‘Schmigadoon’ Review: Apple TV+’s Love Letter to Musicals is Your Summer Comedy Obsession

I know the exact moment I fell in love with Apple TV+‘s new musical comedy series Schmigadoon!. About halfway through the first episode, Cecily Strong‘s Melissa decides to explore the strange, theatrical town of Schmigadoon on her own. Her boyfriend Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) is passed out asleep in his quaint little bed in the Schmigadoon inn and she finds herself alone with the town rapscallion Danny Bailey (Aaron Tveit). Their small talk soon turns into a hilarious pastiche of classic Rodgers and Hammerstein flirtation songs with Danny singing he won’t fall for Melissa. She thinks it’s all a performance designed for tourists — quipping that he needs a better agent — but eventually he takes her in his arms. The juxtaposition of Tveit earnestly singing his heart out and Strong’s discomfort written on her face made me howl. And I simply couldn’t stop laughing after that. Schmigadoon! is joy incarnate.

Schmigadoon! is the long-time passion project of writing partners Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, a duo best-known for writing the off-beat Bubble Boy and scripts for hit DreamWorks films like Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets. The story follows couple Josh and Melissa as they find themselves lost on a couple’s hiking retreat. Bickering, they make their way across a stone bridge and enter a whimsical town where the people seem to be performing a 1940s-esque musical number for them. As it happens, this is Schmigadoon, a magical town where life really is like a 1940s musical. Josh and Melissa are stunned to learn they can’t leave until they find true love; a revelation that sends the long-term couple’s relationship spiraling.

In less deft hands, Schmigadoon! would not work. It would be either a mean takedown of a celebrated art form, musical theatre, or a non-stop parade of irksome in-jokes and mugging for the camera. But Schmigadoon! marries the earnest sensibilities of its creators with the sharp humor of comedy writers like Julie Klausner and Bowen Yang. Beloved Broadway stars like Kristen Chenoweth, Ann Harada, and Ariana DeBose deliver enthusiastic musical performances free of irony while Strong and Key play their parts with hilarious levels of incredulity. Schmigadoon! is a marriage of comic voices all working in harmony to deliver absolute bliss.

It’s hard to say what’s the best part of Schmigadoon!: the songs, all written by Cinco Paul, or the performances. Each episode of Schmigadoon! features original numbers that carefully thread the needle of being pitch perfect homages of classic Broadway standards while also hilariously propelling the story forward. In Episode 1 alone, we are introduced to the town, Danny Bailey, and Schmigadoon’s favorite dish, corn pudding. (“Corn Pudding” happens to be a delightful ear worm that you will not be able to un-hear.) Later episodes feature somber duets, gorgeous solos, and group numbers that feature children tap-dancing on school desks. And each and every song is catchy and funny.

The cast of Schmigadoon! is a parade of insane talent. In addition to the aforementioned cast, there’s also Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen, Jane Krakowski, Jaime Camil, Dove Cameron, and Martin Short. (I actually screamed when Short appeared as a taunting leprechaun.) However I would be remiss if I didn’t single out Cecily Strong as the series’s MVP. We’ve known for years that the Saturday Night Live star is one of the most elastic sketch performers of her generation. Here, she builds a vibrant, layered, three-dimensional portrait of a woman doing her best in an impossible situation. Strong doubles as an EP on the series and it’s clear that story is as much of a passion project for her as its creators. Her performance is a sheer revelation and proof that she’s going to follow in the footsteps of many SNL alums and become one of the most lauded comic actors of her generation, period.

Schmigadoon! is silly, sweet, sharp, and most of all, sensational. It’s just the latest in a string of Apple TV+ comedies to balance wit and heart. And, yes, it will pair perfectly with the return of Ted Lasso later this month. Schmigadoon! is so damn good it will have even musical theatre skeptics singing its praises.

Schmigadoon! premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, July 16. 

Where to stream Schmigadoon!