Schmigadoon! review and discussion questions written by the Unicorn on September 20th, 2021. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Schmigadoon! Review- Will the Musical Resonate? Should you watch it with your family?
Know Before You Watch Schmigadoon!
Show: Schmigadoon!
Rating: TV-14 (Each episode is rated differently, with the first and last being the most appropriate for younger audiences)
Genre: Musical Comedy
Age Suggestion: 14+
Release Date: July 16, 2021
Streaming Service: Apple TV+
Episodes/Length: 6 episodes that run 25-34 minutes
Warnings: Many sexual jokes, explicit language. If satire is not your thing, you will not enjoy this. If religion, parenthood, fairy tales, or traditional sexual roles being teased is not something you find funny, you will not enjoy this.
Quick Schmigadoon Summary
Melissa and Josh are on a retreat in the woods to try to make their relationship better when they accidentally stumble upon Schmigadoon!, a town that seems like it was plucked straight of out a classic Hollywood age musical. And there are so many nods to early musicals! Melissa loves musicals and Josh does not, but they both agree they have to find a way to escape- now. Schmigadoon takes inspiration from many classics, most obviously Brigadoon , The Music Man and also Oklahoma!
Schmigadoon! Review
**Spoilers Beyond This Point**
****SPOILER WARNING*****
–Is Schmigadoon! Appropriate?-
It’s really not appropriate for younger viewing audiences and it doesn’t try to be. It’s made with adults who grew up watching these musicals in mind. But if your teens are going to watch it, I would watch it with them. Though the only characters who swear consistently throughout Schmigadoon! are Josh and Melissa, there is still quite a bit of language. There’s also a parody of Do-Re-Mi that explains human reproduction in medical terms. In addition, there is just a whole lot of discussion around sex and sexuality. It is less raunchy than Galavant, and if you enjoyed that, you will likely enjoy this.
-Characters in Schmigadoon! & Acting-
The entire cast of Schmigadoon! is so fun. There are several SNL alumni, such as Fred Armisen, Martin Short, Cecily Strong (who is currently still a cast member). If that amazing cast wasn’t enough, there’s also tons of cast members from the Broadway and West End stages, like Aaron Tveit, Ariana Debose, Alan Cumming, Ann Harada, and the iconic Kristen Chenoweth, AND you have incredible comedians, such as Keegan Michael-Key from comedy duo Key and Peele. And I was impressed with Disney alumn Dove Cameron holding her own with these stars.
With such a star-studded cast, every moment of the story is well-acted, sung, and danced with a lot of comedy beats. The biggest standout by far though is newcomer Liam Quiring-Nkindi who plays Carson Tate, Ariana Debose’s character’s brother. He’s adorable and every time he’s on stage you can tell he’s acting his heart out. We hope we get to see him in more things soon!
-Script & Story-
The story follows Melissa and Josh as they come into contact with a lot of different exaggerated characters inspired by the characters in classic Broadway musicals. Each character has their own storyline, even if it’s as simple as no longer wanting to be a scoundrel like Aaron Tveit’s character Danny Bailey. The story spends a lot of time paying homage to the musicals it is based off, but also pointing out plot holes and issues in the stories that are now recognized as insensitive and offensive. It also provides representation that was missing from the stories Schmigadoon! Is based off of.
Allowing people of all races to be in not only the ensemble but also in leading roles like Ariana Debose, Ann Harada, and Liam Quiring-Nkindi was an improvement over the originals. There’s also representation of LGBTQ+ characters like Alan Cumming and Fred Armisen as the Mayor and Reverend.
And while this satire pointed out plot holes in other musicals, it had plenty of its own. It sounds like the showrunners are hoping for a second season, but if they don’t get it- the story was sufficiently wrapped up to be enjoyable all on its own.
-Songs-
The songs were by far the greatest highlight of the show. My personal favorite was “You Done Tamed Me” sung by the incredible Aaron Tveit. Other favorites were “Corn Puddin’”, a sling about what you’d expect, corn pudding, and “Schmigadoon!” the song that welcomed Josh and Melissa into Schmigadoon. All of the songs are reminiscent of the classic musicals the show is based on. I found myself singing all of the songs after watching each episode.
Schmigadoon! Review Conclusion:
As someone who grew up watching these musicals- I loved the concept behind this show. But as is so often the case with a massive star-studded cast, the story wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be. One of the major plot points was the romance, and it just wasn’t… romantic? And maybe that was part of the point. That we need to readjust our expectations for fairy tale romances. But there are plenty of stories of great romances that are certainly not fairy tales but still romantic and at the start of this series, I hoped this would be one of them. And it definitely was not.
It was, however, a lot more appropriate than other recent satire musicals. And if you’ve got kids and friends who are into musicals- this is a fun watch. With a really fantastic cast. And a pretty great soundtrack. It’s a fun adventure with a LOT of opportunities for some really great discussions! Both about musical theater/musical storylines and about relationships and our own responsibility to be a kind human.
Keep reading for Schmigadoon discussion questions
Schmigadoon Discussion Questions
Schmigadoon Themes to Discuss: Self Discovery, Learning to Love, Acknowledging Your Own Need for Growth
1) Melissa and Josh’s relationship started to suffer because they were too focused on themselves. What are some of the ways we can love others around us to keep our relationships strong?
2) Melissa frequently feels betrayed by Josh’s actions. When you do something, do you think about it affects other people? If you do, does it make you want to change your actions?
3) The town of Schmigadoon was very rigid in its rules thanks to Mildred Layton before Melissa and Josh helped give them new perspective. Who in your life has helped give you new perspective on your views?
Schmigadoon Quotes
“People don’t just burst into song in real life” -Josh
“Just because something is hard doesn’t mean it’s unnattainable” -Melissa
“We found our way out of IKEA and we will find a way out of here” -Josh
“We can’t just run away from the people we love because they’re not perfect. We have to forgive them.” -Josh
“That’s what’s so great about change. There’s always hope we can be something better than what we are. It’s not too late. I promise.” -Melissa
“There’s hope for all and we call it Schmigadoon!” -Finale
Thanks for Reading our Schmigadoon Discussion Questions and Schmigadoon! Review. Before You Go, Check Out These Other Posts:
–In the Heights Review
–A Week Away Discussion Questions and Review
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