David Bianculli

When they premiered, I raved about both.

In season one, to which the Broadway musical closely adheres, Josh and Melissa happen upon a mysterious land but can't leave it until they find true love.

When first they cross that magical bridge into Schmigadoon, the townspeople instantly prepare to greet them by dancing and singing.

Melissa, who grew up loving musicals, is delighted.

Josh is not.

On TV, Melissa was played by Cecily Strong, and Josh was played by Keegan-Michael Key.

The second season of Schmigadoon ran two years later, featuring most of the cast members returning in different roles.

The twist was that when Melissa and Josh returned to Schmigadoon, it's now populated by the next generation of musicals, typified by echoes of Sweet Charity, Chicago, Hair, and Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The second season was called Schmuckago, and it featured the same cast, most of them in new roles, which the Broadway production could blaze a new trail by emulating.

There's no reason Broadway's new hit musical in time shouldn't have a sequel ready and waiting in the wings, with cast members from Schmigadoon ready to sign up for Schmuckago.

Not, for example, with songs like Do We Shock You, in which the ladies at a nightclub line up on stage, as in Bob Fosse's Sweet Charity, to sing some provocative lyrics.

Although Josh and Melissa, in the audience, are anything but outraged.

In time, Schmuckago may make the transition to Broadway, just as Schmigadoon has.

But for now, you can get tickets to Schmigadoon or watch both seasons on Apple TV.

Meanwhile, here's an interview Terry Gross conducted with Cinco Paul when the TV musical first premiered.

Back in 2021, when he spoke with Terry, Paul had written all the songs for the TV version of Schmigadoon and had co-created and co-written the series with his writing partner, Ken Dario.

Previously, the two of them had written the animated films Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, and the Dr. Seuss adaptations Horton Hears a Who and The Lorax.

In the original TV version of Schmigadoon, the small town of the title looks like a stage or movie set from the early 20th century.

The women are wearing prairie dresses with long petticoats, and the men are dressed like they're in a barbershop quartet.

It turns out that in this town, life is a musical.