Today, Schmigadoon! creator Cinco Paul revealed some Schmemories of the season he would have made if Apple TV hadn’t canceled his musical parody series earlier this year. When the guillotine came down in January, Paul posted on Twitter/X that season 3 had already been fully written, including 25 new songs that fans guessed would be in the style of ‘80s and ‘90s musicals like Rent (Schment), Little Shop Of Horrors (Schmittle... okay, we’ll stop), Les Misérables, and more.
Those fans were right. Today, Paul revealed the inspiration list for the season that never was, and it’s honestly pretty sad to think of all the Schmed flags that will never be waved, and 525,600 Schminutes that will never be counted. Apparently titled “Into The Schmoods” (in the style of season two subtitle “Schmicago”), the season’s score would have contained allusions to some of Broadway’s greatest hits, including classic tracks from Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Disney’s golden age, and more.
All the expected players—Into The Woods, The Phantom Of The Opera, Sunday In The Park With George, Cats (the real loss), and more—are here. There are also a curious number of movie-only musicals, marking a noted departure from the conventions of the show’s first two seasons, which parodied ‘40s and ‘50s, and ‘60s and ‘70s, Broadway musicals in turn. Those examples include Labyrinth and Dick Tracy, which were never adapted for the stage, and Disney films like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules, which didn’t hit Broadway until years later (or decades, in an upcoming West End production of Hercules’ case).
Still, fans hoping to Suddenly See the season shouldn’t despair just yet. A few days before posting the above list, Paul wrote on X: “I’m so torn between really not wanting to spoil things in case it eventually gets made and really wanting to share what Schmigadoon! season 3 was going to be.” While he clearly took the second path, it’s clear that he’s at least harboring a glimmer of hope that this thing will still happen somehow.
Besides, it’s a musical—it has more options than most other axed projects. The show’s creators have already taken one of them. A stage musical based on Schmigadoon!’s first season will be making its debut at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center, from January 31 - February 9, 2025. Maybe one day it will be so popular it will get its own Schmigadoon-style parody. (Schmigaschmoon?) Come on, studios! The people are Schminging for it.