The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureShow reviewsApple TV+

Schmigadoon!

Schmigadoon! | Show review
12 July 2021
Oliver Johnston
Avatar
Oliver Johnston
12 July 2021

Movie and show review

Oliver Johnston

Schmigadoon!

★★★★★

Release date

16th July 2021

Platform

Apple TV+

Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, the creators of Schmigadoon!, are best known as writers of inoffensive family-friendly fare. Some of these efforts (the Despicable Me series) delighted children and parents alike, whereas others (The Santa Clause Two) perhaps had parents wishing they’d snuck a bottle of wine into the cinema. Have they been able to calibrate their approach to create something that appeals to grownups? Apparently not. In fact, it’s difficult to say just who the intended audience of this Apple TV+ show actually is.

Melissa (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) are two doctors who meet and enjoy four years together before their relationship runs out of momentum ­(all of which unfolds in around five minutes of screen time). During a hike as part of a couple’s retreat, the pair unwittingly stumble into the town of Schmigadoon, where everything is like a 1940s musical. Suitably amused and baffled, they stay overnight, only to find themselves unable to leave as they haven’t yet found true love and it seems that their feelings for each other aren’t as secure as they thought (gasp!).

The premise sounds utterly charming and the talent on both sides of the camera is undeniably impressive. Along with Strong (who is also a producer) and Key, the cast is rounded out by Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen and Jane Krakowski – who appears in later episodes. The series is executive produced by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, and all six episodes are directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, with the show’s hyperreal aesthetics reminiscent of his Addams Family films. All these creatives worked on the same project, yet nobody noticed they had forgotten to add humour to their musical comedy. The most disheartening thing about it is just how good it could have been.

It’s all very twee and earnest. It might be hoped that the songs could offer an amusing edge, providing an opportunity for subversion and slyness, but they’re frustratingly unmemorable, with uninspired staging. There’s no bite because Schmigadoon! is toothless. The entire tone of the production feels miscalculated and despite a few mild profanities flung around, the wholesomeness of the entire affair begins to chafe. Musical theatre aficionados may well be enthralled, but anyone who is watching for the comedic credentials of the cast and crew might be bewildered… briefly before they switch off.

★★★★★

Oliver Johnston

Schmigadoon! is released on Apple TV+ on 16th July 2021.

Watch the trailer for Schmigadoon! here:

Related Itemsreview

More in Shows

“It’s by going to the intimacy of our own perspective that we can hope to then speak to a more general audience”: Charline Bourgeouis-Tacquet on Anaïs in Love

Matthew McMillan
Read More

Where is Anne Frank?

★★★★★
Emma Kiely
Read More

Anaïs in Love

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

The Feast

★★★★★
Guy Lambert
Read More

Sprung

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Bad Sisters

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

My Old School

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Marriage

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

“Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck

Sarah Bradbury
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Oliver Johnston

Schmigadoon!

★★★★★

Release date

16th July 2021

Platform

Apple TV+

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Coldplay at Wembley Stadium: “A night that will be remembered by 80,000 people for years to come”
    Live music
  • My Old School
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Sprung
    ★★★★★
    other
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2022: Mr Moon at C Aquila
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Two Ukrainian Plays at Finborough Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Camden Fringe 2022: The Man Who Wouldn’t Be Murdered at Lion & Unicorn Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “It’s by going to the intimacy of our own perspective that we can hope to then speak to a more general audience”: Charline Bourgeouis-Tacquet on Anaïs in Love
    Cinema & Tv
  • Trending summer dresses everyone wants to own in a heatwave
    Fashion & Lifestyle
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2022: In PurSUEt at Underbelly, Cowgate
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2022: Mr Moon at C Aquila
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “It’s by going to the intimacy of our own perspective that we can hope to then speak to a more general audience”: Charline Bourgeouis-Tacquet on Anaïs in Love
    Cinema & Tv
  • Coldplay at Wembley Stadium: “A night that will be remembered by 80,000 people for years to come”
    Live music
  • Where is Anne Frank?
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Anaïs in Love
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Sprung
    ★★★★★
    other
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe | Theatre review
Bar Crispin to open in Carnaby with a 50%-off soft launch weekender offer