Disney+ have announced that High School Musical: The Musical: The Series will be returning for a fourth season, following the upcoming season this summer. The announcement was made earlier this week via Disney’s social media accounts, as well as by the showrunner Tim Federle. The news was released in conjunction with the release date for Season 3, which has been confirmed as July 27.
The show follows a group of students at East High, the real life school where the High School Musical franchise was filmed. The first season focused on the students putting on a production of High School Musical, but in its second season expanded beyond its meta title. The upcoming season will deviate from the previous format, moving the action from the hallways of East High to Camp Shallow Lake. In a first-look clip released alongside the announcement, we see the campers find out that they will be putting on a production of Frozen, the news given by HSM alumni Corbin Bleu. The clip also provides the first look at Disney Channel alumni Jason Earles (Hannah Montana) as camp counsellor Dewey.
From its debut in November 2019, the show has received positive response from fans and critics alike. In particular, its LGBTQ+ representation has been celebrated by GLAAD, with the show featuring Disney’s first same-sex kiss.
The series has also served as a launchpad for its stars, many of whom have had great success beyond the show. This week it was announced that Julia Lester will be making her Broadway debut alongside the cast of Into the Woods; Sofia Wylie stars in Paul Feig’s next movie; and little needs to be said on the musical career of Olivia Rodrigo, who already has three Grammys to her name. Meanwhile, star Joshua Bassett also sold out his first world tour on the same day as the renewal announcement.
The ensemble’s success is likely to have contributed to the show’s early renewal. This departs from the pattern of Season 3, which wasn’t confirmed until months after the Season 2 finale.
The first two seasons of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series are available to stream now on Disney+.
Words by Rehana Nurmahi
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