Schmove over, Schmigadoon!. Season two’s giving us a new musical town at Apple TV+, and with a two-episode premiere, which includes episodes “Welcome to Schmigo” and “Doorway to Where,” Schmicago is already deeper and darker but just as delightful as its predecessor.
Schmigadoon! season two reunites us with Melissa (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) as they bask in newlywed glory — until they don’t. For a while, the couple is blissful in their newly renewed love. Then, eventually, life not only becomes monotonous but emotionally difficult.
Josh and Melissa decide to try having a child, but it isn’t easy, and nothing seems to be working. Series of nearly identical clips of the doctors working with patients day in and day out make the lack of excitement in their life obvious. It’s clear the couple is looking for something to shake up their lives.
So what do they decide to do? Return to the one and only Schmigadoon!. Of course, nothing comes easy in the show by Cinco Paul, and they are unable to simply stumble upon the town as they did in season one. But just as they think all is lost, their car gets a flat in the middle of a dark, dreary bridge. Out of the rain and fog at the end are the bright lights of Schmicago.
We are immediately transported to the new musical town — with an opening number of course — led by Tituss Burgess‘s narrator a la Leading Player in Pippin. It begins with a literal recap of Melissa and Josh’s boring lives till that point and moves into a great introduction and preview of the era and characters to come without giving too much away. However, the musical number feels a bit long.
The same could be said for most numbers in the season two premiere. But if the goal of “the first episode”Where to Schmicago” is to really develop the main conflict, establish this new setting, and build this new world of Schmicago, it’s a smashing success. (And Dove Cameron‘s Jenny Banks is, too, with “Kaput” and a performance that would make Liza Minelli proud.) However, this new world doesn’t mean new rules, and contrary to Josh’s belief, they cannot simply get in their car and leave after Josh is accused of murdering a Kratt Klubb dancer. This lack of knowledge tracks, though, as Josh has always been more clueless than Melissa. One might say he had it coming.
“Doorway to Where” wastes no time, showing us Josh in jail and giving us what we’ve been waiting for: Aaron Tveit — err, we mean Topher — in all of his hippie ‘70s glory. Almost everything in Schmicago up to that point had referenced the darker shows of the era, like Chicago, Cabaret, and Sweeney Todd. Tveit’s Topher shows us a glimpse of other perspectives and themes to come a la Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Godspell, serving as a great contrast to everything so far.
Shortly after, we’re introduced to another new character, Jane Krakowski’s Bobby Flanagan, a lawyer Melissa hires to defend Josh. Flanagan’s got the suave allure of Billy Flynn and more, allowing Krakowski to rightfully shine for more than one episode this season.
Also, shining this season already? The characterization and depth. Only two episodes in, and the characters and storyline are more developed than at this point in season one. The supporting and ensemble characters have more meaningful interactions with each other and Josh and Melissa. The characters are all more developed and vulnerable, contributing to a more interesting and compelling story.
The musical numbers of episode two had better pacing and meaning but were still undoubtedly entertaining. The Kratt Klubb audition scene, obviously a reference to the iconic scene from A Chorus Line, was a treat and moved the story along with Melissa securing a job at the club to get inside clues on the murder case. “Bustin’ Out” was a fun, upbeat number featuring Cameron, Strong, and Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, juxtaposed with the jailbreak of Topher and Josh.
Overall, Schmigadoon! season two is shaping up to be even better than the first, which should come to no surprise with such a star-studded and stacked cast. But talent can only go so far. We may be only two episodes in, but with an already more intriguing and compelling storyline and a handful of memorable one-liners, we can’t wait to see how they paint the town in season two (and all that jazz).
Schmigadoon! releases new episodes Wednesdays on AppleTV+.
