Musicals have held a special place in my heart as I love watching some of my favorite musicals for as long as I could remember, especially those from which I’d consider the “Golden Age of Musicals” period from the 1940s-1960s. If you’re really into musicals, you may want to consider watching the recent Apple TV+ Original Series called Schmigadoon!
This show is a story about two doctors from New York who started their life as a couple after a single encounter at a hospital’s vending machine. Over the next couple of years, they are going through a rough patch, and then they went on a hiking trip to fix their dysfunctional relationship. After a big argument under the heavy rain, they find themselves in the titular musical place. After a brief stay at an inn, they try to leave the place, but they’re stuck until they find true love.
Second, the characters from Schmigadoon are based on many characters from various musicals. For example, Doc Jorge Lopez (Jaime Camil), who is a stern widowed doctor, is heavily inspired by Captain von Trapp, and Emma Tate (Ariana DeBose), who is Schmigadoon’s schoolmarm, is based on The Music Man’s Marian Paroo.
The first two episodes premiered on July 16, 2021, with new episodes released every Friday. The season has just concluded today with six episodes in total. I didn’t expect this season to be this short, but since each episode is up to 30 minutes long, the entire season will be up to three hours long (even less when you exclude the opening/closing credits), which is about the same length of a typical Golden Age musical. All in all, I highly recommend you watching it, and you won’t regret it. As a bonus, you can listen to all of the songs featured in this show, including the score on Apple Music!