Are you looking for the best series that transport you to the world of musical comedy? Look no further, we have the solution. Discover our list of 10 musical comedy television series that will appeal to the biggest fans as well as the most curious.
On your screens, get set, watch!
10.Central Park
We start this list with the musical animation series Central Park, created in 2020 by Loren Bouchard (Bob's Burgers), Nora Smith and Josh Gad. A series that will appeal to fans of BoJack Horseman ou Big Mouth.
Summary : The series follows the life of a family who lives in an old mansion in the heart of Central Park where the father is responsible for maintenance. The whole family is made up of quirky personalities. But quickly, they have to face Bitsy Brandenham. After losing her dog in Central Park, this businesswoman makes it her mission to raze the park to build housing there. The family will have to stick together to save the park and navigate their personal issues.
Comedy galore! And yes, this series keeps its promises and offers funny and catchy dialogues and songs even if they sometimes become a little heavy.
Despite its appearances, the series is well intended for adults!
And to bring the animated characters to life, we can count on the voices of Tituss Burgess, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs: an explosive mix between the stars of Frozen et Hamilton ! the stars of the musical what. In short, a series quite stupid and not taken head which is our cute sin.
Both seasons of the series are available on Apple TV.
9. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
The Disney+ series has united fans around the world. As you will have understood by its somewhat convoluted name, this series by Tim Federle immerses us in the universe High School Musical.
Summary : The series takes place at East High, the very location where the films were filmed. High School Musical. On the first day of school, a certain Miss Jenn starts a new job as a drama teacher. She happens to be a dancer in the High School Musical franchise and has only one thing in mind: to adapt the film on stage with her students.
Young teenagers find themselves involved in this project. They will have to learn to navigate their personal relationships and overcome challenges both at school and in their private lives.
High School: The Musical: The Series devours in a few hours. We let ourselves be tempted by these ultra talented teenagers like Olivia Rodrigo (singer behind the album “Sour”), Joshua Bassett and Sofia Wylie. They are all very young and that is one of the positive points. Here is finally a series for teens with teenage actors!
The stories remain a little simple but the series still addresses important themes: self-confidence, homosexuality, competition, etc. Between each scene, we find one of the characters in front of the camera, like in a documentary or reality TV. An effect which adds dead time in the episodes but which allows the characters to confide in the public.
The characters are all very exaggerated, yet we take a liking to them. Anyway, we mainly watch the series for its musical numbers. They are a mix between the music of the films of the franchise and original compositions.
Find High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on Disney +.
8. Again! / Under the Spotlight
This is the documentary series that warmed our hearts during confinement.
Summary : Again ! brings together students who had participated, when they were younger, in a musical in their high school. 10, 15 or 20 years after their end-of-year show, they reunite at their old high school to perform the show again. Each alumnus reprise their role from the original production.
They are accompanied by Broadway directors, choreographers and music directors.
The series features 12 episodes, each with a different cast and musical, all hosted by Kristen Bell.
This is a very funny and moving series. Participants reflect on their teenage years and the impact theater has had on their lives. But also the requirement of a production while they are trying to reassemble, in a week, an entire musical!
The series is available on the platform Disney+ (6,99€ / month or 69,99 / year).
7. Zoey's Extraodinary Playlist
Unfortunately canceled after two seasons, this musical comedy series has something to make more than one smile and dance.
Summary : Zoey is a very normal young woman. She is shy, works as a computer programmer, and hopes to get a promotion. Her father having a neurological disease, Zoey decides to do an MRI. During the MRI an earthquake occurs that will rock his world. Zoey now has the ability to hear all the thoughts of the people around her...in the form of songs! An incredible power that will prove to be a gift as well as a curse...
It's super funny, the songs are great and there are several dance numbers per episode. We find Jane Levy in the role of Zoey as well as the superb Alex Newell in the role of her genderfluid neighbor with the golden voice. That's not all, the cast is teeming with renowned musical actors such as Renée Elise Goldsberry, Chip Zien, and Bernadette Peters!!
Even if it takes a little time to get into it, we are far from disappointed. Above all, you don't expect to be so emotionally involved. The second season is a bit floundering, but still charming.
A series that puts a good pep and that we advise you. After all, people who start singing and dancing in the middle of a sentence: what more could you ask for?
The series is available for purchase on Amazon.
6. Galavant
Fans of English humor are in for a treat. Imagine a series that parodies all musicals and transports you to the Middle Ages: you have Galavant !
Summary : Galavant is a valiant knight but since his girlfriend left him for King Richard, he broods. It is necessary to tell the arrival of Princess Isabella, whose kingdom was conquered by Richard, so that Galavant regains his senses. Through musical numbers and crazy situations, we follow the adventures of Galavant, Princess Isabella, her squire and the king.
Galavant is the perfect cross between Monty Python and Beauty and the Beast. All musical numbers are written by the greats Alan Menken and Glenn Slater (Sister Act, Rapunzel). The songs are parodies of well-known musical numbers (Les Misérables, West Side Story, Grease, etc.) and the lyrics are hilarious. The situations are incredible and above all the cast includes a dozen comedians and actors who have burned the boards of the West End. Episodes are only 20 minutes long, and the two-season series devours each other in a matter of hours.
The series is available on Disney+ or for purchase on Amazon.
