High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Season 4: Trailer, Release Date, Cast, & More

High School Musical, who says we have to let it go? And now… we don't. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is officially returning for season 4 — the show's final season — and with it, the fourth installment of the HSM film franchise. Kind of.

The third season of HSMTMTS took the Wildcats out of their natural habitat, dropping them in the middle of the woods at Camp Shallow Lake. (Some of you may remember that Shallow Lake is the same theater summer camp Nini Salazar-Roberts, played by Olivia Rodrigo, and E.J. Caswell [Matt Cornett] began their season 1 romance.) That summer was definitely one for the books for our favorite gang of theater kids, with each of them navigating personal challenges, secrets, relationship issues, and reality show-level drama all while trying to put on a successful camp production of Frozen. Now, it's time to return to East High for graduation.

Fourth time's the charm, right? Below, find out everything we know so far about High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4, including cast info, trailer, release date, and more.

When is HSMTMTS season 4 being released?

It's official: HSMTMTS season 4 will arrive on August 9, 2023. Production on the final season of the show wrapped way back in December 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. In an announcement note to fans on June 21, showrunner Tim Federle revealed that the new season won't be releasing episodes weekly like they've done in the past — all episodes of season 4 will drop “all at once." 

“After four years at East High, it's time to graduate. This will be our final, endgame season," wrote Federle. "This show brought the most extraordinary cast — and crew and collaborators — to my life. To the fans, who embraced our super-meta series: We 'don't not love you.' We can't wait to share this epic fourth act with you all. See you all at graduation!”

Is there a trailer for HSMTMTS season 4?

Yes! On the same day as the premiere date reveal, Disney+ dropped the first teaser trailer for the final season of HSMTMTS. “Senior year, it's gonna be the best," says Joshua Bassett as Ricky. "It's now or never,” offers an ecstatic-looking Sofia Wylie as Gina. On July 12, Disney+ released the full-length trailer for season 4. Will Gina and Ricky be able to keep their relationship a secret — or keep their relationship alive at all? Will the Wildcats be able to save Miss Jenn's show while also stepping into the spotlight with HSM 4? Will their friendships be able to survive graduation, the biggest transition of their lives? The original Wildcats, the new Wildcats, the senior production of High School Musical 3 — there's too much happening, my feels can't take it. Who else is down to rewatch seasons 1-3 while we wait?

What will HSMTMTS season 4 be about?

Warning: spoilers for *__HSMTMTS __*season 3 below.

Each season so far has revolved around the show's main characters putting on a musical — season 1 was High School Musical: The Musical, season 2 was Beauty and the Beast, and season 3 was Frozen. Next, our soon-to-be-graduates of East High will be putting on their own production of High School Musical 3: Senior Year, the final film in the HSM trilogy. Or… so we thought. 

In the most mind bending meta plot twist ever, the group of seniors find out upon their return to school in the fall that East High is once again being used as a film set — this time, for High School Musical 4: The Reunion, and they'll all get to be movie extras. As confirmed by Disney+, season 4 will feature songs from the original High School Musical franchise as well as original music. “It is so meta,” Federle told People in June 2023. “It's like Inception with jazz hands at this point. I think there are Easter eggs in every episode.”

While teasing the upcoming season to the outlet, the cast and crew revealed that the characters' story arcs are jam-packed: Ricky and Gina will continue to explore their budding relationship after that shocking kiss in the final seconds of the season 3 finale, while also experiencing many of the same tribulations Troy and Gabriella experienced in HSM 3; Kourtney must make life-altering decisions as she prepares for college; and Ashlyn will embark on a journey to discover her “queerdom.”

Who is in the cast of HSMTMTS season 4?

On September 23, Disney+ confirmed that the majority of the main HSMTMTS cast members will return for season 4. This includes Joshua Bassett (who plays Ricky), Sofia Wylie (Gina), Dara Reneé (Kourtney), Frankie A. Rodriguez (Carlos), Julia Lester (Ashlyn), Joe Serafini (Sebastian), Kate Reinders (Miss Jenn) and season 3 star Liamani Segura (Emmy).

New cast members joining season 4 in recurring and guest star roles include Gabby Duran & The Unsittables star Kylie Cantrall, who will play a social media star named Dani; Doogie Kamealoha M.D. star Matthew Sato, who will portray a sitcom actor named Mack. 

“She likes the spotlight and when she wants something, she goes and gets it, even if it means stepping on people's toes a little bit,” Cantrall said to People, describing her character Dani. According to Sato, throughout the season Mack "develops a really interesting relationship” with none other than Gina. Hacks and TikTok and star Caitlin Reilly will also join the cast as an indie film director named Quinn; and The Prom's Vasthy Mompoint as a choreographer named Krystal.

Will the original High School Musical cast be in HSMTMTS season 4?

