The new Disney+ streaming service, along with having many movies and TV shows we all know and love, features Disney+ originals like “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”
I saw advertisements and clips from the show before its release and rolled my eyes at the thought of another teen drama series as a reboot of the original movie “High School Musical.” When I signed up for Disney+, I have to admit I was curious as to how cringey the show would be. So I watched the first two episodes.
I was pleasantly surprised. I judged it based on other shows and movies with young actors being the center of an unentertaining, forcibly relatable storyline. Most of which I’ve found come from the Netflix original category and star Noah Centineo.
“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” is much different. I applaud what they’ve done with the series so far, bring that it’s not a reboot of the original, as I suspected.
They’ve set the story 13 years after “High School Musical” was filmed and the teenagers in the show are aware the movie was filmed on their campus. The students do not treat the film like it actually happened, they know it was just a movie. I think this was the perfect way to do it.
It would have been hard to live up to the original hype of “High School Musical” if the main characters of the show were treating Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez like they were actual alumni of East High.
The show reminds me of “Glee”. The characters are aware of the cameras around them. Each character has their own interviews with the camera throughout the show giving it a reality show feel, even though it is not.
The characters, while young and in high school, have relatable lives. It doesn’t make their lives seem so far-fetched as teen drama shows sometimes do. It uses irony and humor as an undertone to address the struggles teenagers face in the show. Some of the characters are dramatic but that’s how some teenagers are today when it comes to their problems.
I also appreciate the show’s diversity and progressive characters. It has characters of different races and sexual orientations. While some shows today have such characters, “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” doesn’t make it a big deal. The show is able to have these characters without making it their main personality trait.
I am glad Disney finally made an entertaining show for me and the younger generation to enjoy. It doesn’t come from Disney Channel, which makes it better because in my opinion even children find Disney Channel shows today unappealing.
I wasn’t going to mention that I’ve watched “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” because I thought I wouldn’t be able to get through it.
However, I found myself hooked, quickly grabbing the remote to watch the next episode. I will say for a Disney show, it is quite entertaining and I look forward to the rest of the series.
Shelby Bordes is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.