High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is confirmed for season three! And this time, we will follow the Wildcats across the country as they ditch the iconic classrooms of East High, and hit up summer camp. As the production heads to California, expect to see our favorite musical theatre kids singing around campfires as they battle new and ongoing showmances, as well as life in the great outdoors.
And just as the movies the show was inspired by launched the careers of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, the Disney+ series has sent the cast to the upper echelons of fame almost instantaneously, with lead star Olivia Rodrigo ruling the Billboard album and singles charts, and her co-star and rumored ex Joshua Basset launching a musical career of his own. Since wrapping season two of the hit Disney+ show, what have the cast been up to, what have they got planned next, and do we know who's coming back for season three?
10 Joe Serafini (Seb)
Joe Serafini stars as the lovable Seb in the show, and famously played the role of Sharpay in season one's rendition of High School Musical: The Musical. Since wrapping on season two of the show, Serafini has appeared in Disney+'s 'This Is Me' Pride Celebration Spectacular virtual concert to celebrate Pride Month, and the web series Stars In The House. Disney has not announced any cast details for the upcoming season, but considering Seb's character arc and Serafini's love for the show, he is expected to return for season three.
9 Frankie Rodriguez (Carlos)
Frankie Rodriguez plays choreographer Carlos in the show, with his character dating Serafini's Seb as the first gay couple on the series. The two are also dating in real life and dressed up as Jamie and Bianco Del Rio from Everybody's Talking About Jamie for Halloween. Rodriguez has appeared on the comedy podcast The Latin Babbler Show and the Disney Princess Remixed musical special on Disney Channel.
8 Dara Reneé (Kourtney)
Dara Reneé has made it no secret that she is longing to return to East High for season three. Since wrapping season two, Renee performed "Into The Unknown" alongside Frankie Rodriguez, and "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog on Disney Princess Remixed. She can now be seen Friday nights on Disney Channel as the host of Disney's Magic Bake-Off.
7 Sofia Wylie (Gina)
Sofia Wylie will next be seen in the Charlize Theron and Michelle Yeoh led The School for Good and Evil, arriving in 2022. Based on the New York Times bestselling book series, the story follows a group of boys and girls who are taken to an institution where they are trained to become fairytale-like heroes and villains. Since finishing up season two, Wylie has been sponsored by Nike, Sephora, and Invisalign, whose products she advertises to her 2.4 million Instagram followers. She is also busy taking care of her new dog Mabel.
6 Kate Reinders (Miss Jenn)
Kate Reinders, who plays everyone's favorite drama teacher Miss Jenn, is likely to return for season three, but with the kids leaving East High for summer camp, what capacity will she appear in? Reinders has been busy this year raising her son Luke and since finishing up on HSM:TM:TS she has made special appearances reading to children through the Lollipop Theater Network and on The Theater Podcast with Alan Seales. She can also be found on Cameo.
5 Julia Lester (Ashlyn)
East High student and songwriting superstar Ashlyn is played by Julia Lester, who has a huge love for the Disney+ production. Recently, Lester has partnered with American Girl dolls, hosting the Making Herstory Panel for Fun Fest in celebration of their 35th birthday. She recently contributed to Our Era magazine, talking about identity and sexuality on screen.
4 Larry Saperstein (Big Red)
It looks like Big Red actor Larry Saperstein is taking his stagehand and behind-the-scenes skills to the real world, with the actor taking on the role of second, second assistant director in the upcoming film Gap Year. The bisexual actor was recently interviewed for Out Magazine, talking about his pride in being involved with a show that features so many queer characters, actors, and creators. "I think it's so indicative of what high school looks like right now, especially a high school theater program," he told the magazine. "So many people in high school theater are queer or have different identities or different perspectives. And I feel it wouldn't be right to be doing a show like High School Musical: The Musical: The Series without those perspectives and identities."
3 Matt Cornett (E.J.)
Matt Cornett has filmed an episode for the unreleased television show School For Boys and is keeping it in the Disney family by starring in the upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 3, out 2022. Although his character E.J. is graduating this year at East High, Cornett is expected to return for season three. He often shows love to his castmates on social media, and recently visited Disneyland Resort with Joshua Bassett.
2 Joshua Bassett (Ricky)
Well here is a cast member we can expect to return with certainty! Joshua Bassett tweeted "SEASON 3 BABY" on September 13, announcing the show had been greenlit by Disney and followed the tweet up with another directed at the show's creator and showrunner Tim Ferdele. "[i]f I’m not upside in a fully rotating hallway with lightning and raining basketballs we riot," he wrote, referencing a scene from the third installment of the movie series. Since wrapping season two, Bassett has been releasing music on Instagram and Youtube, dodging questions about his supposed relationship and resulting feud with Olivia Rodrigo, and announcing he is part of the LGBTQ+ community.
1 Olivia Rodrigo (Nini)
Olivia Rodrigo's rise to fame over the last eleven months is no secret. The breakout star of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has become so renowned and achieved so much success at such a young age, many are questioning whether the number one hitmaker will return to the show, or leave it behind as she takes her debut studio album Sour on the road. But back in May 2021, Rodrigo told The Guardian that she was committed to HSM:TM:TS for two more years, suggesting she will return for season three, and possibly even a fourth.
Of Olivia's newfound fame, showrunner Tim Federle has said "it’s hard to imagine High School Musical without Olivia, but Olivia is also experiencing a level of success and fame and opportunity that I would never want to stand in the way of. I want the show to succeed, but the actors who make the show are always more important to me than the product." Rodrigo has had an incredibly busy year, releasing five music videos from her Sour album, as well as performing at her very own Sour Prom, and appearing on numerous television programs around the world to promote her music.