As kids across the nation start heading back to school another group is about to graduate. The Disney+ series "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" concludes with its fourth and final season and all eight episodes will drop on Aug. 9.

Here's the synopsis from Disney:

After an epic summer at Camp Shallow Lake, the Wildcats return to East High where they prepare a stage production of “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.” But plans are disrupted when Principal Gutierrez announces that Disney has decided to make the long-awaited “High School Musical 4: The Reunion” movie on location at their beloved high school.

We discuss the upcoming final season on this week's episode, have an interview with series creator Tim Federle, and chat with cast members Frankie A. Rodriguez (Carlos Rodriguez), Julia Lester (Ashlyn Caswell) and Dara Reneé (Kourtney Greene).

Next week

Most of the biggest summer movies have already hit theaters and with actors and writers are on strike, there may soon be a lack of programming. But with the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards (originally scheduled for Sept. 18 but now delayed due to the strike) coming up, we'll go over shows you can binge to get caught up on in the meantime.

Where to watch

About the show

Streamed & Screened is a podcast about movies and TV hosted by Bruce Miller, a longtime entertainment reporter who is now the editor of the Sioux City Journal in Iowa and Terry Lipshetz, a senior producer for Lee Enterprises based in Madison, Wisconsin.

Episode transcript

Note: The following transcript was created by Adobe Premiere and may contain misspellings and other inaccuracies as it was generated automatically:

Welcome everyone to another episode of Streamed & Screened an entertainment podcast about movies and TV from Lee Enterprises. I'm Terry Lipshetz, a senior producer at Lee and co-host of the program with my cinematic guidance counselor, Bruce Miller, editor for the Sioux City Journal and a longtime entertainment reporter. Bruce, School’s in session. We're getting there.

Okay. We're going back to 2006, I believe. Okay. Wasn't it six High School Musical just popped on Disney. And I'm not kidding you because I remember interviewing the people for the TV show, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens. They were nobodies at that time. You didn't know about them. If there were people that you did know they were on other Disney Channel shows and people didn't expect anything out of it, it was like, This is okay.

They're doing another kind of musical just to have something else to show. And that that first movie became such a huge hit and made such big stars out of its cast that of course, there's got to be part two and then there's got to be part three. And then, you know, a network like Disney gets all kind of excited about, could we reboot this thing?

Could there be something more? And people don't want to go back to what it was and just replace it. So Tim Federle, who was a Broadway actor, dancer, whatever, came up with the concept that they would do a series set in the high school where they filmed High School Musical. I know this is all nutty, right? And then how those kids would do if they did the first production of High School Musical, the play or the musical at their high school.

So you got to see kind of parallel characters vying for these roles. Well, they did not know that it was going to be a hit. In fact, Tim really had no experience producing, was not big on creating TV's shows, and they got a hit out of it. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which is probably one of the longest, most cumbersome titles ever hopped with the new generation.

They got their own high school musical kids. The thing that I think is different between the two is that first was kind of naive, whereas this one leans into a lot of things with with high school kids that maybe they're facing today. And it does talk about things like LGBTQ issues, bullying, different kinds of things that that might be a little more contemporary for kids.

So in that first year, they did High School Musical as their school play. Then they came back and they did Beauty and the Beast. And then the third year they went to camp and they did Frozen Oak. So now this is the fourth year. And I got to tell you, the kids who are in this, this TV series have popped like, you can't believe Joshua Bassett, who plays Ricky, which would be the Troy Bolton kind of Zac Efron equal, has a huge singing career.

Olivia Rodrigo, who is in the original of the of this this ilk won several Grammys last year. Right. She has this big music career and it just keeps going like that. Julia Lester, who was a supporting actress, was on Broadway this last year and into the Woods and got a Tony nomination. So this is spawning its own group of of young actors.

Well, knowing that they had a fourth year, Tim decided that he would not take those original high school musical people and see if he could get them to come in for the fourth season. And in this fourth season they are going to film a high school musical this year. Yeah. Who did? How do you tell this? They're going to do a reunion show and bring back those actors and then cast kids from their high school?

