Summary

• TV musicals like Glee and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend have dedicated fan bases and critical acclaim, thanks to their fabulous musical performances and unique exploration of characters' inner desires.
• Many of the best musicals have happened on TV, providing an excellent platform for storytelling through music, drama, and comedy, with streaming services allowing for more experimentation and creativity in the genre.
• Shows like Nashville, Smash, and Empire started strong but eventually lost their charm due to clichés, melodrama, and implausible plotlines, while underrated shows like Galavant struggled with low ratings but offered cleverness and fun.

Musical TV shows like Glee and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend have successfully brought the drama and theatrics of musicals to television, creating dedicated fan bases and receiving massive critical acclaim. TV musicals are renowned for their fabulous musical performances with meticulously choreographed dance routines, beautifully composed songs that often become instant hits, and stunning acting and singing performances. Blending music into the storyline gives these shows a wholly unique way of exploring the characters' wants, goals, and inner desires that regular TV shows just can't do.

Movies have been responsible for some of the musical episodes, have happened on TV. The episodic nature of a TV series provides an excellent platform for musicals to unfold their stories and explore their characters gradually, intertwining music with drama and comedy in a way that's both engaging and innovative. With streaming services now in the mix, there's more room for experimentation and creativity in the musical genre than ever before.

10 Nashville (2012)

Drama and rivalries saturate the country music scene.

Nashville is a musical drama following the lives of fictitious country music stars in Nashville, Tennessee. The show initially explored the interesting rivalry of country music stars Rayna James (Connie Britton) and Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) with depth, offering a feminist view of the country music industry. However, the show gradually lost its substance in later seasons, descending into a soapy mess of accidents, love triangles, and melodrama between Nashville's characters, including ridiculous plotlines with faked miscarriages. Despite fantastic performances, the series increasingly relied on implausible scenarios and clichés, ultimately losing its charm with Rayna's dramatic departure in the fifth season.

Stream on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

9 Smash (2012)

Musical theater actors juggle stage careers with their personal lives.

Smash is a musical TV drama series created by playwright Theresa Rebeck and further shaped by Robert Greenblatt for NBC. The show follows the lives of several musical theater actors as they attempt to balance the demands of the stage with their own lives. It features original music by composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The foundation for a great musical series is all there - fantastic music, excellent casting, and even Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. However, no matter how catchy and enjoyable the musical performances are, the show is let down by clichés, boring plot lines, and melodrama.

Stream on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

8 Empire (2015)

The power struggle within the family behind Empire Entertainment

The 2015 hip-hop drama Empire tells the story of a power struggle within a musical family. The show's first season, focusing on the Shakespearean battle between three sons vying for their father Lucious Lyon's record company, Empire Entertainment, was a hit with fans and critics alike. However, by season two, Empire loses itself in far-fetched storylines and even sidelines some of the fans' favorite characters, like Cookie (Taraji P. Henson). Season three brings back some of what was so great about the show originally, with dramatic twists and even a guest star appearance from Mariah Carey. Sadly, Empire ended without a season finale airing.

Stream on Disney+.

7 Galavant (2015)

Knight Galavant undergoes adventures in a whimsical, song-filled world.

ABC's fairy-tale musical comedy Galavant combines fantasy satire with musical performances in one of the most underrated shows of the last decade. The musical series follows the adventures of a valiant knight, Galavant, as he embarks on quests involving love, revenge, and eccentric characters in a whimsical, song-filled world. The show humorously deconstructs fairy-tale tropes with jest and wit. Sadly, despite its cleverness and fun, the show struggled with low ratings and was overshadowed by bigger shows. It was one of ABC’s worst shows that year and was cut short to just two fun-filled seasons.

Stream on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

6 Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020)

Zoey gains the power to hear inner emotions as songs following an MRI accident.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is a musical dramedy following Zoey, a character who suddenly finds herself able to hear people's hidden emotions through song after an MRI mishap.

The show exudes optimism and shines when it really nails its main theme - that music can express our unspoken emotions and truths. The series also explores complicated issues of grief, gender fluidity, and illness with stoicism. However, many of the musical selections are extremely on the nose, and the show tends to be rather cheesy at times. Nonetheless, it's an entertaining show that's easy to become engrossed in.

Stream on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

5 High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019)

East High School students balance personal lives and musical productions over four seasons.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is the 2019 Disney+ revival of the classic High School Musical movies. The series follows the students of East High School as they navigate their personal lives and renditions of various musicals throughout its four seasons. The show explores high school drama, relationship anxieties, and queer dynamics in a grounded and emotionally complex manner, blending typical teenage angst with the glitz of show business. The Disney drama is even responsible for the launch of one of the biggest pop stars of the recent decade, Olivia Rodrigo.

Stream on Disney+.

4 The Monkees (1966)

A fake band turned musical phenomenon

The iconic 60's show The Monkees was one of a kind, blending TV and music in a unique and novel way. Inspired by the success of The Beatles, The Monkees were originally a fake American band created in response to the English band's success. The Monkees eventually evolved into a genuine musical phenomenon, creating chart-topping hits like "Daydream Believer" and "I'm A Believer," which continue to be classic, recognizable songs beloved to this day. Before their commercial success on the musical charts, the band starred in two seasons of the original TV series. Filled with slapstick comedy and iconic 60s music, it was a hit at the time and continues to be loved to this day.

Stream on Amazon Prime Video.

3 Flight Of The Conchords (2007)

Two New Zealand musicians seek fame in New York.

The fantastic HBO show Flight of the Conchords follows the story of two New Zealand musicians as they seek fame in New York. Starring Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, the show captures the duo's adventures in the city with low-budget charm and quirky humor that differs from HBO's usual big-budget style. The comedy leans closer to self-parody and refreshing self-awareness that blends perfectly with the show's silliness. One of the few gripes about the show is that it only has two seasons. Fans would have definitely have loved to have seen more of this duo on the small screen. Luckily, Murray actor Rhys Darby has recently teased a Flight of the Conchords reunion.

Stream on Max.

2 Glee (2009)

A high school Glee Club navigates adolescence.

In 2009, the popular musical television series Glee became an instant and huge success. The show was celebrated for being groundbreaking, and it's impossible to ignore its cultural impact and influence on following TV shows. Glee wonderfully married musical theatrics with pressing social issues, particularly LGBTQ+ representation. The series was known for its daring plotlines, memorable musical numbers, particularly the Glee Club's rendition of "Don't Stop Believing," and its impact on musical theater and performance in schools. Its cultural significance, particularly in portraying gay teens and celebrating uniqueness, left an undeniable mark on TV, inspiring future shows to continue to embrace diversity.

Stream on Disney+.

1 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015)

An unhappy New York lawyer impulsively moves to California, pursuing her high school crush.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a 2015 musical comedy series co-created and performed by Rachel Bloom. The show follows Rebecca Bunch, an unhappy New York lawyer and hopeless romantic who impulsively moves to California, chasing her high school camp crush, Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III). Crazy Ex-Girlfriend stands out for its empathetic portrayal of mental illness, specifically borderline personality disorder, through engaging and elaborate musical numbers and complex character development. Furthermore, the show is acclaimed for flipping the "crazy ex-girlfriend" trope, blending comedy, tragedy, and musical performance with a non-judgmental exploration of mental health.

Stream on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.