Musical Theatre

The curtain has fallen on Schmigadoon! On Thursday, creator Cinco Paul announced on social media that the musical series will not be getting a third season on Apple TV+. This is despite the fact that Paul and his team have written the complete season, including 25 songs.

"I am sad to share that Apple will not be moving forward with season 3 of Schmigadoon!" he wrote. "The season is written (including 25 new songs), but we unfortunately won't be making it. Such is life. I want to thank everyone involved with the show, our incredible cast & crew & writers, our wonderful supporters at Broadway Video, Universal & Apple, for everything they did to make it happen."

That's even more songs than the season 2 soundtrack, which already nearly doubled the new songs from season 1.

"It's a miracle we even got two seasons, honestly," Paul continued. "And I'm so grateful we did. And to all the fans of the show out there — thank you with all of my heart. Your love and support has meant so much, and the fact that you connected with our show, that it brought some joy, means the world to me."

Paul closed by suggesting that there might be a future for the show yet. "This was tough news to get, but the optimist in me is convinced it's not the end of Schmigadoon," he wrote. "And maybe it's even a happy beginning."

The statement referenced the season 2 finale song, "Happy Beginning," which Paul previously told EW could point to the musical themes of season 3. "The inspiration behind "Happy Beginning" was really "Rainbow Connection" [from The Muppet Movie]," he said. "It's meant to be a little hint about how things could move forward. The feeling of that is so optimistic and hopeful in that song, although there's a little melancholy tied in always with Kermit. That's the genius of the Muppets and of Paul Williams, who wrote "The Rainbow Connection."

While season 1 of the show used the Golden Age of Broadway musicals of the 1940s and 50s as inspiration, season 2 moved into the darker evolution of 1960s and 70s shows, as evidenced by its title change to Schmicago. Season 3 was poised to move into the era of the mega-musical of the 1980s and 1990s.

Paul told EW the crashing of a chandelier in the season 2 finale was a clear nod to 1980s hit The Phantom of the Opera.

Season 2 ended with Melissa (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) expecting a child, a longtime dream of theirs. "They're pregnant right at the end of the episode," Paul said. "I'm an optimistic, hopeful person, so I think they'll have a child and they will love it and it'll become a huge part of their lives.

Paul also hinted at a grander mythology to the mechanics of the world of Schmigadoon!, though he was unsure if it might ever be part of the storytelling. "I have a mythology in my head, but in some ways I'm following the Groundhog's Day principle here," he noted. "Which is that the original script had a big explanation for why Bill Murray was living the day over and over, and then they cut it out and no one missed it. No one cares. So, I'm leaning in that direction, although there is a bigger mythology in my head. But who knows if that'll ever see the light of day. Sometimes that stuff bogs things down and overcomplicates something that's just fun."

Other dreams for season 3 included wanting to recruit Broadway legends Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin for potential roles. But Paul also seemed to hint that season 3 would bring the series to a close, suggesting that going any closer to contemporary musical theater might overcomplicate matters.

"I would be afraid of going too far because the musicals were very self-aware and a lot of meta-commentary on stuff, which is what we're doing already," he reflected. "It's a hat on a hat."

But for now, the question of whether Paul will ever get around to finishing the hat remains an open one.