That high school as extras. Okay. So they do all this at the at the high school and it turns out to be a real catalyst for change for those current high school kids at East High School. So it's there's a lot to unpack, but there are things in there that you will just who that the woman who plays the director Quinn is There is the character's name.

You've seen her in YouTube videos and she is just a hoot as the director. Well, she has these big plans and she plucks one of the kids from the high school crowd to be one of the stars. And that sets up a kind of a battle, if you will, for her attention in her time. So it's very it's very fascinating at the end of the episode, and this is not a spoiler alert.

You get the kids all together and they sing a song that is so emotional and it's not one of the ones from the original High School Musical. It's a Broadway song that really kind of gives you a sense of what that whole family atmosphere was like.

Wow. So this is an interesting one. You know, Tim Federle, he he really doesn't have the background in in film and TV. I mean, he started out he was writing fiction. I mean, he was writing I think he wrote some cocktail guides.

And then he also wrote some kid books. And some.

Kid books.

Yeah, they're better. Better off. Nate or better Nate. They're Nate books about a kid who it sounds like Tim story who wants John Broadway in the worst way. And to heck with the kids in my school. I'm going to audition for Broadway. And so this Nate kid, and they did a TV movie about this goes on a bus to New York auditions for a I think it's a Lilo and Stitch in the film show a musical.

And how that kid kind of maneuvers that all of that kind of stuff. But there are elements in all of this that I think are autobiographical. Tim Federle said he always wanted to be an actor, a Broadway actor, and he did get on Broadway. He was in Little Mermaid in the dancing roles. But I think like so many of them, there is a greater purpose that's out there.

And he just had a good idea, pitched it to Disney and they said was go with it.

Yeah. And he picked a I guess a good time to do it too, because he he co-wrote the screenplay for Ferdinand the film and which was before that. So he had a little bit of credibility to be at it. That was a yeah, you know, he capitalized on the moment, which is great. You know, he was he found that moment.

You'll hear I did an interview with three of the actors from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and Tim, well, you'll hear them talk about that first year. They did not know what was going to happen. They did not know if it was going to go if they were going to. This is one and done and they were all out of it.

But how this has been a big kind of a learning curve for them. And Tim talks about bringing back those old high school musical ones and the lessons that they taught these these young actors about being in the business. And, you know, it's weird to see because Tim's got a whole huge career ahead of him. He's got deals with other studios and stuff.

So I think we don't have to worry about him. But you never know with kid actors. It could be they're out of it after one year or whatever. What happened to him was the pandemic happened in the middle of all of this. How do you do a series during a pandemic? And they really struggled to make sure that they were following all the COVID protocols and all that and how they you know, they were just hung together.

They became a very close family.

Okay. So who should we go to first? Should we go to Tim first? We kick it over to him again?

Yeah, let's go to Tim, because then you'd be able to kind of hear his his take on how this this season happened. How is it to say goodbye? This is a sad thing.

Well, you know, it's it's it's bittersweet, mostly sweet. And I don't think of it as goodbye because when people graduate, they they go off hopefully to even sort of bigger dreams. But it's it's definitely full circle. And I think in this streaming era to get four seasons, it all feels like a miracle and an extra miracle is I got to kind of wrap the series on my terms with the stories we wanted to wrap up.

So I feel really good. But it's it's a it's a full circle moment.

Well, when you were planning this last season, what point did you say, I want to get some of those original people into this.

Really early because I knew that the big hook of the season was that Disney announced High School Musical for a reunion film at East High, which means, you know, we needed some O.G. Wildcats up there on screen. So those fun phone calls went out early before we started production. Yeah, pretty early.

And were you able then to write like you did with Corbin, where he became a different person, if you will, in your series as opposed to the original one? Like, yeah, she's these other people where they all they're really nasty. They're not like they are.

No, they're, they're themselves and they're and Monique Coleman in particular has a really beautiful moment in the series in season four that I think is so touching because they play themselves and their characters this season. They're a great group. And what was meaningful to me, knowing we were wrapping the show was that Corbin and Lucas and, you know, they became so mega famous 15 years ago as the cast of my series is becoming now.

