I'd decided to give this series a chance after seeing mostly positive reviews. As a fan of the first and third High School Musical films, I thought that perhaps I was on to something.
For me, if a musical is going to be memorable, it has to have great songs. I don't care if the plot isn't as strong, but if the songs are there, then you've got me hooked. Some musicals have both, such as "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers," "An American in Paris," "The Sound of Music," or even more recently for me, "The Greatest Showman." The first High School musical had a few good songs. The second one didn't have any, and the third was loaded.
This is a series that seems to work better as a comedy-drama than a musical. Most of the songs on this series--and I'm not talking about the ones they copy from High School Musical or Beauty and the Beast, are mostly forgettable. Frankly, none of the songs, nor most of the singers reach the same compatible level as Efron, Hudgens, Tisdale, or the rest of the original cast. Most of the songs feel like they were written by amateurs off of youtube. Disney should have hired some quality writers.
The show does have some decent storylines, however. In Season 1, especially, there's enough plot to keep the viewer vested. By Season 2, the show descends into a soap opera rollercoaster with a ridiculous plot element of two schools competing for money, which is silly.
Sofia Wylie (Gina) gets the most props from me as a super all-around talent. She's easily the best dancer of the cast, and she is the only character who gives her character real depth. She was easily my favorite.
Julia Lester and Dara Renee are the best singers by a longshot of the group.
Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett have obvious chemistry but little else. The writers decided to bathe the two actors in a sea of immaturity and teen angst that is as tiresome as watching a Hallmark movie. Nini is all about getting viewers on Instagram. Ricky is all about crying over his girlfriend, his mom, and anything else that doesn't happen to go his way. Neither are particularly strong actors either, and they stand out badly against the better performers.
Perhaps the worst of all is Kate Reinders (Miss Jenn), who acts like she's a cross between Michael Scott (The Office) and Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation). I'm not sure who decided that it was a good idea to be a 10th-rate performer by ripping off two classic characters. Is it because Disney also went that route by trying to go the mockumentary path? Her character is nails-on-a-chalkboard irritating. Half of her facial expressions look as if her head is about to explode. She tries to be funny, but most of the time it is cringeworthy bad.
I realize that today's "Hollywood" is doing its best to re-create and ride the coattails of past successes. Disney clearly lacks any creative writers who can simply write something original. That industry is all but dead. The Koreans easily own the best entertainment industry on the planet right now, with some of the best TV shows and movies. Perhaps Disney should consider hiring some of them to write.
Obviously, after an abysmal Season 2, I have no desire to punish myself by watching the next one. This series, like so many others from Disney (most of the Marvel and Star Wars series), is lukewarm at best. I'll be sticking with the Korean shows on Netflix, which are infinitely superior is just about every way.
For me, if a musical is going to be memorable, it has to have great songs. I don't care if the plot isn't as strong, but if the songs are there, then you've got me hooked. Some musicals have both, such as "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers," "An American in Paris," "The Sound of Music," or even more recently for me, "The Greatest Showman." The first High School musical had a few good songs. The second one didn't have any, and the third was loaded.
This is a series that seems to work better as a comedy-drama than a musical. Most of the songs on this series--and I'm not talking about the ones they copy from High School Musical or Beauty and the Beast, are mostly forgettable. Frankly, none of the songs, nor most of the singers reach the same compatible level as Efron, Hudgens, Tisdale, or the rest of the original cast. Most of the songs feel like they were written by amateurs off of youtube. Disney should have hired some quality writers.
The show does have some decent storylines, however. In Season 1, especially, there's enough plot to keep the viewer vested. By Season 2, the show descends into a soap opera rollercoaster with a ridiculous plot element of two schools competing for money, which is silly.
Sofia Wylie (Gina) gets the most props from me as a super all-around talent. She's easily the best dancer of the cast, and she is the only character who gives her character real depth. She was easily my favorite.
Julia Lester and Dara Renee are the best singers by a longshot of the group.
Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett have obvious chemistry but little else. The writers decided to bathe the two actors in a sea of immaturity and teen angst that is as tiresome as watching a Hallmark movie. Nini is all about getting viewers on Instagram. Ricky is all about crying over his girlfriend, his mom, and anything else that doesn't happen to go his way. Neither are particularly strong actors either, and they stand out badly against the better performers.
Perhaps the worst of all is Kate Reinders (Miss Jenn), who acts like she's a cross between Michael Scott (The Office) and Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation). I'm not sure who decided that it was a good idea to be a 10th-rate performer by ripping off two classic characters. Is it because Disney also went that route by trying to go the mockumentary path? Her character is nails-on-a-chalkboard irritating. Half of her facial expressions look as if her head is about to explode. She tries to be funny, but most of the time it is cringeworthy bad.
I realize that today's "Hollywood" is doing its best to re-create and ride the coattails of past successes. Disney clearly lacks any creative writers who can simply write something original. That industry is all but dead. The Koreans easily own the best entertainment industry on the planet right now, with some of the best TV shows and movies. Perhaps Disney should consider hiring some of them to write.
Obviously, after an abysmal Season 2, I have no desire to punish myself by watching the next one. This series, like so many others from Disney (most of the Marvel and Star Wars series), is lukewarm at best. I'll be sticking with the Korean shows on Netflix, which are infinitely superior is just about every way.