We’re all in this together! High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is returning to Disney+ for a third season, and the Wildcats are leaving East High for a new adventure.
The show — HSMTMTS for short — made its debut on Disney+ in November 2019. It was inspired by the three-movie High School Musical franchise, which aired its first two movies via Disney Channel in 2006 and 2007, respectively, with the final installment premiering theatrically in 2008.
Set at the now-iconic East High School in Salt Lake City, HSMTMTS is a mockumentary that features fictional students Ricky (Joshua Bassett), Nini (Olivia Rodrigo), Gina (Sofia Wylie), E.J. (Matt Cornett), Kourtney (Dara Reneé), Ashlyn (Julia Lester), Carlos (Frankie Rodriguez), among others, along with their energetic drama teacher Miss Jenn (Kate Reinders). The first season followed the school’s theater department as they put on a stage production of High School Musical.
“From day one, I always saw us as what I hope is a long-running series, and I knew that if we cast the right talent who had the right chemistry and who were proud theater kids themselves, the audience would become engaged with their journeys,” showrunner Tim Federle told Entertainment Weekly in November 2019. “Casting was key and we looked really, really hard for this group.”
After becoming attached to their favorite characters’ stories, fans rallied for a second season, which premiered via Disney+ in May 2021. This time around, the Wildcats took on Beauty and the Beast in hopes of winning an Alan Menken Award for high school theater productions. Amid rehearsals for the show and their battle against rivals North High, fan-favorite couple Nini and Ricky were dealing with hardships in their relationship — which viewers believed was reflective of the rumored drama between stars Rodrigo and Bassett going on behind the scenes.
“Nini has fully accepted that there’s an exciting other world of possibility when you don’t center yourself on a guy, and I think she’s actually excited about that and obviously has nostalgia for this first relationship and her best friend from her youth. But also sees real possibilities,” Federle told Entertainment Tonight in July 2021 following the characters’ eventual breakup. “Ricky accepts it, he’s read the room. She doesn’t want to hear the song he wrote, it’s time to move on.”
Fans hope the pair will be able to figure out their differences as the show continues, but it’s unclear where their future stands since Nini may have an exciting opportunity in her future. During the season 2 finale, the high schooler received a phone call from Gina’s music producer brother Jamie (Jordan Fisher) — and who knows where that may lead.
Keep scrolling for everything we know about HSMTMTS season 3 so far.
It was confirmed in September 2021 that the East High Wildcats would be returning for a third season. “We are overjoyed to be heading to the great outdoors for season three, and grateful to our partners and friends at Disney+ for their continued support of our next-generation Wildcats,” Federle shared in a statement at the time. Walt Disney Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
By the “great outdoors,” Federle means summer camp. The Wildcats will be saying goodbye to Salt Lake City and hello to Camp Shallow Lake in California. The official season 3 announcement from Disney+ promised “campfires, summer romances and curfew-less nights.” Walt Disney Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
While celebrating Disney+ day in November 2021, the streaming service’s official Twitter account dropped a major teaser about what fans can expect to see in HSMTMTS season 3. “We already have ❄️chills❄️ #HSMTMTS season 3 is coming in 2022,” the tweet read alongside a graphic that said, “Love is an open door.” Walt Disney Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
Following her major success as a solo artist, it was unclear whether Rodrigo would return to the show. Since her character’s future was left open ended, fans were worried she would be saying goodbye to the series altogether. During a December 2021 interview with the Los Angeles Times, however, the “Drivers License” songstress confirmed that she would be reprising her role as Nini once again. Walt Disney Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
Following Rodrigo’s confirmation, her costar Bassett revealed in an interview with GQ that the former on-screen couple have not spoken “since ‘Drivers License’ came out” in January 2021. It’s been widely speculated that Rodrigo’s debut single is about a past rumored relationship between herself and Bassett. Walt Disney Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
Despite the drama that unfolded throughout 2021, Bassett isn’t at all apprehensive about returning to set. “I think we have a really, really awesome season lined up, and I think, you know, it’s gonna be truly a blast,” he said on the Zach Sang Show in December 2021. “I think we have a lot of really great episodes lined up, and it’s gonna be, I think, the most fun one yet, in terms of writing and moral and all that stuff. I’m really excited.” Walt Disney Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
Disney+ announced in a January 2022 press release that production on season 3 had officially started in Los Angeles. Walt Disney Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
The streaming service also announced that original High School Musical star Corbin Bleu, who played Chad Danforth in the film series, would be portraying himself in a guest-starring role. “I knew that if I was to ever return it would need to be under the right circumstances, and I’m happy to say the boxes are being checked!” the Disney Channel alum shared via Instagram in January 2022. Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock
It has also been confirmed that while at Camp Shallow Lake, the Wildcats will be putting on a production of Frozen. Additionally, it was revealed that music from Camp Rock and the High School Musical franchises would be sung throughout the season. Walt Disney Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
Meg Donnelly, Jason Earles, Saylor Bell and newcomer Adrian Lyles are also set to join the cast. Donnelly, for her part, will guest star as college student Val, the Frozen choreographer. Earles is set to star as the director of Camp Shallow Lake, Dewey Wood. Bell and Lyles will play newcomers Maddox and Jet, respectively. Shutterstock (2)
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