Season 4's fictional version of High School Musical 4 opens the door for cameo after cameo from OG HSM stars. So far, the show has seen brief guest appearances from KayCee Stroh, Lucas Grabeel, and Corbin Bleu, who played a semi-fictionalized version of himself in season 3. Back in December 2021, Monique Coleman told People she'd “love to come back" and appear on HSMTMTS. “I think that would be really fun." 

Manifestation queen. Last fall, Disney confirmed that six (!!!) original HSM stars would be joining the HSMTMTS season 4 cast and returning to East High in main cast roles: Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed, and KayCee Stroh.

In the show's fictional version of HSM 4, Bleu, Coleman, Grabeel, Johnson, Reed, and Stroh will play themselves, and reprise their High School Musical roles as Chad Danforth, Taylor McKessie, Ryan Evans, Coach Jack Bolton, Ms. Darbus, and Martha Cox, respectively.

“We've been manifesting it since day one and here we are four seasons later and we finally get to be with the OG Wildcat Group,” Julia Lester told People in June. “They embody the OG Wildcat spirit, we embody this new Wildcat spirit, and two groups blended together has been so wonderful.”

Earlier this year, Bleu told the publication that he “started crying” the first time he returned to the East High gym while filming season 4. “I had so many life-changing special experiences in that room where we shot 'Get'cha Head in the Game,' where we shot 'We're All in This Together,' where we had so many emotional, important scenes, crazy moments. It wasn't until going back and just seeing it again going, 'I can't believe this.' It really was gratitude.”

“It was really special to share that,” Joshua Bassett added, reflecting on the OG cast's emotional reactions. “It was truly a beautiful thing and beyond what we were hoping for to have so many original people back.” 

Is Olivia Rodrigo returning for HSMTMTS season 4?

Back in July 2022, after her character was reduced from regular to recurring, showrunner Tim Federle confirmed that season 1 and 2 star Olivia Rodrigo would not be returning to reprise her role as Nini Salazar-Roberts in future seasons of the show. Federle cited scheduling conflicts as the reason for Rodrigo's departure from the show, as the popstar has seen massive success, recently concluding her first world tour. The showrunner promised that Nini would get “a proper sendoff” in season 3, while still leaving room for other characters to “step into the spotlight.”

Related: Olivia Rodrigo Hid an Easter Egg About Her Second Album in a Selfie

“I think it's probably a fairly safe bet to say that, for now, we have so many cast members who we love and who we're serving, that I think there's no immediate plans for Nini to be a huge part of the show going forward,” Federle told Entertainment Weekly. "But the world has a way of surprising me and I never say never.” (See the full story here.)

Are Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens coming back to East High for HSMTMTS season 4?

We're still holding out hope that the original trilogy's leads, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, might make a surprise appearance. This past summer, the two stars have unexpectedly satisfied our nostalgia doses.

In May, Olivia Rodrigo and Vanessa Hudgens bonded over HSM at the 2022 Met Gala. One month later, Hudgens documented a visit to the IRL East High on Instagram and quoted a line from her character, Gabriella Montez, in the caption. One month after that, it was Troy Bolton's homecoming — Zac Efron nearly broke the Internet when he posted a photo outside of East High.

Efron has been vocal about how open he is to returning to the hallowed halls of East High, telling E! News back in May 2022 that he was “of course” interested in a HSM reboot. “Seriously, having the opportunity in any form to go back and work with that team would be so amazing," Efron said then. “My heart's still there. That would be incredible. I hope it happens." 

Doesn't it seem a bit coincidental that Hudgens and Efron both paid a visit to East High this summer? HSMTMTS showrunner Tim Federle called it exactly that, actually: “I consider those posts the divine coincidence that it would be nice if someday soon I could actually get those incredible people inside the building in front of some cameras,” he told Entertainment Tonight after the show's season 3 finale.

On October 21, Hudgens echoed the showrunner, saying her surprise appearance at East High last summer was just a random, nostalgic opportunity. "My boyfriend was playing in Salt Lake — he's a baseball player. So he was at the field and I had rented a car and I was like, 'I want to go check it out and take some pictures for old time's sake,'" Hudgens told Entertainment Weekly. When asked why Efron then took a picture outside of East High only a few weeks later, Hudgens joked that she was a “trendsetter.”

Never say never, though. When asked directly whether she'd end up returning to East High for a HSMTMTS S4 cameo, not a nostalgia visit, the actress had a cryptic reply: “I don't know. We leave it up to fate. Leave it up to the gods.” We're watching you, Gabriella Montez.

Are there first-look photos for HSMTMTS season 4?

Yes! On June 21, along with the trailer drop, Disney+ widely released a few first-look images at the upcoming final season. There's Rina literally in puppy love, the reunited Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman, a peek at some new faces, and the graduation finale of the Wildcats' production of High School Musical 3. (I'm not crying, you're crying!)

This post will be updated as more news about High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4 breaks.