What Keegan-Michael Key And Cecily Strong Think Makes ‘Schmigadoon!’ A Showstopping Hit

The widespread appeal of the first season of Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon! even took the shows leading actors a little by surprise.

“It felt great seeing the excitement of the theatre kids, but I felt like the non musical theatre people ended up liking it even more than them,” admitted Cecily Strong. “I think it was funny enough and sweet enough, and it does what a good musical is supposed to do, which is that it sucks you in, and you end up getting into it and maybe shedding a tear, whether you thought you would or not.”

“It also think it’s a little reflective of the times that we were in,” added Keegan-Michael Key, referencing that musical comedy’s first season premiered during the pandemic. “People needed a little sunshine at that particular moment, and I think that was what we offered.”

Key and Strong return as Josh Skinner and Melissa Gimble who try to return to the magical titular town but instead find Schmicago, a world inspired by the musicals of the 60s and 70s musicals like Hair and Chicago, to name just
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two. Ariana DeBose, Dove Cameron, Kristin Chenoweth, and Alan Cumming are among the other returning cast, but all are in new roles.

Key continued, “To be able to assemble those people at that time to be able to make this project was magical, and we’ve done it again.”

Quotes from the first season quickly seeped into pop culture with fans on social media latching onto things like a song about Corn Pudding, something that is referenced in the second season’s first episode. It was a phenomenon that neither Key nor Strong was aware of, but they admit they quote it to each other “all the time.”

“One thing that I find interesting is if someone stops you on the street, they just love saying the word Schmigadoon!,” Key revealed. “People will say things like, ‘I really enjoy Schmigadoon!,’ and they lean into it. They love saying the word. That’s part of the reason that I’ve always thought it was such a brilliant title. It’s a great word to say.”

The high-concept show takes the vision even further in its second season, which debuted the first two episodes on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. A new episode in the six-episode sophomore run will drop each Friday through May 5, 2023. Were they worried about pushing the envelope even more?

“Not at all. I was thrilled about it,” Key affirmed. “That expansive nature was exciting to me, and I couldn’t wait to jump in. I love that we’re melding all of these genres that were written during that same time. You have musicals set in different time periods and share this space. I just thought it was a stroke of genius to mash them all together and have them weave in and out of each other in such a successful way.”

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“Kudos to Cinco Paul and his writing staff for putting it together so cohesively. There is this expansive sense that Schmigadoon is a tiny little town, and Chicago, or Schmicago, is a city, so it has got to be at least ten times bigger. There are more places to go and more to explore, literally and creatively.”

Strong added, “We’re taking risks for sure, but it was exciting to walk on set, especially when we got to see what the musical numbers were going to be. Cinco wrote great stuff, and we absolutely leaned into that with big, fun pieces. I’m very happy with the results.”

The first season of Schmigadoon! allowed Paul and his writers to find their feet and test the waters, but there’s an additional confidence in the production, especially in the musical numbers in the latest run.

“Some of it has to do with the era because I believe that there was a self-awareness that didn’t exist in the previous era, and that has been reflected in the lyrical content,” Key mused. “There’s also a sharp cleverness about the songs that exist in this season that is different. The song “Do We Shock You” is a perfect example of the writer of the music commenting on a musical within a musical.”

Strong added, “We also didn’t have to do so much exposition this time because the concept was already set up, so then the jokes could go in different directions.”

Having been inspired by classic musicals in the first season and productions from the 60s and 70s this time, where does Schmigadoon! go from here, especially when not all musicals are equal regarding quality? If the musicals of the 80s, 90s, and 00s are the next stop, could the likes of Xanadu be embraced to take Schmicago into Schmigadu?

“That’s a good one. I think something that both Cecily and I have expressed interest in if there was to be a third season is Into The Woods or something in that world,” Key explained. “You have some great Sondheim that takes place in that era. Maybe we could look at crazy, high-concept musicals like Assassins or something like that. There’s so much to choose from in that era. Obviously, Cinco has set this up so that we’re always moving forward in time. It’s funny that you mentioned Xanadu, though. I like that idea.”

“I mean, as far as a third season goes, Keegan and I will show up whenever they give us a place at a time,” Strong concluded. “Whatever they want to do, we’re there. If they wanted to do it in Hawaii, that’d be great. I’m just throwing that out there.”