‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’: 7 Burning Questions for Season 3
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (HSMTMTS) returns to Disney+ on July 27, so we thought it was a good time to remind you what last went down with East High students Gina Porter (Sofia Wylie), Ricky Bowen (Joshua Bassett) and more last season. This way, we’ll all be ready to see the new drama unfold when the Wildcats go to Camp Shallow Lake in Season 3.
Before we dive into the unanswered questions, we did learn some tidbits from the trailer. Gina and E.J. Caswell (Matt Cornett) are officially a couple, although that might change because Ricky seems to be into her as well (does Gina still harbor some feelings for the curly-haired heartthrob?) The musical they will all be competing for is Disney’s Frozen, and this time it won’t just be the East High members going after roles.
Some Disney alums will also be on deck this season to provide some nostalgic relief. Corbin Bleu, who portrayed Chad Danforth in the original High School Musical movies, Hannah Montana’s series regular Jason Earles, and Zombies’ Meg Donnelly will all be appearing. Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson and JoJo Siwa are also set to make guest appearances.
Now, check out what we don’t yet know about the upcoming episodes.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Season 3 Premiere, Wednesday, July 27, Disney+
Where is Nini?
Nina “Nini” Salazar-Roberts (Olivia Rodrigo) was nowhere to be seen at Camp Shallow Lake in the first trailer that was released, and it’s also known that she is no longer part of the main cast, but rather a recurring character. This might be because of Rodrigo’s breakout career as a performing artist, but the former lead will still be missed. Is she in Los Angeles with Gina’s brother, Jamie (Jordan Fisher), who is a hotshot producer? Or did she end up somewhere else?
And will she make an appearance at Camp Shallow Lake? Or will the others only see her through voice chats and social media? This seems rather unlikely as all phones are confiscated at the start of the camp as seen in the trailer. Most importantly, how will the characters react to her absence, especially best friend Kourtney Greene (Dara Reneé) and ex-boyfriend Ricky. It also seems that HSMTHTS truly replaced her with Gina, as the love triangle Nini used to be in has literally been transferred to Gina.
What's up with Ricky and Lily?
Will Ricky and Lily (Olivia Rose Keegan) address the romantic tension they seemed to be having last season? Keegan is set to return, so it isn’t that farfetched that the two will see each other again soon.
Lily, who started off as a mean girl, transferred to North High to be in Beauty and the Beast. In all of her insecurity-ridden ploys, she kept Ricky at bay, but she did really seem to like him. Sadly enough, Ricky was still dealing with his relationship with Nini at the time.
She doesn’t seem to have many connections with the other Wildcats, so her return must be for Ricky. Alas, only time will tell.
Is there hope for Kourtney and Howie’s budding relationship?
Kourtney and Howie (Roman Banks) started off as frenemies, but their tension ran up high, and it eventually led to a relationship. He is nowhere to be seen in the Season 3 trailer of HSMTMTS, and therefore, the questions of “Where is he?” and “Are they still together?” pop up while thinking about the two.
The show spent a considerable amount of time on their arc, so it is odd that he doesn’t seem to be included in this season. Also, Kourtney was so happy with Howie – and we all wanted to see her loved-up joyful glow this season.
The actor doesn’t seem to be included in the list of returning stars for Season 3. Kourtney will probably still mention something about their relationship – so, look out for that!
Where will E.J. go to college?
E.J.’s college dream was set. He wanted to go to Duke as that was the place where his parents met. Sadly, he wasn’t accepted. But then, he eventually was able to get in as his dad, Cash Caswell (Jacob Young), called in a favor. E.J. didn’t feel right taking the spot, however, claiming he wanted to make it in the world through his own accomplishments.
So, the question remains, where will E.J. go now? He’s at summer camp this season, but where will he go after that? Will he stay in Salt Lake City or will he wander off somewhere else? How is he going to handle his departure, as he just got into a relationship with Gina, who isn’t graduated yet?
Why is Big Red absent from the trailer?
The loveable best friend of Ricky and boyfriend of Ashlyn Caswell (Julia Lester), Big Red (Larry Saperstein) is nowhere to be seen in the Season 3 trailer. So, where is he?
Did he stay at home to work at his parents’ restaurant or did he just not feel like going to camp? Hopefully, Big Red will make a ton of appearances because he truly is the heart of the series. We know Ricky will desperately need his pal’s advice at some point, as is proven in the previous seasons.
Can Miss Jenn get her love life in check?
Miss Jenn (Kate Reinders) was juggling a relationship with Ricky’s dad Mr. Bowen (Alex Quijano) and getting the drama club to win the Menkies awards. But throughout Season 2, it was revealed that there was also a blossoming love connection between Miss Jenn and her fellow teacher, Mr. Mazzara (Mark St. Cyr). Now the question remains, who will she choose?
And although it seems unlikely that the Disney+ series has completely written off this storyline, it can be put on the back-burner this season as the kids aren’t in school this year. So, how will the adults even make an appearance this season? Will this also finally reveal who Miss Jenn has chosen?
What about Carlos and Seb?
Another character who is noticeably absent from the trailer is Sebastian “Seb” Matthew-Smith (Joe Serafini), Carlos Rodriguez’ (Frankie Rodriguez) boyfriend. The two seemed to be attached at the hip last season, and we can’t even imagine how Carlos will feel without Seb.
That said, the two definitely had very different lifestyles. As Carlos grew up pretty well-off and is known to have a luxurious way of expressing his affection, Seb’s family revolves around the farm they own, and Seb also truly enjoys that way of life. So, might that be where he is spending his summer, or will he eventually show up at camp to surprise Carlos and the other Wildcats?
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