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Is ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ Worth Watching Without Olivia Rodrigo?

The pop supernova has a much-reduced role in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” But in a show this clever with a cast this talented, that turns out to be a good thing.

While Paramount+ struggles to reboot some of the finest TV shows from Nickelodeon—iCarly, The Fairly Odd Parents, etc.—Disney+ has not-so-quietly figured out how to revive one of its finest pieces of 2000’s nostalgia. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has perfected the art of the tongue-in-cheek throwback since its Season 1 release in 2019.

And Season 3, which debuted on Wednesday, is no different. Well, it is a little different. The show’s biggest star, Olivia Rodrigo, has been demoted to a recurring role as she continues to tour her blockbuster album Sour across the world. Can High School Musical: The Musical: The Series carry on without her? Moreover, should Olivia Rodrigo stans still watch the series, even without her?

The short answer is yes. HSM:TM:TS continues to delight as it heads to summer camp this season. It has always been a great show, even without Rodrigo in the front seat. In fact—and this isn’t a dig towards the popstar at all—it might be even better now that she has a smaller presence. Let me explain.

Shot in mockumentary format (a masterful decision), the teen series follows a flock of dorky theater kids who attend East High, the OG High School Musical location. In the first season, they put on a school production of High School Musical, in which Olivia Rodrigo’s Nini lands the part of Gabriella. She’s stellar.

So great, in fact, that she transfers to a performing arts school, distancing herself from the rest of the show. By the series’ second season, Rodrigo had already taken a smaller part—even though “Drivers License” hadn’t hit the mainstream by the time production began. The singer released Sour just a week after Season 2 landed on Disney+.

Then, in no time, the Olivia Rodrigo wave swept the nation. Fans of the album tuned in for the second season, especially because Rodrigo penned a couple of her own songs for the show. But the actress wasn’t in East High’s production of Beauty and the Beast, though she’d have made the perfect Belle.

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Another Belle rose from the wings: Julia Lester, the series’ spunky redhead Ashlyn, who starred as an operatic Mrs. Darbus in the first season. Since she took the helm of the second season, Lester has gone on to land her first Broadway role in the star-studded revival of Into the Woods, where she plays Little Red.

Part of the appeal of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is the abundance of young actors who light up every episode with their flair of innocence and wit. First there was Olivia Rodrigo, then came Julia Lester, and now, the series is pushing the characters of Gina (Sofia Wylie) and Kourtney (Dara Reneé) to the forefront in a musical production of Frozen.

Like Stranger Things, which just introduced the world to Joseph Quinn, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has a knack for finding young talent (especially young women of color) and offering up opportunities and great material for them. Sure, Rodrigo isn’t in Season 3 as much, but it’ll be just as fun watching her co-stars rise to fame.

Plus, it’s not like Rodrigo is missing from the new season completely. She’s got another arc that’s separate from the main cast in which she heads to Hollywood to become a star. It’s certainly not as fun as the summer camp storyline, but it’s still a journey out to California to try out music making. Plus, she drafted a few new hits for the season. They’re total bops, of course. She always makes the catchiest music, even when it’s for a nerdy high school theater TV series on Disney+.

The original High School Musical saga shaped a new generation of young celebrities, with Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tidsdale, and Corbin Bleu oscillating in star power as each new chapter of the show was released. The nature of High School Musical is to, well, find the best and brightest high schoolers to star in musical numbers. It’s a tricky task. But the franchise excels at promoting a new triple threat every year.

Speaking of those actors, Corbin Bleu (or, “Bluh,” as one of the kids hilariously says) does make a grand re-entrance to the show as himself filming a new reality show. It’s such a cheeky, meta addition to the ever-growing franchise. Also, both Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens revisited East High in the past few months, which has led to the speculation that they’re making cameos in Season 3.

If they did? That would be SO. FUN. If they didn’t? Who cares! We’ve got Corbin Bleu, a bit of Olivia Rodrigo, and a bumbling cast of Hollywood’s best budding actors. The expansive High School Musical Universe will always be fresh, fun, and delightful, no matter who is at the top of the cast list.

Fletcher PetersEntertainment Reporter

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