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Encore! (TV series)

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This article is about the 2019 American reality series. For the 1960s Canadian drama series, see Encore (TV series).
Encore!
Genre
Developed byJason Cohen
Presented byKristen Bell
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Jason Cohen
  • Kristen Bell
  • Alycia Rossiter
  • Will Gluck
  • Richard Schwartz
  • Jim Roush
  • Chris Wagner
Production companies
  • Olive Bridge Entertainment
  • Leading Laidy
  • Jason Cohen Productions
  • Primate Pictures
  • The Roush Wagner Company
Original release
NetworkDisney+
ReleaseNovember 12, 2019 (2019-11-12) –
January 24, 2020 (2020-01-24)

Encore! is an American reality television series hosted and executive produced by Kristen Bell and Will Gluck. Based on a pilot special aired on ABC on December 10, 2017, the series premiered on Disney+ on November 12, 2019. The series was removed from Disney+ on May 26, 2023, rendering it lost media by legal means.[1]

Premise

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Encore! reunites the cast members of high school musicals to recreate their performance years after they originally performed.

Production

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Development

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A television special, also titled Encore! and hosted by Bell, aired on ABC on December 10, 2017. It reunited the cast of a 1997 South Hills High School production of Into the Woods to recreate their original performance.[2][3]

In April 2019, Disney+ ordered a series based on the special, to be hosted and executive produced by Kristen Bell.[4]

When asked during the COVID-19 pandemic about the future of the series, creator Jason Cohen said, "Obviously, things right now are a little bit funky, with the coronavirus, and things have been thrown into flux a bit. But we are hoping we can do more."[5]

Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast releasedNetwork
SpecialDecember 10, 2017 (2017-12-10)ABC
112November 12, 2019 (2019-11-12)January 24, 2020 (2020-01-24)[6]Disney+

Special (2017)

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No.TitleMusicalHigh schoolOriginal release date
–"Special"Into the WoodsSouth Hills High SchoolDecember 10, 2017 (2017-12-10)

Season 1 (2019–20)

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No.TitleMusical [7]High schoolOriginal release date [6]
1"Annie • 1996 • Santee, CA"AnnieSantana High SchoolNovember 12, 2019 (2019-11-12)
2"Beauty and the Beast • 2007 • Saginaw, TX"Beauty and the BeastSaginaw High SchoolNovember 15, 2019 (2019-11-15)
3"The Sound of Music • 1992 • Flint, MI"The Sound of MusicFlint Central High School[a]November 22, 2019 (2019-11-22)
4"Grease • 1990 • Hackensack, NJ"GreaseHackensack High SchoolNovember 29, 2019 (2019-11-29)
5"Annie Get Your Gun • 1998 • Satellite Beach, FL"Annie Get Your GunSatellite High SchoolDecember 6, 2019 (2019-12-06)
6"Oklahoma • 1991 • Snellville, GA"Oklahoma!Brookwood High SchoolDecember 13, 2019 (2019-12-13)
7"Godspell • 1998 • Houston, TX"GodspellEisenhower High SchoolDecember 20, 2019 (2019-12-20)
8"Fiddler on the Roof • 2001 • Anaheim, CA"Fiddler on the RoofKatella High SchoolDecember 27, 2019 (2019-12-27)
9"Pippin • 1984 • Louisville, KY"PippinYouth Performing Arts SchoolJanuary 3, 2020 (2020-01-03)
10"High School Musical • 2007 • Fish Creek, WI"High School MusicalGibraltar High SchoolJanuary 10, 2020 (2020-01-10)
11"Anything Goes • 1975 • Los Angeles, CA"Anything GoesLos Angeles High SchoolJanuary 17, 2020 (2020-01-17)
12"Ragtime • 2008 • Santa Monica, CA"RagtimePacific Christian High SchoolJanuary 24, 2020 (2020-01-24)
  1. ^ Since the school has since closed, the production was staged at Swartz Creek Performing Arts Center.

Release

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Encore! debuted on November 12, 2019, on the streaming service Disney+ in 4K HDR. Episodes were released weekly rather than all at once.[3]

The series was removed from Disney+ on May 26, 2023, rendering it lost media by legal means.[1]

Marketing

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A first trailer of the show was released on August 23, 2019, at the Disney+ Panel at D23 Expo 2019.[3]

Reception

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Critical reception

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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 70% approval rating for the first season with an average rating of 6.50/10, based on 20 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "While it often feels more like a dress rehearsal, Encore! has just enough charm to keep theater lovers in their seats–though everyone else may duck out at intermission".[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 63 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]

Lorraine Ali of Los Angeles Times praised the concept of Encore! and called it original, found the series humorous across the goofs and the dialogues of the performers, and claimed that the stories and emotions provided by the cast members manage to add depth to the show.[10] Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media rated the series 4 out of 5 stars, praised the depiction of positives messages, such as perseverance and teamwork, while complimenting the presence of role models, citing their honesty and emotional take with their stories.[11] Gretchen Smail of IGN gave a 6 out of 10 rating, stated that the series provides a feeling of nostalgia through the performers reconnecting with their past, but found that the format of the show does not allow the cast members to come with a story sufficiently developed about themselves.[12]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2020 Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directing – Reality Programs Jason Cohen (for "Annie") Won [13]
TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming Encore! Nominated [14]

References

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  1. ^ a b Weatherbed, Jess (May 19, 2023). "Disney will remove over 50 shows from Disney Plus and Hulu this month". The Verge. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  2. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (December 8, 2017). "Kristen Bell Returns to Theater Roots With ABC's Encore". Variety. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Hipes, Patrick; Haring, Bruce (August 23, 2019). "Encore! Trailer: Bringing Back The High School Musical You So Fondly Remember". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  4. ^ McPhee, Ryan (April 10, 2019). "Kristen Bell's Encore!, Reuniting Cast Members of High School Musical, Will Be Revamped for Disney+". Playbill. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  5. ^ Grobar, Matt (June 17, 2020). "Encore! Creator Jason Cohen Reunites High School Musical Casts for One Final Performance, Many Years After Graduation". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Andy Dehnart (November 12, 2019). "A review of Encore!, the Disney+ high school musical reunion reality series". Reality Blurred. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  7. ^ Disney+ (November 11, 2019). "Encore! Season Playbill". Facebook. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  8. ^ "Encore!: Season 1 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Encore! – TV Show Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  10. ^ "'Encore!' is the best Disney+ show you might have missed". Los Angeles Times. 2019-12-20. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  11. ^ "Encore! TV Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  12. ^ Smail, Gretchen (2019-11-12). "Disney Plus' Encore: Premiere Review". IGN. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  13. ^ "DGA Announces 2019 Awards Nominees for: Dramatic Series; Comedy Series; and Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials". Directors Guild of America. January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  14. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 9, 2020). "TCA Awards: Watchmen, Unbelievable and Schitt's Creek Lead Nominations". TVLine. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
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