From “Schmigadoon!” to “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” These 10 Musical TV Shows Will Bring Broadway to You

“Schmigadoon!” stars Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong as a couple who find themselves trapped inside an eternal musical. With supporting cast members like Dove Cameron and Ariana DeBose, the first season parodies musicals such as “Brigadoon” and “Oklahoma!” The second focuses on grittier, “Chicago”-eqsue shows.

Watch it on Apple TV+.

The award-winning, romantic-comedy musical “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” follows Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom), a successful lawyer living in New York City. Despite her wealth and status, Rebecca is unhappy (and heavily medicated). She fears that she will be stuck in a rut forever . . . that is, until she runs into Josh, an old fling from high school. Josh tells her that New York wasn’t a good place for him and that he’s moving back to the happiest place he knows: West Covina, CA.

On a whim, Rebecca quits her job and follows Josh to West Covina; she’s determined to make him fall in love with her, but is unaware that he’s soon-to-be engaged. When she arrives, Rebecca continuously finds ways to insert herself into Josh’s life . . . including dating his best friend. Fun fact: Santino Fontana, who plays Josh’s best friend, Greg, was the voice of Prince Hans in “Frozen.”

Watch it on Netflix.

Created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, “Empire” examines the world of the music industry, focusing on a hip-hop label (called Empire) run by the Lyon family. Empire’s CEO is Lucious Lyon, a hip-hop mogul who, when not running the company, is raising his three sons: Jamal, Hakeem, and Andre. The Lyon men are faring fine until Lucious’s ex-wife and mother of his children, Cookie, is released from prison. She’s determined to get her stake of the empire and build the relationship that she never had with her sons.

In addition to displaying family drama and the savage underbelly of the music industry, the show tackles interracial marriage, queerness, mental illness, gang violence, love affairs, and even murder, making Fox’s “Empire” an instant hit.

Watch it on Hulu.

In addition to the lovable animal sidekicks and predictable happily ever after, one of the things that makes Disney movies so enjoyable are the catchy tunes, many of which are written by the talented Alan Menken. Menken and partner Glenn Slater went on to create the music and lyrics for ABC’s “Galavant.” The series features Galavant, a scorned knight that begins to waste away after his fiancée chooses to marry the cruel King Richard instead of him.

After a young princess seeks his help in rescuing her family from the infamous ruler, Galavant ventures on a quest to get his revenge. Despite positive reviews from critics, the musical comedy was canceled after just two seasons, both of which are now available on Hulu. The witty songs, fun dance numbers, and stellar cast definitely make the show worth watching.

Watch it on Hulu.

Baz Luhrmann’s “The Get Down” centers on a group of musically-inclined teens growing up in the South Bronx in the 1970s. The protagonist, Zeke, is a talented hip-hop/rap artist with only two things on his mind: pursuing his music . . . and a girl named Mylene. However, Mylene dreams of escaping the Bronx to become a famous singer and won’t let anything stand in her way. Together, Mylene, Zeke, and their friends come of age in the disco era. The cast, which is mostly comprised of newcomers, even went through a hip-hop bootcamp with seasoned rap stars Nas, Kurtis Blow, and Grandmaster Flash to prepare for the role. The second half of the Netflix original series premiered in 2017.

Watch it on Netflix.

In the fall of 2009, the first episode of “Glee” premiered on Fox. Over the years, the show’s soundtrack, which was comprised of unique covers of hit songs, dominated the iTunes charts. The series (which came to an end in 2015 after six seasons) follows a group of teenagers who find an unlikely family when they join their high school’s recently-formed glee club. Not only do the kids sing their hearts out, but they learn important life lessons and face issues such as bullying, teen pregnancy, sexuality, disabilities, eating disorders, sexual assault, and domestic violence, to name a few. The show spawned live concert tours, concert films, and attracted a plethora of big name guest stars. The original cast members include Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Dianna Agron, the late Naya Rivera, and the late Cory Monteith.

Watch it on Hulu.

Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere star as Rayna James and Juliette Barnes in the country music drama “Nashville.” Rayna is a country-music legend whose star begins to fade as the industry changes. Juliette is a star on the rise looking to dethrone Rayna as the Queen of Country. They both have complicated romantic relationships, as well as pasts that come back to haunt them. However, amid the backstabbing, blackmail, love affairs, and exposed secrets, they create beautiful music together. ABC canceled the series after four seasons, but CMT picked it up for a fifth and sixth season.

Watch it on Hulu!

NBC’s “Smash” starred Katherine McPhee as Karen Cartwright, an aspiring singer who gets the opportunity of a lifetime: to play Marilyn Monroe in the broadway musical “Bombshell.” She must compete for the role with the more experienced Ivy Lynn (played by the talented Megan Hilty). As they go head-to-head on stage, there’s plenty of drama happening behind the scenes, including love triangles, secret affairs, sabotage, and blackmail.

In addition to McPhee and Hilty, the cast featured Debra Messing, Anjelica Houston, Uma Thurman, and Jennifer Hudson. Despite the talented cast and incredible musical performances, the Steven Spielberg-produced show was canceled after just two seasons. Two years after the series went off the air, the largest theater Kickstarter in history ($300,000) funded a one-night-only concert version of “Bombshell,” and the original cast reunited for the event. Years later, the show is still generating buzz, and a stage adaption is headed to Broadway as of 2023.

The show’s two seasons are not available to stream, but they can be rented on Prime Video.

“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” finds a new group of theater kids at the same fictional high school where the original “High School Musical” was filmed. Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett star as Nini and Ricky, two theater kids who vie for lead parts – and each other’s affection – over the course of the show, with no shortage of onscreen (and real-life) drama. As of 2023, the show has been renewed for a fourth season, though Rodrigo will not reprise her role.

Watch it on Disney+.

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement make up the New Zealand musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords. In 2007, they starred in an HBO series of the same name while portraying fictionalized versions of themselves: two New Zealand shepherds who move to New York City in hopes of making it big as a folk band. Though they struggle to find fame, they do find a band manager, a stalker fan, and girlfriends, all of whom help to create hilarious musical sequences.

“Flight of the Conchords” only lived for two seasons, but featured guest stars such as Sutton Foster, Aziz Ansari, Patton Oswalt, and Will Forte. Still, the band toured together for years after the series aired, and in 2018 they reunited for an HBO special called “Flight of the Conchords: Live in London.”

Watch it on HBO Max now.