‘Galavant’ Sings Its Way Back to a Bigger and Brighter Season 2
For ABC’s lavish musical comedy Galavant, getting a second season is truly something to sing about. “We joked that we didn’t have a chance,” says executive producer Kat Likkel of the ratings-challenged fairy tale, which features original tunes from lyricist Glenn Slater and Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken. “But we knew in our hearts that it’s a fantastic show.”
Fittingly, the premiere is titled “A New Season, aka Suck It, Cancellation Bear”—and there’s plenty of ground to cover. To refresh: Noble-ish knight Galavant (Joshua Sasse) had been tasked with returning King Richard (Timothy Omundson) to the safety of his original kingdom. Meanwhile, in Valencia, Madalena (Mallory Jansen) had seized the throne and was ruling alongside ex-henchman Gareth (Vinnie Jones). And Gal’s unlucky soulmate, Princess Isabella (Karen David), was being held captive in yet another kingdom by her 11-year-old cousin-slash-fiancé. The action resumes with a giant production number. “It sets up the whole season,” Likkel says, “which includes the possibility of an eventual battle between three huge armies.”
But first, everyone must contend with some new realities—like the rebooted dynamic between former archrivals Richard and Galavant. “Galavant’s goal is to drop Richard off and then rescue Isabella, but there are obstacles,” Likkel says. “It becomes a buddy comedy. We’re taking all of our characters and shaking them up.”
Clearly, this opportunity to keep the party going won’t be squandered. “We’ve been inspired to go much bigger,” Likkel says. “We shot the final episodes in Morocco! It’s like a comedy Lawrence of Arabia.”
Galavant, Season premiere, Sunday, Jan. 3, 8/7c, ABC
