Well, folks, prepare for a little of the ol’ razzle-dazzle.
In Schmigadoon‘s premiere season, the inventive musical-comedy series found couple Josh and Melissa (Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong) trapped in the wholesome, sunny confines of Schmigadoon, a mystical land where perky residents burst into song as if they were stuck inside a Golden Age Broadway musical.
But in Season 2, the now-married pair instead wind up waylaid in the debauched world of “Schmicago,” complete with seductive Bob Fosse-style dancing, fishnet-clad chorus girls, and all that jazz.
In this seedy town, Josh and Melissa encounter irreverent songs paying homage to an era of late-1960s and ’70s musicals (Kander and Ebb, Stephen Sondheim, and more) that, says series co-creator Cinco Paul, “really pushed boundaries.”
Apple TV+
While Melissa laments that Schmicago is “like that season of American Horror Story I gave up on,” Josh feels seduced by the “edgy” vibe — until they’re caught in a murder mystery at a seedy nightclub. Josh is blamed for that murder in the TV Insider exclusive clip from the season premiere above. But before he can utter, “Uh-uh, not guilty!”, it’s too late. Now, Josh and Melissa will have to prove his innocence.
Along the way, they encounter characters inspired by Cabaret’s come-hither Emcee (Ariana DeBose) and leading lady Sally Bowles (Dove Cameron), Sweeney Todd’s bloodthirsty barber (Alan Cumming), a dastardly fusion of Annie’s Miss Hannigan and Sweeney’s Mrs. Lovett (Kristin Chenoweth), Chicago’s media-manipulating lawyer Billy Flynn (Jane Krakowski), and Pippin‘s mysteriously threatening leading player (Tituss Burgess). Fusing the eclectic array of musicals proved to be challenging.
“Ultimately, it was about just embracing the craziness of it,” Paul says, adding that the series remains equal parts parody and tribute. “The more real the songs feel, the better the comedy is going to play.”
Schmigadoon! Season 2 premieres with its first two episodes on Wednesday, April 5 on Apple TV+. You can bet your bottom dollar that there’ll be plenty of magic to do.
Schmigadoon!, Season 2 Premiere, Wednesday, April 5, Apple TV+