And we were able to really have like a wholesome, beautiful connection between them all. And I remember saying to my principal cast, Look at our humble. They've remained look at how they take care of each other. No matter what happens, you guys got to be there for each other as the years go on. And I think they really.

When you started this, what really did you think would happen? I mean, did you just think, Oh, we'll get a year and that's it? Or do you think, you know what, this could last?

I knew so little about TV that I think I was out front first season being like, I want seven seasons, which, you know, I guess would have been nice. But the reality is the reality is, Bruce, I was thrilled we got the reception we did in season one. I never took for granted, particularly in the streaming era, that we would ever get another season or another season or another season.

And I think one of the real drivers of wrapping the series up was that I didn't want to end season four on a cliffhanger after the investment. The cast, the crew, the writers and the audience had put into it and then not come back. And so I didn't I didn't quite know what I was doing Season one. But what I what I did have was a lot of hope and a big heart that if I hired real theater kids, they would bring these stories to life.

And boy, did they deliver.

Well, when you were looking at casting, you know, did you say, this one's going to blow up big and music? This one is going to, you know, have a theater career? Did you have a sense of that when when you started casting all these people?

Well, yes, in the sense that, like, you know, Olivia and Josh were always great songwriters. Julia was always a big theater kid. What I maybe didn't expect was for it to happen so hyper fast. And I think they're all going to have very long careers where they ebb and flow and peak and valley at different times. And I don't know, I mean, they're like my kids.

And so I'm biased, but I think they're the biggest stars in the world and the most talented. And that Sofia Wylie is going to be a mogul who runs an entertainment company because she has so much talent and wisdom and brilliance on screen and off. So nothing surprises me with this group.

So what about you? Where do you go from here?

Well, I write the next thing and I've got, you know, after the strike lifts, I have projects at Hulu and Disney Plus and some movies. And then and then we'll see where the fates take us. But for now, I'm sort of. I'm not ready quite ready to say goodbye. So I'm just keeping an eye on August 9th and I'll be at home streaming the whole thing and bingeing it this season.

How will you look back on this then? What will you say about this time of your life?

Well, I think I finally got high school, right? I was in the closet the first time I missed my high school graduation because I was doing a regional theater production of Oklahoma all around. There's a lot of there's a lot of things I missed in high school, including first love and a first kiss and things that like, you know, closeted gay kids didn't get in the nineties.

And so if I look back at this, it's that I had this miraculous second chance, one of my favorite songs from the series to get some of it right or at least get a second chance at it. And I will forever be grateful for that.

Bruce, thanks for the interview with Tim. And now we're going to go to some of the kid actors in the series, and this is Frankie Rodriguez, Julia Lester and Dara Reneé, Correct?

Right. And Julia Lester is the one who is just on Broadway here and into the woods. Frankie plays Carlos. And if you're a fan of this show and you know, Carlos and SAB are a big couple in the thing, and then Dara is the she plays the kind of the brain of the whole school, and she wrestles with the idea of what college you make going to go to after this.

So here are the three from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. What did the three of you think this was all going to be when you started this series?

Oh, oh, my gosh. When we started, we didn't even know if we would make it to four seasons. When we ended the first season, we kind of filmed two alternate endings just in case we didn't get to come back in. So I think this like kind of blew all of our expectations out of the water. And now we get to be here graduating.

I mean, it's amazing.

Well, you know, some great things have come from this. And Julia, you're right there. Come on. I watched the Tonys and said, Oh, my God, please let her win These that are. When did you guys think this could be a launching pad for other things? Did you think that this would lead to other work and other kinds of opportunities?

I mean, I think that's sort of what you always hope for, but you can never really rely on maybes or the possibilities of things. And I think when we started season one, what we really wanted was to create a show that was different and set us apart from things that people had seen in the past, especially for Disney.

