Schmigadoon!

Schmigadoon! is an American musical comedy television series created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, with all songs written by Paul, who also serves as showrunner. The Apple TV+ series premiered July 16, 2021, starring an ensemble cast led by Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key. The story centers around a couple from New York, both doctors, who become trapped in magical musical theatre settings and learn lessons about love and happiness.

Blending satire and homage, Schmigadoon! alludes to numerous musicals in a pastiche of plots and song styles. The first season, set in the bucolic small town of Schmigadoon, blends elements of various Golden Age musicals of the 1940s and '50s, while the second season relocates the action to the gritty city of Schmicago and incorporates the darker, edgier themes of 1960s and '70s musicals.

Barry Sonnenfeld directed the first season, with choreography by Christopher Gattelli, and Cinco Paul won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the song "Corn Puddin'", featured in the pilot episode. The second season premiered April 5, 2023, directed by Alice Mathias and Robert Luketic, with Gattelli's choreography.

The series was not renewed for a third season. A stage adaptation is planned to premiere at the Kennedy Center in early 2025.

Background

Cinco Paul had the idea for the show over 20 years before the series premiered, that it would be funny if two men, like the backpackers in An American Werewolf In London, stumbled upon a musical, instead of a horror story. According to Paul, the concept only fully came into focus for him when it changed to "a couple who are stuck there until they can find true love". Paul said that even though Schmigadoon's season 1 musical style, characters and satire are largely based on 1940s and 1950s musicals, the sets and costumes reflect 1910s America, like the setting in The Music Man.

Premise

In the first season, two New York doctors, Melissa and Josh, go on a backpacking trip in an attempt to patch up their failing relationship, only to find themselves still arguing. They get lost and soon discover a magical town called Schmigadoon, which is perpetually trapped in a Golden Age-style musical, and soon learn that they cannot leave the town until they find "true love". The title and concept parody the 1947 musical Brigadoon.

In season 2, Melissa and Josh, now married, find their lives monotonous as doctors in New York City; they search for the quaint village of Schmigadoon but instead arrive in Schmicago, a world that pays satirical homage to sexy, dark 1960s and 1970s musicals; to escape, they are told, they must reach a happy ending. The name of the setting, Schmicago, parodies the 1975 musical Chicago. As in the first season, the last episode reaches beyond the time period of the rest of season 2 to reference later musical styles.

Cast and characters

Main

• Keegan-Michael Key as Josh Skinner, an orthopedic surgeon from New York City and Melissa's boyfriend, later husband
• Cecily Strong as Melissa Gimble, an OBGYN doctor from New York and Josh's girlfriend, later wife
• Fred Armisen as Reverend Howard Layton, long-suffering husband of Mildred and leader of the Methodist church in Schmigadoon (season 1)
• Dove Cameron as
  • Betsy McDonough, a waitress, one of Farmer McDonough's seven daughters, inspired by Ado Annie from Oklahoma! (season 1)
  • Jenny Banks, a cabaret performer inspired by Liza Minnelli's portrayal of Sally Bowles in the film adaptation of Cabaret, combined with elements of Johanna from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (season 2)
• Jaime Camil as
  • Doc Jorge Lopez, a judgmental doctor, set in his ways, inspired by Captain von Trapp from The Sound of Music (season 1)
  • Sergeant Rivera, Schmicago's chief of police, who is the nephew of Octavius Kratt and can be compared to Sweeney Todd's Beadle Bamford; he later parodies Dr. Frank-N-Furter from The Rocky Horror Show (season 2)
• Kristin Chenoweth as
  • Mildred Layton, preacher's wife and the town's self-appointed moral arbiter, whose great-great-grandfather founded Schmigadoon, based mainly on Mrs. Shinn from The Music Man (season 1)
  • Miss Codwell, the owner of an orphanage, combining elements of Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Miss Hannigan from Annie (season 2)
• Alan Cumming as
  • Mayor Aloysius Menlove, the closeted gay mayor of Schmigadoon (season 1)
  • Dooley Blight, a butcher and Jenny Banks' father; based on the title character of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (season 2)
• Ariana DeBose as
  • Emma Tate, Schmigadoon's schoolmarm, based on Marian Paroo from The Music Man (season 1)
  • Emcee, Master of Ceremonies at the Kratt Klub, a send up of the same character from Cabaret (season 2)
• Ann Harada as
  • Florence Menlove, the mayor's adoring but sexually frustrated wife (season 1)
  • Madam Frau, who runs the Hotel Schmicago, a house of prostitution, and the Kratt Klubb; based partly on Fräulein Schneider from Cabaret (season 2)
• Jane Krakowski as
  • Countess Gabriele Von Blerkom, Doc Lopez's fiancée, a rich, elegant woman, based on the Baroness from The Sound of Music (season 1)
  • Bobby Flanagan, a lawyer, based on Billy Flynn from Chicago and a nod to the female "Bobbie" in the 2018 and 2021 revivals of Company (season 2)
• Martin Short as Leprechaun, a magical imp based on Og from Finian's Rainbow; Short appears as Leprechaun (Steve), and also his brother (Oscar), in season 2.
• Aaron Tveit as
  • Danny Bailey, the town's rapscallion, a carnival barker, based on Billy Bigelow from Carousel (season 1)
  • Topher, leader of a tribe of hippies, combining elements of the leading characters from Pippin, Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair (season 2)
• Tituss Burgess as the Narrator, inspired by The Leading Player from Pippin (season 2)
• Patrick Page as Octavius Kratt, the sinister owner of the Kratt Klubb and Schmicago's electric station, reminiscent of Judge Turpin from Sweeney Todd, Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar and Page's previous villain roles, such as Hades in Hadestown (season 2)

