Schmigadoon! Season 2 Review: Toto, We Aren’t In Schmigadoon Anymore

Schmigadoon's second season is just as clever and entertaining, even if it isn't as magical or cohesive.

Created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio and executive produced by Lorne Michaels, the first season of Schmigadoon! followed doctors Melissa (Cecily Strong, SNL) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele) lost on a camping trip. With their relationship on the brink of collapse, they stumble across a foggy bridge leading to the fantastical town of Schmigadoon, where the lives of the townsfolk are suspiciously similar to that of famous musicals BrigadoonOklahoma!, and The Music Man. When their time in Schmigadoon ended, Melissa and Josh got back together, and the two left town forever, or so they thought!

The second season picks up 10 seconds after the first ends. Melissa and Josh are settling into married life, wanting to start a family, and trying to maintain the magic created during their time in Schmigadoon. A quick two-year time jump reveals that the realities of mundane life have made it quite difficult for them to hold on to the happiness they previously found. Desperate to find that feeling again, Melissa and Josh set out to return to the happiest town on earth.

Instead, they find themselves in a place where no one gets a happy ending, and it goes by the name of Schmicago. Immediately recognizing this as nowhere they want to be, the couple tries to bolt. However, after a brief encounter with the wise Leprechaun from last season (Martin Short), they realize they can’t leave until they help the people of Schmicago get their happy endings.

All the fan-favourite stars from the show’s first outing are back, except they look slightly different. Characters like the preacher’s wife, the town’s closeted gay mayor, and the ditsy waitress are now versions of Mrs. Lovett (Kristen Chenoweth), Sweeney Todd (Alan Cumming), and a somewhat odd amalgamation of Velma Kelly from Chicago and Sally Bowles from Cabaret (Dove Cameron).

The stand out of the returning cast is by far Jane Krakowski as this town’s version of Billy Flynn, a lawyer extraordinaire who tries to save Josh from death row when he’s framed for murder, but with a lot more razzle-dazzle. One complaint, however, is that there is nowhere near enough Ariana DeBose, but her one solo from Episode Six in the style of ‘And I’m Telling You’ from Dreamgirls is a showstopper.

Joining this season is Tituss Burgess as the story’s narrator and a take on The Leading Player from the musical Pippin. His character, and the presence of this particular musical as a whole, doesn’t mix with the music styles and narratives of the other musicals being satirized.

It’s slightly confusing when, at the beginning of Episode 1, a giant sign in bright white lights reads “Welcome to Schmicago,” yet the opening number proceeds to be a less exciting spoof of the whimsical ‘Magic to Do‘ from Pippin instead of something akin to ‘All That Jazz‘ from Chicago. It speaks to how the music is throughout the entire season. There are definitely some great numbers in its six-episode run, but none of them reach the bar set by the first season, except for the above-mentioned ballad from DeBose.

The storytelling might also be weaker than last season, but making up for this is how fun the character arcs are. The writers get to pull from musicals that are far more outlandish than the ones from the 40s and 50s. Adapting Chenoweth and Cumming’s Sweeney Todd characters to be aspiring orphan murderers was a particularly hilarious touch. Another fun twist is watching Melissa and Josh struggle to get the citizens of Schmicago their happy endings — a nice reversal of the arc in Season 1 as it allowed them to work together more often. Plus, it gives us more moments of charming banter between Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key.

Like with the first season of Schmigadoon!, musical theatre fans will truly rejoice. It has all the charm and references one wants in a musical comedy but with a little more grit and edge to help differentiate it from its predecessor. Simply seeing this brilliant cast do what they do best will surely put a smile on your face because, just like everyone who still has that musical theatre kid inside of them, this show is loud, proud, and never afraid to be its true self.

The first two episodes of Schmigadoon! Season 2 will be available to stream starting Wednesday, April 5 on Apple TV+ with new episodes airing weekly every Wednesday. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBn4jL4xKNw]



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