What team? Wildcats! Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series was officially renewed for a fourth season before season 3 premiered on July 27, 2022. If that doesn’t indicate how powerful HSM:TM:TS stans are, we don’t know what will.
We’ve seen our fave wildcats like Ricky, Gina, EJ, Kourtney, Ashlyn, and Carlos do it all — from their first production of High School Musical and their competitive theater escapades with Beauty and the Beast at East High to their showstopping stint and Frozen documentary at Camp Shallow Lake in sunny California. In the upcoming season, our comfort characters are headed on a new journey, as extras in High School Musical 4: The Reunion Movie shoots at East High.
For the scoop on the upcoming season, we hit up High School Musical: The Musical: The Series creator, Tim Federle. Ahead, find everything we know so far about season 4, from its release date and plot to new cast members and soundtrack.
*Major spoilers for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series below!*
When does High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4 come out?
It’s official, wildcats! Disney+ has greenlit High School Musical: The Musical: The Series for a fourth (and final 🥲) season. Every episode of season 4 will drop on Disney+ all at once on August 9, according to a post from showrunner Tim Federle.
That means we’ll get to see our faves back together again, whether they’re putting on another big show or heading to college. On May 20, 2022, the streamer revealed that there would be a fourth season with a curtain call-inspired post on Instagram.
Is there a trailer for HSM:TM:TS season 4?
Yes! Dara Reneé, who plays Kourtney on the show, posted the trailer for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series — which shows the wildcats we've fallen in love with since the show first premiered in 2019 — as well as some of the OG wildcats from the 2000s film franchise.
On June 21, 2023, Disney+ released the official teaser trailer for the upcoming season.
What is High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4 about?
Like we said earlier, we’ve seen the East High crew do it all. From bringing the Disney Channel Original Movie to the stage, entering the cutthroat world of competitive theater, to having a memorable summer at Camp Shallow Lake. Our wildcats have been through a lot together. This time around, showrunner Tim Federle dished that our fave characters may let their talents shine outside of the East High drama club.
“I think that this documentary they’re filming [in season 3] for Frozen on Disney+ — which is fake and meta — is going to impact their lives in a big way,” Tim told Seventeen.
“Ultimately, it’s High School Musical. I think you’ll always see them do a musical, but we’re always trying to find a surprising new way to do that."
Well, it’s the start of something new for our wildcats, because Disney Branded TV and PR not only revealed that High School Musical 3: Senior Year will be the next musical the crew puts on — they will also be extras in High School Musical 4: The Reunion movie. The official announcement was originally made by Tim and the cast at Disney's D23 Expo in Burbank, California.
Is High School Musical 4: The Reunion really happening?
The complicated answer is yes... and no. While the movie is happening within the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series cinematic universe, TVLine reports that it is not happening in real life — much like the meta Disney+ Frozen documentary in season 3.
On September 23, Disney+ announced that some of the OG wildcats are making their way back to East High in season 4 as Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, and Lucas Grabeel are officially playing themselves on the show. KayCee Stroh (Martha), Alyson Reed (Mrs. Darbus), and Bart Johnson (Coach Bolton) are also slated to join the upcoming season.
However, with Ashley Tisdale revisiting her iconic role of Sharpay Evans on TikTok, and Zac Efron's Instagram post in front of East High, we can hold out hope that he may also be joining thanks to the meta-movie.
As for Vanessa Hudgens' involvement, she clarified why she posted a video in front of East High in an October 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly.
"My boyfriend was playing in Salt Lake — he's a baseball player," Vanessa explained. "So he was at the field and I had rented a car and I was like, 'I want to go check [out East High] and take some pictures for old time's sake.'"
When asked whether she'd make an appearance in the upcoming season, she responded, "I don't know. We leave it up to fate. Leave it up to the gods." That's technically not a "no," so there may be a chance we see Gabriella Montez back at East High, after all.
Who is in the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4 cast?
On September 23, Disney+ announced that there will be new recurring cast members including Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.’s Matthew Sato as sitcom actor Mack, Hacks’ Caitlin Reilly as indie film director Quinn, and The Prom’s Vasthy Mompoint as choreographer Krystal. Per Girls’Life, Gabby Duran and the Unsittables star Kylie Cantrall is also becoming an East High wildcat in season 4 of HSM:TM:TS. The outlet states that Kylie is playing popular girl and social media star Dani, who’s a “modern-day take on Sharpay Evans.”
It looks like we’ll also be seeing some of the new characters introduced at Camp Shallow Lake again. Following the season 3 finale, Tim told People that almost everyone — including Saylor Bell and Adrian Lyles —“is going to make their way back into the show.” He also confirmed that Matt Cornett will be reprising his role as EJ, although he’s graduated from East High. “If you love somebody in season 3, they’ll probably be back, but we’re always sort of juggling the number of people whose stories we’re telling,” Tim told People. We can also hope to see other series regulars Sofia Wylie, Joshua Bassett, Dara Reneé, Julia Lester, Frankie Rodriguez, and Joe Serafini, among others.
In a July 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Tim confirmed that Olivia Rodrigo, who played Nini Salazar-Roberts on the series in its first three seasons, will not reprise her role for season 4. “I think she’s ready to explore the world outside the halls of East High,” Tim told ET. “And Olivia herself was having such a monumental explosion in the music industry that it felt like the right thing to, frankly, work with Olivia to say, ‘How do we get you out there into the world with us taking a little bit more of a backseat?’ Which we were all proud to do to support her.”
