Galavant is ABC’s musical comedy that airs over a 4 week period. I watched last year when it came out, as light-hearted, and comedic fantasy TV is rare and doesn’t come up often.
I absolutely fell in love. It’s a wonderfully comedic blend of Monty Python, Mel Brooks and Disney, and if that doesn’t sound like something deserves your immediate attention, i don’t think I can’t help you.
But I’m gonna try.
It was hands down the best thing I saw on TV all year. The story is pretty basic at the very start, but I can have you just watch the intro. Don’t worry. I’ll wait.
That’s not even the best song. Somehow I missed the the premiere of the second season (I still haven’t forgiven myself), probably because Galvant’s original renewal was probably the surprise of television for me as it’s ratings were…mediocore. But Galavant is everything that is right with fantasy, music, and enthusiasm for the arts in a single 21 minute package delivered twice a week.
If it’s not absolutely clear to anyone, I’m a huge fan of fantasy. I play roleplaying games, I read fantasy novels, and this blog is called The Last Paladin. I don’t know how else to telegraph my love of fantasy to the world.
What Galavant is, is a fresh breath of air in a stale, grim and hard era of fantasy. It takes all the ideas that make up shows like Game of Thrones, and turns them into rousing musical numbers, witty one-liners, and delightfully cliche tropes that breathe new life into a genre that was desperate for something like this.
Every half hour episode has three musical numbers, and brilliant guest stars abound at every corner.
The second season did the right step, and instead of simply following the same old song and dance (I’m not even sorry I did that), it takes bold forays into new territories. Zombies, expertly executed spoofs of famous musicals like Grease, West Side Story (Dwarves vs Giants, anyone?), and Menken’s work on Disney and others, resound throughout. Even those in the cast who can’t carry a tune as well as others get their songs, and they’re positively brimming with enthusiasm.
The passion and joy of the cast carries through in the show, and when the first episode of the second season opens, the tongue in cheek surprise at renewal and joy of being back carries through.
I’m not the only one who feels this way. Galavant has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating for the second season, and it’s well deserved.
The last two episodes air this Sunday (on my birthday! Thanks ABC!). While I love shows like Netflix’s Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and of course HBO’s Game of Thrones, Galavant is the only show I will spend this year raving about to everyone.
I look forward to spending Sunday night enjoying the Season 2 finale, and then fervently hoping that ABC will give me one more season to enjoy.
Watch @GalavantABC. You won’t regret it. Buy it on Amazon Video, watch it on Hulu, get it on BluRay, but whatever you do, do yourself the biggest favor you will this year, and binge watch Galavant.
Alan Bahr 