Plot Synopsis

Created and executive produced by Tim Federle, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE MUSICAL: THE SERIES is a 10-episode series that picks up nearly 15 years after HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL aired at the real-life location where it all began: East High. The series follows a group of students as they countdown to the opening night of their school's first-ever production of "High School Musical: The Musical." Showmances blossom; friendships are tested while new ones are made; rivalries flare and lives are changed forever as these young people discover the transformative power that only a high school drama club can provide. Brand-new songs and acoustic "rehearsal room" reinterpretations of songs from the original HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL provide the soundtrack for an unlikely group of theater kids who learn "we're all in this together" when it comes to pulling off an against-all-odds opening night.

The series introduces 10 main characters: Nini, Ricky, Gina, E.J., Ashlyn, Kourtney, Carlos, Big Red, Miss Jenn and Mr. Mazzara -- a group of drama students and faculty members at Utah's East High. Ricky is a charismatic teen auditioning for the musical so he can win back the heart of ex-girlfriend Nini, who has just returned from summer theater camp with a new boyfriend - and the same insecurities that keep her from owning the spotlight. Miss Jenn is East High's supremely spirited drama teacher, who's convinced that musicals can be lifesavers; Gina is a transfer student and diehard theater kid with plenty of secrets; E.J. is Nini's new beau from camp, who sees life as a competition and Ricky as his No. 1 foe. Kourtney is Nini's best friend and a fashionista equally obsessed with makeup tutorials and feminism. Ashlyn is E.J.'s cousin and an aspiring songwriter; Carlos is the student choreographer who has already memorized his Tony Award speech; and Big Red is Ricky's best friend, a dude who can best be described as a spiritual descendant of Bill and Ted. Mr. Mazzara is East High's by-the-book STEM teacher.

On Friday, November 8, 2019 at 8pm ET/PT, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE MUSICAL: THE SERIES had its series sneak peek, as ABC, Freeform and Disney aired the first episode -- four days before the official series premiere at 6am ET/3am PT on Tuesday, November 12, as Disney+ released the same episode. Subsequent episodes debuted on Disney+ each Friday, beginning November 15, 2019 through January 10, 2020.

Disney+ premiered a 45-minute HSMTMTS holiday special on Friday, December 11, 2020 at 3:01am ET/12:01am PT. The cast perform their favorite Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's songs and share anecdotes from their memorable holidays, best -- and most embarrassing! -- presents, favorite holiday traditions, family Christmas photos, and poignant New Year's resolutions. Plus, the special gives viewers a sneak peek at Season 2. Series regulars Olivia Rodrigo, Joshua Bassett, Sofia Wylie, Matt Cornett, Larry Saperstein, Julia Lester, Dara Renee, Frankie Rodriguez, Joe Serafini, Mark St. Cyr and Kate Reinders get viewers in the holiday spirit with their renditions of holiday classics, popular hits and a medley of Hanukkah favorites. Bassett also debuts an acoustic version of an original song which he wrote for Season 2. The holiday special was shot semi-remotely with cast across four states (California, Utah, New York and Arizona).

HSMTMTS' sophomore season dropped on Friday, May 14, 2021, as Disney+ released the first episode. In Season 2, the East High Wildcats, who are preparing to perform "Beauty and the Beast" as their spring musical, face off against rival school North High to win a prestigious and cutthroat student theater competition. Wigs are snatched, loyalties are tested, and ballads are belted. Recurring guest stars include Derek Hough as Zack, the new drama teacher at East High's rival high school, who returns to Salt Lake after a successful acting career in New York City; Roman Banks as Howie, a high school junior who works after school as a delivery guy for Big Red's family's pizza shop, Salt Lake Slices; and Olivia Rose Keegan as Lily, an energetic East High student whose sweetness masks her highly competitive nature. Additional guest stars include Andrew Barth Feldman as French exchange student Antoine and Asher Angel as Jack, a charming, smooth-talking student with wanderlust. In the season opener, "New Year's Eve," flying high after the triumph of opening night, Ricky, Nini, Gina, and the Wildcats gather at Ashlyn's for a New Year's Eve party. Miss Jenn runs into the new North High rival theatre teacher -- a.k.a her ex-boyfriend -- and at the stroke of midnight, shocking revelations come to the surface.

HSMTMTS returned for its eight-episode third season on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, as Disney+ released the season opener. A new episode drops each Wednesday through September 14. Set at Camp Shallow Lake, a sleepaway camp in California, as the Wildcats and their fellow campers are primed for an unforgettable summer ripe with romance, curfew-less nights and a taste of the great outdoors. With a high-stakes production of "Frozen" on the horizon AND a drama-filled "docu-series" of the production in the works, the Wildcats will attempt to show who is "best in snow" without leaving anyone out in the cold.
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The fourth and final season of HSMTMTS premiered on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 on Disney+. Season 4 sees the Wildcats returning to East High, where they prepare a stage production of "High School Musical 3: Senior Year." But, in a meta twist, plans are disrupted when Principal Gutierrez announces that Disney had decided to make the long-awaited "High School Musical 4: The Reunion" movie on location at their beloved high school. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL franchise alumni Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed and Kaycee Stroh play themselves, resurrecting their HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL roles as Chad Danforth, Taylor McKessie, Ryan Evans, Coach Jack Bolton, Ms. Darbus and Martha Cox, respectively. The Wildcats will play featured extras in the movie. All eight episodes of HSMTMTS's fourth season dropped on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 on Disney+