How ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ Is Connected to ‘High School Musical’

Get ready to brush off the status quo and get your head in the game. High School Musical is coming back to Disney with a brand new spinoff series. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premieres on ABC, the Disney Channel, and Freeform on Friday, November 8 before coming to Disney+ on November 12. But how exactly is this new High School Musical show connected to the original?

Created by Tim Federle, there are a lot of crazy meta levels to this mockuseries. But High School Musical: The Musical: The Series isn’t a continuation to the original Disney Channel Original Movie (or the theatrically released threequel) at all. Instead, it’s a spinoff of the beloved franchise.

In the world of this Disney+ series, High School Musical premiered and became an overnight sensation just like it did in real life. Basically, everything between our two worlds is the same. In both, High School Musical starred Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and launched their careers. Just like in our world, High School Musical had two sequels as well as a third spinoff movie, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure. And of course, all of the songs are the same.

The Disney+ series doesn’t follow the plot of the movie, but the original, real high school where High School Musical was shot, East High School in Salt Lake City, is the setting. After the drama teacher Miss Jenn (Kate Reinders) learns that this school has never put on its own version of a High School Musical musical, she flips out. Miss Jenn becomes determined to make East High School perform the show that put it on the map.

Before we get any further, a couple more details. Yes, there is really a musical version of High School Musical that real high schools in real life perform. Yes, the high school this article’s author attended did try to put on a High School Musical musical and failed. So as insane as this series is, it’s only about two degrees crazier than real life.

So where does that leave the actual high schoolers of this new High School Musical? The rest of the series follows a handful of students as they audition and prepare for their roles in High School Musical: The Musical. And true to this crazy show’s crazy form all of the drama these students are going through is oddly reminiscent of the characters they want to play. Nini (Olivia Rodrigo), the young woman angling to play HSM: TM: TS‘s Gabriella, has some boy problems of her own. This series’ Troy wannabe, played by Ricky (Joshua Bassett), is hiding some secret musical skills. And just about everyone else is as dramatic as Ryan and Sharpay.

Basically High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is a funnier version of every adolescent musical theatre run. There’s drama, heartache, backstabbing, and a teacher who’s way too invested in all of this madness. Don’t get too caught up in the High School Musical of it all. Just relax and have a good time.

The first episode of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premieres on ABC, Disney Channel, and Freeform on Friday, November 8. The series will then be added to Disney+ on November 12 where all new episodes will premiere.

Where to stream High School Musical: The Musical: The Series