Co-starring

• Liam Quiring-Nkindi as Carson, a boy with a lisp, who announces scene changes; Emma says that Carson is her kid brother, but it turns out that he is her son. He is based on Winthrop Paroo from The Music Man. (season 1)

Guest

Multiple seasons

• Kevin McNulty as
  • Farmer McDonough, Betsy's violent father (season 1)
  • Father Flanagan (season 2)
• Darcey Johnson as
  • Innkeeper Harvey (season 1)
  • Reporter (season 2)
• Scott Patey as
  • Larry the Fireman (season 1)
  • Reporter (season 2)
• Amitai Marmorstein as
  • Pete, the cheerful Milkman, who is often the subject of offscreen violence in a running gag (season 1);
  • Skeet the jury foreman/hot dog man (season 2)
• Timothy Webber as Marv
• Bijou Brattston as
  • Tootie McDonough, one of Farmer McDonough's seven daughters (season 1);
  • An orphan (season 2)

Season 1

• Peppermint as Madam Vina
• Kyra Leroux as Carrie, one of Farmer McDonough's seven daughters
• Pedro Salvin as Old Doc Lopez, Doc Lopez's father
• Michelle Rios as Mrs. Lopez, Doc Lopez's mother
• Garfield Wilson as Henry the Iceman
• Cassandra Consiglio as Nancy, Freddy's pregnant girlfriend; she is later revealed to be the Laytons' daughter.
• Alex Barima as Freddy, a sailor, Nancy's boyfriend

Season 2

• Karin Konoval as Female Barfly, who emphasizes statements with "I'll drink to that!", in reference to Joanne from Company
• Alex Gullason, Marisa Gold and Michael Delleva, three of Topher's hippie friends (each credited under their own first names); Gullason previously appeared in the first season episode "Cross That Bridge"
• Isabel Birch, Kairo Ellis, and Milana Wan as the Orphans
• Jacqueline and Joyce Robbins as the Bernstein sisters, performers at the Kratt Klubb. The name may be a reference to Leonard Bernstein.

Episodes

Season 1 (2021)

Season 2 (2023)

Production

It was announced in January 2020 that Cecily Strong was set to star in and produce the series, with a series order at Apple TV+ close to finalizing. In October, Keegan-Michael Key, Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen, Kristin Chenoweth, Aaron Tveit, Dove Cameron, Ariana DeBose, Jaime Camil, Jane Krakowski and Ann Harada were added to the cast.