You know, we we were part of launching the Disney Plus platform, so I think we were really focused on on that being successful and being received well, and it totally was. And so I think once that happened, the world sort of like opened up for all of us. And it's just been an incredible journey seeing how all of us have thrived since then.

So what was the Tony thing like? Was it just incredible?

It was it was amazing. The New York theater community is just like so loving and so supportive of each other in it. It was really cool to go there and feel like I was a part of it and belong with them in some way. It was it was really magical.

Well, what was it like having the O.G. High School Musical people with you this year? Was it different? Was it strange? Like, were you like, asking them lots of questions about what you wanted to know?

Oh, well, I mean, it was so cool. I mean, growing up with those as your role models and then actually working with them was so mind blowing. And specifically for me, I knew Monique Coleman before I booked High School Musical and I messaged her and I was like, Hey, Queen, I would like Taylor. And she supported me. It uplifted me.

So being able to be in scenes with her is such a full circle moment, and I couldn't have asked for a better person to show me the ropes. I love Queens a little bit.

Well, how hard was it to say goodbye?

I mean, it's always hard to say goodbye, especially to this specific experience, because it has brought us so many amazing things, especially each other. So I think it's definitely a bittersweet. You want to graduate and you want to move on and you want to go on to the next chapter of life. But also you're like, maybe just like five more minutes.

Yeah.

And talk about Tim's role in all of this. You know, he said, I really didn't know what I was doing when I started. What has he been like during this whole this whole series.

As we famously say, he is our fearless leader and he has been our leader from day one. He is the reason all of us are here in this point in our lives together. And, you know, the the greatest experiences happen when things trickle from the top down. And he really has created the most loving, accepting working environment. And I said this earlier, like this being like our all of our first, like real big long running job has sort of set the precedent for the environments that we want to work in and the people that we want to work with and the way that we want to work.

And so without this experience, like, you know, who knows, like the rooms that we would be in. But it's just it's been really wonderful and it's really thanks to him and his his genius brand.

Well, when you look at this, what was the turning point for the series? What was the time when you said, you know what, this is going to last, This is going to be more than just one year it out.

I feel like once we started to see our supporters reactions to what we were creating, I mean, our family, as I call them, has been so, so beautiful and so brilliant and accepting us and accepting everything that we do. And I'm so grateful for their support and for all that they done for us. Because honestly, I feel like we wouldn't be here without them.

And they literally are die hard. And, you know, I'm Dan Harper and it's not selfless. It's it that's when I feel like we all really need you.

You talk about coming back for a reunion.

I that but I already got out tomorrow I guess. Yeah. Anything anything to put us in the same room with each other We're there that we.

Well, you guys, thank you so much and congratulations. It's been so fun to watch and especially to see how your careers have all just blossomed. It's incredible. So thank so much from a die hard fan.

Nate Nell. Thanks for all the love over the years.

All right, Bruce, thanks again for that interview. And, well, we were getting to the bleak part of summer. I know we've we've gotten through a lot of of the big blockbusters that were coming. I know there's a few more here. You know, you get a few like Meg is coming out and the Ninja Turtles and we mentioned, you know I know we got very greedy and but we've got the writers strike and we don't know in the actors or striking we don't know what's coming back and when and where.

I mean I'm almost running out of things to watch. I mean, my wife and I are kind of kicking around. Maybe we can talk about some things there.

We will do that the next week. I'll tell you, if you are a big fan of the High School musical kind of Broadway things, summer theater camp, I guess it's called theater Camp. Ben Platt and Noah Galvin produced this, and it's kind of a mockumentary that's out there. It's opening slowly across the country. It's not in wide release.

So you might find it at a theater in your in your community or not. You'll have to wait a bit for it to come out. But it is opening in slow waves. But, yes, we will come back next week and I've got great ideas for you about things you should binge that you haven't seen. And we're also going to talk about the ones you must have seen by this time because the Emmy Awards will be coming in September and you're going to binge a lot of stuff before we get to that.

All right. Yeah, I definitely have to become even more of a couch potato than I already am. So you'll you'll contribute to that. And we will be back again next week.

Terry, we're all in this together.

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