5. Schmigadoon!
This musical series already has everything to please! It is written by screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, to whom we owe the franchise Me, Despicable Me. If the name Schmigadoon sounds familiar to you, that's fine. The series is nothing but a parody of the musical Brigadoon and musicals in general.
Summary : Schmigadoon tells the story of a couple who, in order to rekindle their laziness, decide to go on a hike. But along the way, they come across a magical town. In Schmigadoon, all the inhabitants live like in a 1940s musical. Soon, the lovebirds realize that they cannot leave. They will only be allowed to leave the city if they find their “true love”.
Bringing this simply hilarious series to life are Cecily Smith and Keegan-Michael Key. The series also offered the crème de la crème of Broadway. We find Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Aaron Tveit, Ariana DeBose and Jane Krakowski. Screenwriter Cinco Paul signs all the music for the series.
The 6-episode series is available on Apple TV+. A series of musicals not to be missed!
4.Glee
This series is a must for fans of musicals. We discovered the talents of Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Naya Rivera, Darren Criss and Alex Newell.
Summary : Professor Will Schuester shakes up the habits of McKinley High School when he decides to revive the Glee Club, the school choir. As Will recruits members for his Glee Club, he realizes his ragtag group of teens could cause a stir. Despite their differences, the students quickly become lifelong friends.
This series explores the ups and downs of teenage life and first love. Most importantly, it emphasizes the importance of equality and sheds light on issues facing students and teachers such as bullying, loneliness, bereavement, etc.
Glee became a phenomenon thanks to his musical numbers. Whether it's pop, rap, rock or musical comedy, the actors brilliantly interpret the sung and danced numbers. Special mention to the mashups!
The plots are mostly dodgy, but the musical numbers have kept the show alive for 6 seasons! In addition, there are a large number of exceptional guests: Neil Patrick Harris, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Kristin Chenoweth and Kate Hudson. Find it on Netflix!
3. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Calling all fans of musical comedy parodies, this series is for you. It is the superb Rachel Bloom who co-created the series with Aline Brosh McKenna (the author of the Devil wears Prada).
Summary : In New York, Rebecca, a renowned lawyer meets Josh, her vacation ex-boyfriend. When Josh mentions that he is moving back to his hometown of West Covina, California, Rebecca decides to try to rekindle her relationship with Josh by moving to West Covina herself. Rebecca makes lots of new friends, colleagues, allies and enemies. She always has more crazy ideas to win Josh back and she starts singing to comment on the slightest situation.
Find the song Settle For Me, performed by Rachel Bloom and Santino Fantana:
This series is hilarious! All the songs are to be taken literally and are all parodies of well-known Broadway themes. The music was composed by Adam Schlesinger, who wrote the Tony Awards opening number for Neil Patrick Harris and who recently died of the coronavirus. Even though the story degrades a bit over the seasons, this series puts the emphasis back on the word comedy in the musical.
One of the very strong points of this series is that it manages to tackle serious subjects while combining them with very humorous passages. Rachel Bloom makes a perfect Rebecca and shows us all her talents as an actress, singer and comedian! You can watch the series in full on Netflix.
2. Fosse/Verdon
Pure art. Series Pit / Verdon spans 50 years and explores the romantic and creative partnership of choreographer, filmmaker and director Bob Fosse and actress and dancer Gwen Verdon.
Their meeting took place in the mid-50s when Bob Fosse choreographed Damn yankees and that Gwen Verdon, already an established Broadway star, stars in it. Working together, they achieve great success and Gwen becomes Bob's muse. She alone is able to help Bob Fosse realize his artistic vision and he alone can produce the shows that do justice to the talent of Gwen Verdon. But their personal relationship is tumultuous and heartbreaking because the choreographer is not without vice.
If this duo changed the course of the musical forever, it had a price on their relationship.
This series is unmissable. First of all because the acting of Michelle Williams and Sam Rockwell (to name but a few) are remarkable. Secondly, this series is of an incredible quality of script and visual aesthetics: we are really transported in the shootings and rehearsals of Fosse and in the disputes of the couple.
Finally, we discover a hidden side of the Broadway couple who changed the course of the history of the musical. We learn behind the scenes of shows and films Chicago, Cabaret et Pippin and on Bob Fosse, eaten away by his genius. With dazzling danced and sung numbers. A pearl.
In France, you can find the series on Canal +.
1.Smash
Smash, it is in my eyes, one of the best series of musical comedy (if not the best). That gave me stars in my eyes and reinforced my idea that I was going to make musicals my job.
But, what is it about?
The plot:
The duo Tom and Julia are writing a musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. A rivalry soon forms for the lead role between a young, inexperienced actress, Karen – who is trying to make a name for herself in New York – and stage veteran Ivy Lynn, who is determined to leave the backing vocals to shine in the limelight. . Tenacious producer Eileen discovers the “Marilyn” project and comes on board with a brilliant director, Derek – whose talent is matched by his self-centeredness.
Smash, it's my favorite series of musical comedy! First of all because the story is great: we discover behind the scenes of the creation of a musical and all the people involved. Then, the series mixes existing songs with sublime compositions by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (“Let Me Be Your Star”, “Don't Forget Me”). Finally, it's beautiful, funny, moving and the actors are all Broadway stars (Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, Jeremy Jordan, Christian Borle, Jennifer Hudson, Andy Mientus,….). A perfect recipe for a series like no other.
By the way, a little anecdote, Series Smash is being adapted for Broadway!