It's finally here! Disney+ sets a return date for the 'High School Musical' series led by Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett.
East High is back in session! High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has an official season 2 premiere date.
After more than a year since the finale, Disney+ revealed the return of the teen musical comedy, setting Friday, May 14 as the official kick-off to season 2, the streaming service announced Wednesday ahead of the virtual Television Critics Association press tour.
In season 2, the East High Wildcats, who are preparing to perform the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast as their spring musical, "face off against rival school North High to win a prestigious and cutthroat student theater competition," according to Disney+'s official synopsis. "Wigs are snatched, loyalties are tested and ballads are belted."
Derek Hough, Asher Angel, Dear Evan Hansen's Andrew Barth Feldman, Roman Banks and Olivia Rose Keegan join season 2 as new characters.
Debuting in three months, the 12-episode sophomore season will feature the East High drama department's production of Beauty and the Beast. Iconic musical numbers from the High School Musical movie franchise and Beauty and the Beast, as well as original songs, will be spotlighted throughout the season.
Olivia Rodrigo, whose star wattage has exploded following the release of "Drivers License," and Joshua Bassett also penned original solos for season 2. Bassett's new holiday-themed song, "The Perfect Gift," was previewed in the December holiday special.
It's been a long wait for HSMTMTS fans, such that executive producer Tim Federle and the cast created a series of seven video shorts to make the longer-than-usual hiatus more bearable and to answer some lingering questions from the freshman finale.
"We knew that with shutdowns and new protocols around filming, season 2 would debut later than we'd originally anticipated. So creating these little in-between videos was a way to remind the audience where the characters are, right after the season 1 finale," Federle told ET over email in January. "The videos feature the entire 11-person series regular cast and the action picks up right after opening night of High School Musical. Everyone has something (or someone) on their mind..."
Federle hinted that the shorts offer a glimpse into what's to come, which will likely include a heavier social media presence within the show.
"The entire season starts with a video the kids make -- 'Something in the Air' -- for East High Drama Club's new Instagram handle, so we def[initely] dip a toe in the social media waters," he revealed, teasing that season 2 will be "juicy." "Instagram was the place, by the way, where Olivia and Josh first started posting their real-life original songs, which led them to write for the show. Art imitates life!"
The series also stars Matt Cornett, Sofia Wylie, Larry Saperstein, Julia Lester, Dara Reneé, Frankie Rodriguez, Joe Serafini, Mark St. Cyr and Kate Reinders.
The first season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is streaming now on Disney+. For more on HSMTMTS, watch below.
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