Schmigadoon!

I stumbled across this show one night flipping through streaming services. I have always been a fan of Cecily Strong and still miss her in SNL so...why not watch this strange show called 'Schmigadoon!' I loved it from the very beginning! I have always been a big fan of musicals...the more showy and over-the-top the better and this show starts out strong and stays that way through both seasons. Some people might say it's satire but I think instead it pays homage to the shows of decades past. For the most part I always knew what musical they were stealing from during both seasons (and so glad they got in 'Phantom of the Opera' at the end with the chandelier finally landing on someone!).

The jokes are smart, the musical numbers are spot on and I love how Cecily Strong admits that as a size 12 she can't compete with the skinny girls but...there she is...singing and dancing and showing them all how it's done.

Loved Patrick Martin in 'Spirited' and I hope he's found a home on Apple TV.

My favorite part was watching the actors change characters between season 1 and season 2 with Dove Cameron and Alan Cumming as my favorites.

I can only hope that there is a season 3...

I'm here for keagen but it's pretty good I can't lie I was expecting to hate it.

The intelligence of this show is encased in the fact that it's unmistakably a musical with song and dance, and yet is also a parody of musicals. There may be a dark side that emerges only at the end of the first episode, but until that develops, it's a story filled with amusing ironies. Two of the songs in the first episode are clearly meant to resonate Rogers and Hammerstein musicals. The opening song is a riff on Oklahoma and another a riff on Carousel. But they are at one and the same time well-written and well-rehearsed numbers, and yet are funny because of their self-conscious acknowledgment that they are musicals. Hard to explain, perhaps, but you'll see what I mean when you watch. Parts are laugh out loud funny.

Either you like musical theater or you don't. If you do, then Schmigadoon - the town and the series - is for you. If not, stay away. The musical parodies are clever, though obviously derivative; the production numbers are appropriately over the top. At a few moments, it's a little too cute and self-aware for its own good, but for the most part, don't ask why, just enjoy. As the couple trapped in a Broadway fantasy while trying to revive their flagging relationship, Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong play their parts well, but the real standouts are Broadway veterans like Alan Cumming and Kristen Chenowitz playing it for all the Camp it's worth.

Halfway through, it's not hard to guess where this is likely going. Maybe there will be surprises, but even if it ends crossing that bridge hand in hand, it will more than enough fun.

If you truly hate musicals, then you won't like this show. Likewise, posting a 1-star review because you hate the genre makes no sense. As for me, I've seen several musicals. Some I liked. Some I did not.

But Schmigadoon is different. After watching the first few episodes, all I could think of was the great series Galavant that aired in 2015. The songs are all tongue-in-cheek parody. What makes Schmigadoon so endearing is the acting done by the two leads, Cecily and Keegan-Michael. They are trapped in this world and are often shocked or disturbed by what's happening around them.

The songs are highly inventive. The supporting cast is also spectacular. This is a unique and fun show with catchy tunes and laugh-out-loud moments. The script constantly plays up the fish-out-of-water setting, with moments such as Cecily's character trying to explain an IUD to the brash young man singing to her.

If the first episode doesn't hook you, then the show isn't for you. But if you were a fan of Galavant, I think you will enjoy Schmigadoon.