New Chapters Of Life And Final Bows For The Last Season Of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

The newest generation of Wildcats took their final bow as Disney+ released the fourth and final season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, but not without its fair share of music, makeups, and shakeups.

Spoilers Ahead

Kicking off the season is a flash-forward scene of original HSM cast members performing in their “High School Reunion.” More on that here. The Wildcats return from Camp Shallowlake after their documentary comes to light. Ricky and Gina agree to keep their relationship a secret but don’t fail to bring us a hit with “Maybe This Time,” which perfectly encapsulates the “word vomit” one may feel in the early, fluttering stages of a relationship.

Over at East High, Kourtney (Dara Reneé) embraces her newfound fame and Sharpay-esque personality, whereas Carlos (Frankie A. Rodriguez) is trying to get back in Seb’s (Joe Serafini) good graces after his unfortunate portrayal in the film. Ms. Jenn (Kate Reinders) excitedly introduces the year’s musical, High School Musical 3, but it isn’t long until her plans are overlooked for a shiny new project.

Bart Johnson returns as himself but announces the filming of High School Musical 4: The Reunion, where current students can be featured extras. The film will follow OG Wildcats Martha, now a world-renowned choreographer; Chad and Taylor, who are happily married, Ryan, who is partnered with twins on the way and Troy and Gabriella, who are now in couples therapy. Maybe that’s why they’ve been silent in the group chat.

Of course, they still want to feature new faces. Thus the introduction of the stars, actor/influencer couples Dani (Kylie Cantrall) and Mack Alana (Matthew Sato), who at first meet, lack team spirit. To no surprise, Ricky (Joshua Bassett), Gina, Carlos, Ashlynn (Julia Lester), and Kourtney are selected as featured extras. After an audition montage to a new version of “Now or Never,” the battle for balance begins as the cast juggles the film, the musical, college applications, and your average teenage change.

Over the next few episodes, things stay afloat for now. Ricky and Gina get cast as Troy and Gabriella; Ashlynn tries to figure out her feelings for Maddox, who showed up at East High after camp, and Dani and Mack try to push the theatre kids’ buttons. The Wildcats film HSM4 while preparing for their performance of HSM3. However, things take an emotional turn in episodes five and six, “Trick or Treat” and “Admissions.”

In “Admissions,” viewers see Kourtney and Ricky tour colleges, and at this point, you’re either a Ricky or a Kourtney. Ricky realizes how fast time has gone by when it’s time to submit applications, and by this point, with a low GPA and no recommendations, he’s unsure about his future. On the other hand, Kourtney has offers from the top colleges and HBCUs in the country; she’s always been a top student, near perfect if you will, and now, she doesn’t know the “perfect” choice.

While Ricky and Kourtney were away at college, the lack of attendance at rehearsal got the musical canceled. Much to the shock of the students, they go back to the beginning, literally back to season one, an idea creator Tim Federle had for the longest. The kids go around the room and share how they ended up at the drama club.

They share a tearful moment as Ricky and Gina mention their gratitude for Ms. Jenn. The tears don’t last long because, in good ‘ol Disney fashion, Bart Johnson and Alyson Reed donate portions of their film salary to saving the musical, and now, HSM3 is back on.

In the final two episodes, “Night of Nights” and “Born To Be Brave,” it’s time for the musical and to say goodbye. Right after intermission, Gina’s mother shocks Ricky with the news that Gina booked a film alongside Mack in New Zealand. EJ finds out that Ms. Jenn has been offered her Broadway dream. Ashlynn and Maddox finally declare their feelings for each other, while Jet (Adrian Lyles) reveals his true feelings for Kourtney. 

Also, Ricky breaks the fourth wall in finally addressing the mockumentary crew, asking them, “Who the f**k are you guys?” Oh, and as for Nini (Olivia Rodrigo), she didn’t forget friends back home and sent cards to everyone for opening night.

After taking their final bow in the musical, the students circle up in the rehearsal room for the most emotional scene in the series. Gina announces her role in the film and goes down the line thanking each of her peers, then breaks down as she gets to Ricky and thanks him for making her feel “seen and understood.” At this point, anyone invested in the series since 2019 has shed at least one tear.

Right after, Gina is set to sign her contract and get on a flight to NZ for six months. Of course, “Am I late?” Ricky declares his love for Gina in a song and gives her his blessing to be a star. As it turns out, since he was late, he missed the part where Gina signed the contract only after getting the director to agree to film in Salt Lake so she could stay at East High and perform in the next musical.

While Gina embarks on her new film, Kourtney and Ricky are accepted into college and ready to finish their senior year. Ms. Jenn rips up her offer for the national tour of Wicked when she realizes that teaching and seeing her students succeed is what she wants in life. She also completes the enemies-to-lover trope with her new relationship with Mr. Mazzara. Ashlynn and Maddox (Saylor Curda) are now an official couple. Carlos and Seb are back together and accepted by Seb’s father. To celebrate, the Wildcats head over to the sacred theatre kid spot, Denny’s.

With that, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is officially wrapped.

For most fans, season 4 was exceptional in music, storyline, choreography, portrayal, and production. On a plot level, Federle made the right choice to end the series on his terms before being put on hiatus or getting canceled out of nowhere because it allowed a clear ending for every character; however, the door is open for a potential spinoff or a reboot in another 15 years.

Not to mention the use of (bleeped out) swear words and innuendos gave HSMTMTS a mature feel and not another squeaky-clean series that inaccurately portrays teenagers. 

Musically, the soundtrack is a healthy balance of original work and renditions of HSM3 songs. Once again, fans feel that this season had the best original songs with “Maybe This Time,” “Call It What You Want,” and “Speak Out.”

Most importantly, the series had no easy feat when put up against the theatrical budget the original HSM3 had. However, since it’s in the context of a school production, they made it look seamless, though we didn’t get to see Ricky upside down in “Scream.”

Since the final season was released all at once, fans are still taking some time to process the ending of a series that made everyone feel like they belong, gave us fun ships to root for, and added in bits of nostalgia for older viewers. 

Back in 2019, the Wildcats may not have started with immense companionship, but you can bet that by the end, they were all in this together.

All four seasons of High School: The Musical: The Series are now streaming on Disney+.