were the prime of our childhood. I for one have rewatched all three movies multiple times because of how great and memorable they are. When a new project was announced that was going to be based on “High School Musical,” everyone’s immediate thoughts were that it would not reflect the originals correctly, and that it would ultimately ruin what made our childhood so great. The original cast of “High School Musical” obviously had to reach out to the show’s cast, and a few did. Joshua Bennett who is one of the main characters the series plays Ricky and received the role of Troy Bolton, mentioned in an interview with Access Daily that “Kenny Ortega reached out. He obviously directed and choreographed the first three films, so yeah, getting their kind of blessing was really nice.” Knowing that the original cast of “High School Musical” fully supports this new series is a great sign if anyone is curious on how good the series really is. 

Overall, the series gives audiences a whole new generation of Wildcats, while at the same time, giving something new. The show does not take away from the originals and perfectly reflects what “High School Musical” was without changing it. The series is fresh, new, and covers a variety of the original’s songs and dances, but also presents a wide arrangement of great new music. This series is perfect for anyone longing to reminisce on the originals, but also wanting something completely different.