‘HSMTMTS’ Season 4 Is Staging a ‘High School Musical’ Reunion Movie: Everything to Know About the Meta Approach

Credit: Disney+

'HSMTMTS' Season 4 Is Staging a 'High School Musical' Reunion Movie: Everything to Know About the Meta Approach

The show must go on. After taking a break from East High, season 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series will see the students back at school as they face senior year — and put on a one of a kind musical. Ahead of the show's season 3 in July 2022, Disney+ announced that HSMTMTS would continue to entertain fans. "This series continues to deliver best in class drama, humor and heart," President of Disney Branded Television, Ayo Davis, said in May 2022. "[Creator] Tim Federle's vision and interpretation of this legacy IP keeps evolving season over season and we can't wait to see what's in store for the Wildcats next." The showrunner, for his part, gushed about the world he got to build with the mockumentary musical drama. "This series has been an epic adventure from the start and I'm beyond grateful that we get to keep making music, telling these stories and showcasing these exceptional stars," Federle added in a statement. The show, which stars Sofia Wylie, Joshua Bassett, Matt Cornett, Julia Lester, Dara Reneé and Frankie A. Rodriguez, became a bigger topic of conversation two months later when Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens paid a visit to East High during individual visits. "Don’t you… Forget about me ✊🏼," the actor captioned an Instagram photo of him posing in front of the school in July 2022, referencing The Breakfast Club with his quote and pose. His onscreen father, Bart Johnson, replied to the post, writing, "Warms coaches ole heart to see this. Welcome home, son. WHAT TEAM!? 🏀🐾." [jwplayer On9XyurG-zhNYySv2] Hudgens had her own walk down memory lane one month prior, writing via Instagram, "Do you remember in kindergarten how you'd meet a kid and know nothing about them, then 10 seconds later you're playing like you're best friends because you didn't have to be anything but yourself?" The Spring Breakers star also included a video of her dancing in front of the school. Earlier that year, the actress reflected on her time with the High School Musical franchise while hosting the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards. "Apparently high school musicals have changed since 2006. Euphoria High does not do it like East High did. There's a lot less singing, a lot more hair pulling and a lot more cleavage," Hudgens joked after a skit where she portrayed Sydney Sweeney's character, Cassie Howard, in June 2022. During season 3 of HSMTMTS, the characters took a trip to Camp Shallow Lake where they put on Disney's Frozen as their chosen musical. In September 2022, the cast and crew confirmed at the D23 Expo that everyone would be returning to East High. Scroll down for everything to know about season 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series:

Credit: Disney/Fred Hayes

Is HSM’s Monique Coleman Returning for ‘HSMTMTS’ Season 4?

The Family Reunion actress revealed during a November 2022 interview with E! News that she will be walking the halls of East High once more. 

"It will be as nostalgic as everyone expects it to be," Coleman gushed. “It will not disappoint."

The South Carolina native noted that the season 4 approach will be “very meta,” with Coleman playing a fictional version of herself who is returning to the HSM franchise for the fictional High School Musical 4: The Reunion. 

"It's really like a movie within a movie," she explained. "It's a show within a show, within a show. And so we're playing ourselves and our character. I'm playing myself — a heightened version of myself — as well as coming back as Taylor."

Credit: Disney+

Which Cast Members Are Returning for Season 4?

Bassett, Wylie, Reneé, Rodriguez, Joe Serafini and Julia Lester will be reprising their roles. Cornett, Larry Saperstein and Joe Serafini have not yet been announced as series regulars for season 4.

Newcomers Kylie Cantrall, Matthew Sato, Caitlin Reilly and Vasthy Mompoint have also been cast.

Credit: Disney+

What Play Will the Students Put on in Season 4?

The fourth season of the Disney+ series will follow the students as they put on a musical of High School Musical 3: Senior Year. While preparing for their final production as seniors, the group finds out that High School Musical 4: The Reunion will be filming at their school — and they will be playing featured extras.

Credit: Disney+

How Will Season 4 Connect Back to the 'High School Musical' Cinematic Universe?

Cast members from the original franchise including KayCee Stroh, Lucas Grabeel and Corbin Bleu have previously appeared on the show. Eagle-eyed fans have questioned if Efron and Hudgens hinted at a possible return when they made separate trips to the school in Salt Lake City, Utah, ahead of the season 4 plot announcement.

In September 2022, Disney confirmed that Monique Coleman, Bart Johnson and Alyson Reed will join Bleu, Grabeel and Stroh in the fourth season.

Credit: Disney+

Will Olivia Rodrigo Return?

"It's so funny, we are early enough in the season 4 writers' room that I'd be lying if I told you I had an exactly right answer for [Nini's future on the show]. I would never say never to Olivia, and I would never use the word last, because I hope the show goes on and on and on," Federle told Entertainment Weekly about how Rodrigo's departure affected the story lines. "But yeah, I think it's probably a fairly safe bet to say that, for now, we have so many cast members who we love and who we're serving, that I think there's no immediate plans for Nini to be a huge part of the show going forward. But the world has a way of surprising me and I never say never."

Credit: Disney+

Will Gina's Love Triangle With Ricky and E.J. Get Resolved?

Onscreen, Gina parted ways with E.J. before telling Ricky about her feelings for him. The new couple and their growing romance will presumably be at the center of season 4.

Federle later weighed in on where Ricky and Gina will go from here. "I think the main thing I would say is it’s time for Gina’s world to be on Gina’s terms. She has been in the shadow of her mom’s career moving her around, the shadow of a really great boyfriend in E.J., who just was moving on with his own life," he explained to Hollywood Life. "I think it’s time for Gina’s next moves as a young woman and also as potentially in a relationship with Ricky for it to be on her terms. I think it’s going to be a lot of Gina setting the rules."

Credit: Disney/Anne Marie Fox

Will E.J. Come Back for Season 4?

"I don’t think there’s a High School Musical without Matt Cornett. He’s an incredible actor. While I know E.J. had a really challenging season, and particularly by the end, was sort of broken by the experience of trying to live up to his toxic father’s expectations, there are definitely more stories to tell with E.J.," the creator told Hollywood Life shortly after the season 3 finale. "What I will caution about expectations is E.J. graduated from high school in every form of that sentence. I think E.J. has got some time to find himself and figure out what he’s doing. He will be around, but I think he will not be back in high school."

Credit: Disney; Inset: Shutterstock

Will Ricky Score the Lead Role Once Again?

After three seasons of Ricky being offered the lead role in a play, Federle discussed his chances of playing Troy again.

"I’m not sure. Josh has been begging me for a couple of years to sing 'Scream,' and it does feel like this would be the season so see that," he told TVLine about the hit track from the third High School Musical movie. "There’s a lot to look forward to with this incredible music from HSM 3 and all of the characters and who steps into what role. It’s going to be really fun."

Credit: AFF-USA/Shutterstock

Is Seb and Carlos' Romance on the Rocks?

In January 2023, Frankie Rodriguez and Joe Serafini hinted at issues between Seb and Carlos when they sang “Over Again" from the new season. “I know that I’m a mess, and you should have nothing less than my whole heart and it’s all yours, if you still want me. You deserve happy ever after, and I don’t deserve a second chance," Serafini sang an excerpt of the season 4 track at the Junior Theater Festival.