Although we’re sad to see Olivia part from the series, we’re so happy we got to see her in the halls of East High for three seasons. And over the summer, Tim revealed on Instagram that Olivia as Nini almost didn’t happen. In a post uploaded on July 30, the showrunner shared that Saylor Bell — who plays Maddox in season 3 — was almost cast in the role.
“@saycurda (Maddox) was an original finalist for Nini. We never forgot her and we're so happy she's in our world now. 🎸,” Tim captioned the post.
What has the cast said about the upcoming season?
It seems like it’ll be an emotional season for our Wildcats. Monique Coleman, who reprises her role as the iconic Taylor McKessie in HSM:TM:TS season 4, recently dished some filming deets to J-14.
“I definitely feel like people are gonna want to have their tissues ready,” she revealed, sharing that this new chapter will be “nostalgia city.”
“It was such an amazing experience, just being back with Corbin [Bleu], Lucas [Grabeel], Kaycee [Stroh] and Alyson [Reed], just to return to the place where our lives changed so drastically,” Monique continued. “To be there with an entirely new group of young people that are embodying this story in their own ways, was just such a fun experience.”
The actress also gave some intel on the dynamics between the East High alumni and the current high school students. “There’s kind of a difference between the old school and the current [stars] and I think it’ll be obvious,” she said, adding that it was “inspiring” to work alongside the young HSM:TM:TS cast.
“They are so grounded, talented and they have the most beautiful energy. They’re so loving together,” she shared. Aw. 🥺
What songs are on the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4 soundtrack?
Joe Serafini and Frankie Rodriguez, who play Seb and Carlos in the show, attended the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, Georgia during the weekend of January 13-15, 2023. They surprised fans and performed a duet of a brand new song from season 4 of HSM:TM:TS called "Over Again." According to Joe, the track was written by Matte Martinez and Jaheem Toombs and will be performed by Seb and Carlos in the upcoming season.
In the past, we’ve heard songs from the High School Musical and Camp Rock franchises, Beauty and the Beast, and Frozen. Cast members like Dara Reneé, Olivia Rodrigo, and Joshua Bassett have also written tracks for the show like “All I Want,” “The Rose Song,” and more. While High School Musical 3 was announced as the drama club’s next musical, we still don’t know which exact songs will make the cut for season 4.
Tim Federle gave Seventeen some intel on how the HSM:TM:TS team picks music for the show. “There’s three types of songs on our show,” Tim explains, breaking up the categories: musical-within-the-musical, Disney Channel OGs, and new originals.
“So for [season 3’s] Frozen, a song within the musical, I’ll turn to my colleagues and mentors at Disney Theatrical Group, like Tom Schumacher who runs the Broadway division. I’ll say, ‘Can I pretty please have Frozen?’ He’ll say yes, and then we get to cast the show and see these incredible young performers play roles that the audience might not expect or might hope that they play.”
For the original Disney Channel throwbacks, like Joshua Bassett’s rendition of the *iconic* High School Musical 2 track “Bet On It” and Joe Serafini’s performance of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” in season 2, Tim says the HSM:TM:TS team decides on which ones to include based on which characters will potentially be performing them and how it’ll advance the plot. As for the new series originals, Tim approaches cast members, like Dara Reneé, with info on their character arcs for the season. They then hit the studio with other songwriters to collaborate on making tracks to match the show’s storyline.
Are there any photos from season 4 yet?
Yes! On June 8, People shared a sneak peak from their visit to the HSM:TS:TS set. The fourth season of the show follows the students of East High as they enter their senior year, prep to put on a stage production of High School Musical 3, and star as extras in the High School Musical 4: the Reunion movie.
With graduation looming in the distance, the storylines of the season will focus on self discovery, mirroring elements of the movie High School Musical 3.
Just look at those iconic red cap and gowns!
Pictures also show Gina and Ricky having a cute jam session with some puppies. Fans will remember that Season 3 ended with Gina and Ricky sharing a kiss. "They're both really nervous about getting it right," Ricky's actor, Joshua Bassett told People about Gina and Ricky. "It’s fun to see [them] in this light and actually see them in a healthy relationship because I think both of them have had pretty not great relationships."
We also get a glimpse of some returning fan favorites from the original movies. One picture shows Corbin Bleu, who played Chad Danforth in the originnal film, alongside Monique Coleman, who played Taylor McKessie. Many of the other OG wildcats will make cameos in the show including Lucas Grabeel, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed, and Kaycee Stroh.
Other pictures shared include the characters cheerleading, playing piano and hugging!
Is High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4 finished filming?
It looks like we'll be seeing our fave wildcats sooner rather than later. HSM:TM:TS season 4 has officially wrapped filming, according to showrunner Tim Federle. He posted a photo with the cast to Instagram on December 20, 2022, writing "🚨And that’s a WRAP on Season 4‼️ #HSMTMTS @disneyplus @highschoolmusicalseries 🫶."
Season 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series was in production as of September 2022. Tim Federle posted a behind-the-scenes photo of Joshua Bassett, writing, “We’re back, baby! #HSMTMTS #Season4.”
Kate Reinders, who plays the wildcats’ drama teacher, Miss Jenn, also posted a photo from her trailer on her Instagram Stories that same day.
Catch up on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series now!
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Sam is an assistant news editor at Cosmo, covering all things pop culture, entertainment, and celebrity news. She previously covered those same topics along with health, lifestyle, and beauty at Seventeen. When she isn't draping her cheeks in blush, you can probably find her live-tweeting awards shows or making SwiftToks.
Alexandra covers pop culture, books, news, and fashion! You can find her listening to Taylor Swift, going on hot girl walks, reading a good book with a cup of tea, and searching for the best sushi in the city!
