What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Schmigadoon! (2021)

I’ve been waiting for a musical show since ABC’s 2015 production Galavant, and finally the heavens (and Apple TV) have blessed us with Schmigadoon! The cast reads like a who’s who of the musical theater scene, from Kristin Chenoweth and Jane Krakowski to Aaron Tveit.

The conceit of the show, and what makes it so appealing, is that at its center is a couple who are fully aware that they are in a musical, but can’t do a thing about it. Lucky for Melissa (Cecily Strong) she has an entire database of musicals stored in her brain for easy reference. The townspeople on the other hand are completely unaware that they are archetypes from famous stage productions, and they merely follow their cues as they get them.

It was such a delight watching the show and seeing such veteran actors take on parodies of beloved roles. Chenoweth was by far my favourite, embodying the evilness of her character and clearly having fun with it. She’s a scene-stealer like no other, and it’s no wonder she’s a Broadway legend. Jamie Camil’s brief but impactful performance also left an impression on me, and I wish he could have been the one to get the girl in the end (even if said girl may not have been entirely worthy of the greatness that is Jamie Camil). And, of course Tviet going against type by playing the town rapscallion, his beautiful voice on full display along with his incredible dancing.

By comparison our main couple felt lacking, Keegan-Michael Key in particular. Perhaps because Josh was so opposed to being in the world that he was thrust into, Key’s performance felt forced, and I couldn’t buy him as the lead when there were so many more interesting suitors out there.

But the overall experience that was Schmigadoon! was fun filled and exciting and just the kind of thing I love. It was lovely seeing some of the performers I grew up on singing and dancing and having a good time, and I would move to Schmigadoon any day.

Hospital Playlist 2 (2021) – Ep 7-8

I stopped watching this show for a few weeks, because I found myself quoting Marie Kondo: “Does this spark joy?” And I found the answer to sadly be ‘no’ at the end of Episode 6. So I decided to give it a break for a couple of months, and revisit it once it had finished airing.

The nearly 2-hour episode runtimes definitely makes it tougher to watch the show at my usual pace, but I’m happy to take it slow and see the show out. There are things that I genuinely enjoy about the show, like the core 5 spending time with each other (although there wasn’t much of that these past two episodes) and seeing the care and patience with which they deal with both their patients and the doctors working under them. The shows humour still gets me, Jun-wan and Ik joon’s (Jung Kyoung-ho and Jo Jung-seok respectively) bickering being some of my favourite scenes.

The show also built up incredible tension with Rosa (Kim Hae-sook) the last few episodes, and seeing her silent struggles just about killed me. To see that tension finally released, and her voicing her fears to her best friend and her son, as well as getting the treatment she needed felt like a breath of fresh air. It gives me hope for the show to continue in a positive direction for the rest of the season, and going back to being character driven rather than what currently feels like self indulgence.

Perhaps a more ruthless editor could have done wonders with their heavy-handed messages this season, but overall I’m watching the show just for the sake of completionism at this point. Change my mind, I beg you HosPlay crew!