When I first heard about Schmigadoon! coming to Apple+ I was excited by the cast, but then I learned it would be a musical and I swiftly changed my mind. But you know, maybe I’m coming around to musicals. I did just recently enjoy Tick, Tick…Boom! but I suppose I shouldn’t go making assumptions.
What worked best for Schmigadoon! is that it was pretty meta and very much making fun of itself. Don’t get me wrong, the singing was great, but the contents of some of those songs were absolutely ridiculous. My personal favorite of the season was “Corn Puddin’,” which almost went into a reprise. What I also liked about the songs that sort of moved the story forward is that the townsperson singing it acted like it didn’t happen immediately afterwards. Hilarious (and I’m talking about you, Aaron Tveit). Also, even though each episode was only about half an hour a piece, they didn’t overload it with singing. There were on average three songs an episode that were pretty well spaced. I appreciated that for sure. Break it up a little bit and actually move the story along.
With that being said, this show was only six short episodes, so I wasn’t expecting any really deep and twisted plot lines. The crux of the story is this: Josh and Melissa, both doctors, after four years and some change together have hit a serious lull in their relationship. Melissa sets them up on some hike quest to rekindle that romance a little bit, but find themselves stumbling into a make believe land called Schmigadoon. After a short bit of time there, they find out they can’t leave unless they are with their one true love. Clearly, Josh and Melissa aren’t cutting it at this point. Rather than try to mend their relationship right there, they both start picking through people in the town. Josh seems especially shallow as he tries to take almost every single lady over that bridge. Melissa is a little more thoughtful, but the pace these people move through love interests made my head spin.
I think it was sort of obvious that they had to fight and find new people for them to realize they are each other’s true love. It was a little ridiculous that they both fell in love with other people in under 24 hours before realizing this, but it’s a show, so I’ll let it pass I guess. Of course, just as they are about to cross the bridge it cuts to black, so while it’s safe to assume what happens might not end up being the case if it gets a second season. I shall wait to find out! Aside from the fun and fairly light premise, the show came with a mega talented cast, my favorite of which included Kristin Chenoweth as the town’s wet blanket. I also really enjoyed Alan Cumming as the town’s closeted mayor. I had a harder time getting used to his American accent rather than his huge moustache. Overall though, everyone was pretty great in this, and played their stereotype well.
I wouldn’t say I’m dying for another season of Schmigadoon!, but I did enjoy it much more than I had anticipated. The handful of friends of mine that had watched it claimed it was worth it, and I’d have to agree. Especially for such a short time commitment. So if you’re looking for something light with some hilarious songs, then go ahead and give this Apple+ comedy a shot.