The made-in-Utah series “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” doesn't premiere for three weeks, but the Disney+ streaming service has already ordered a second season.
Production will resume in early 2020 — and, yes, the cast and crew will return to Salt Lake’s East High. The school became pop-culture iconic as the setting for the three original “High School Musical” movies, which made Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens stars.
The movies were filmed in Utah, but they weren’t set here. “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” is. The series is about a group of Utah teenagers who attend East High, where they put on their own high school musical — and it’s a stage version of “High School Musical.”
The series, of course, includes musical numbers. It restages some songs from the “High School Musical” movies, and adds new numbers.
Ricky Strauss, president of content and marketing for Disney+, said he’s “incredibly excited” after viewing the first season, which he described as “uplifting, funny, touching and relatable across generations. We are confident that the world, like us, will want much more of these characters, incredible songs and moments of joy.”
“HSM:TM:TS” starts streaming the day Disney+ launches — Tuesday, Nov. 12 — but you don’t have to wait until then or subscribe to the service to see the first episode. The pilot will air on Friday, Nov. 8, on broadcast and cable TV: ABC/Ch. 4, Disney Channel and Freeform.
Episode 2 will begin streaming on Friday, Nov. 15. The eight remaining episodes will begin streaming, one per week, on the next eight Fridays.
