What went wrong? Episode 9: Galavant
When you think of networks notorious for cancelling series prematurely, ABC is not typically one of them but, as they say, even the best fall down sometimes. As such, I am so excited to discuss what went on to become the best musical of my generation.
From legendary composer, Alan Menken, Galavant premiered January 4, 2015 to critical acclaim. Set in an unspecified time period (presumably the renaissance or middle ages), the series followed our titular hero, a gallant knight, as he sets out to rescue his beloved girlfriend, Madalena, from the clutches of her captor, the nefarious King Richard, with the help of a princess, Isabella, & his trusty squire, Sid. That’s about all I can say without delving into spoiler territory but the series proved to be a hit with critics & audiences alike, enough to even justify a renewal.
A big part of the series’ success can be attributed to the brilliance of Menken & lyricist Glenn Slater who are able to write some of the best original music audiences have heard in quite some time but the cast also does a phenomenal job as well. But a renewal was not guaranteed. The second season premiere even pokes at fun at the fact that no one was banking on them coming back for a sophomore run. The series was witty, catchy & hilarious all at the same time, the perfect combination. They even had special guest stars such as Kylie Minogue, Ricky Gervais & Weird Al. So why did it ultimately end up in the trash heap of TV history?
Well, unfortunately, their second season finale aired around the same time as a big regime change at ABC. Outgoing president, Paul Lee, left the network to found his own TV/film studio & was replaced by Channing Dungey. & as most people know, when a new TV exec rises to power, their first decree is (for some reason) to axe most of the existing content no matter how awesome it may be. It also didn’t help their chances that their ratings were lower than ideal.
Fortunately, the series didn’t have that many loose threads left to tie up when they bowed out but many fans were disappointed to learn that this cult classic had met its untimely demise. There were talks for a bit about them possibly getting picked up on another network or even doing a stage adaptation of the hit series but thus far nothing has yet to materialize from those discussions. Regardless, the series lives on in the hearts & minds of the cult following it accrued over its stellar two-season run. Thought it may not have been long for this world, we’ll never forgot all the fun we had delving into the world of galavant.