Get trapped in a musical past with Apple TV Plus’ Schmigadoon! trailer
The pastel-hued song-filled series, starring Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key, debuts on July 16
Apple TV+ has just dropped the trailer for Schmigadoon!, its highly anticipated new musical series set to arrive on Friday, July 16. Schmigadoon! stars the charisma-packed pair of Cecily Strong and Keegan Michael-Key as Melissa and Josh, a backpacking couple on relationship retreat who wander off and get trapped in the titular town, where everyone breaks into song and dance just like a 1940s Technicolor musical. The pastel-toned burg of Schmigadoon is filled with familiar faces as well, like Alan Cummings as the mayor, Kristin Chenoweth as a disapproving matron, Fred Armisen as her hapless pastor husband, Dove Cameron as a corn-fed beauty, Jane Krakowski as a musical diva, and why not, Martin Short as a leprechaun.
Apple TV+ will premiere the first two episodes of the six-episode season on July 16, followed by one new episode weekly, every Friday. From the trailer, it appears that Melissa is more into the town’s frequent musical interludes than Josh is, but the pair will be stuck in the magical place until they find true love. Obviously, the title and plot brings to mind Brigadoon, the 1954 Gene Kelly-Cyd Charisse musical about a mystical town that only appears once every hundred years, but the theme song resembles Oklahoma!’s. Cameron’s character looks like Daisy Mae from Lil’ Abner, while Chenoweth’s is right out of The Music Man. Even non-musical fans may still have fun with this show, though, based on the deadpan antics of Strong and Key as they try to navigate their way back in to the modern world (as Melissa points out in the trailer, “We found our way out of IKEA”). Schmigadoon!’s pedigree also bodes well for the series: It was created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio (Despicable Me, The Lorax); Paul writes the songs and serves as showrunner, while Daurio is on board as producer. Barry Sonnenfeld (Men In Black), who recently had an exemplary run on Netflix’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events, directs and executive produces; and Strong’s Saturday Night Live boss Lorne Michaels also executive produces.