Barry Sonnenfeld directed the season and also executive produced. Besides starring, Cecily Strong served as producer, and Ken Daurio served as consulting producer and writer. Andrew Singer also executive produces with Lorne Michaels on behalf of Broadway Video. The musical numbers were choreographed by Christopher Gattelli. In addition to Paul and Daurio, Allison Silverman, Julie Klausner, Kate Gersten and Bowen Yang were writers on the show. The first season was written in the summer of 2019. The season consisted of six episodes, although it was originally planned to be eight episodes. Bo Welch serves as the series' production designer. Filming for season 1 began in Vancouver on October 13, 2020, and concluded on December 10, taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The series' second season consists of six episodes, with all of the main cast returning, except for Armisen and Quiring-Nkindi; Tituss Burgess and Patrick Page join the cast. Alice Mathias and Robert Luketic directed. By June 2022 filming of season 2 had begun, and it was completed in July 2022. The second season writers include Paul, Josh Lieb, Jonathan Tolins, Raina Morris, and Klausner.

On January 18, 2024, Apple announced that it would not pick up the series for a third season. On the same date, Paul posted on his social media that the third season's episodes and songs have been written, and he stated: "[T]he optimist in me is convinced it's not the end of Schmigadoon!".

Music

Season 1

Cinco Paul wrote all of the original songs, and the underscore was composed by Christopher Willis. Soundtrack albums for the first season were released by Milan Records as each episode was released.

Season 2

Paul and Willis returned to write the original songs and underscoring, respectively, for season 2. Due to licensing issues, the album was released all at once on May 3, 2023, following the finale, as opposed to weekly releases.

Release

A trailer for the series was released on June 25, 2021. The first two episodes aired on Apple TV+ on July 16, followed by one new episode each subsequent Friday until season 1 ended with episode 6 on August 13, 2021.

The first two episodes of the second season premiered on April 5, with episodes continuing to be released weekly until May 3, 2023.

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 of Schmigadoon! holds an approval rating of 89% based on 79 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Schmigadoon!'s clever inside-theater jokes may not be for everyone, but there's no denying the joy of seeing this talented ensemble sing (and dance!) their hearts out." On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the series has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 48 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In The Boston Globe, Matthew Gilbert noted the show's "underlying affection for musical theater [though it] makes ruthless fun of the conventions of show tunes. ... There is plenty of snark afoot. But the songs are also wittily written, and catchy. The choreography is top-notch and well-shot. And the cast members ... have an infectious enthusiasm."

The second season of Schmigadoon! was met with critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds an approval rating of 97% based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Schmigadoon! returns with more libido, pizzazz, and all the jazz in a sophomore season that improves upon what was already a nifty production." On Metacritic, the second season has a score of 86 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Kelly Lawler, writing in USA Today, called the season "an even more enjoyable affair with better music and a cheekily absurdist tone that makes the series just silly enough to be serious". In The Washington Post, Peter Marks wrote, "The cockeyed genius of the series ... is finding profundity in parody."

A review of both seasons in Collider calls it "Apple TV+'s Most Underrated Show". Julia Glassman wrote in The Mary Sue: "The music and storytelling play off each other in perfect balance." Tributes to the show have included a live performance presented at 54 Below titled "54 Sings Schmigadoon!" in September 2023.

Accolades

Among other accolades, the first season of the series was nominated for four Emmy Awards, winning one. The soundtrack to Episode 1 was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, and Chenoweth was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The season, its writers, Key, DeBose and Chenoweth were all nominated for Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards. The season was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Streaming Fantasy Television Series.

Among accolades for the show's second season were three nominations for Emmy Awards and three nominations for Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards. The award ceremonies for these honors were delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, and both organizations plan to present their awards in January 2024. The season was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Television Series.

Stage adaptation

A stage adaptation of the series with book, music and lyrics by Cinco Paul is scheduled to premiere at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. in January 2025. The musical is written and composed by Paul and is set to feature direction and choreography by Gattelli. A workshop presentation of the show was held in June 2024.

See also

• Schm-reduplication, indicating irony or sarcasm

References

External links

• Schmigadoon! at IMDb
• Official pilot screenplay
• "Corn Puddin" scene from Episode 1, season 1, which won an Emmy Award
• Season 2 official trailer