Galavant

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Galavant
Galavant Intertitle.png
Genre Comedy
Musical
Created by Dan Fogelman
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Narrated by Ben Presley
Theme music composer Alan Menken
Composer(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 18 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Producer(s) Marshall Boone
Helen Flint
Production location(s) United Kingdom
Cinematography Chris Seager
Ashley Rowe
Editor(s) David L. Bertman
Lance Luckey
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 22 minutes
Production company(s) River Studios
ABC Studios
Rhode Island Ave Productions
Distributor Disney–ABC Domestic Television
Release
Original network ABC
Picture format 720p (16:9 HDTV)
Original release January 4, 2015 (2015-01-04) –
January 31, 2016 (2016-01-31)
External links
Official website

Galavant is an American musical comedy television series, created and written by Dan Fogelman, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Fogelman, Menken and Slater also serve as executive producers alongside Chris Koch, Kat Likkel and John Hoberg for ABC Studios.[1] The series premiered on January 4, 2015, as the mid-season replacement for Once Upon a Time.[2][3]

The first season consisted of eight episodes which aired over four weeks, with two episodes back-to-back each week. The series was renewed for a second season of ten episodes on May 7, 2015, which premiered on January 3, 2016, following the same airing scheme as the first season.[4][5] On May 12, 2016, it was confirmed the series was canceled.[6]

Plot

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The series follows the adventures of Galavant, a dashing knight hero down on his luck who is determined to reclaim his reputation and his "Happily Ever After" by going after the evil King Richard, who ruined it the moment he kidnapped the love of Galavant's life, Madalena. Galavant is assisted by Princess Isabella, whose kingdom of Valencia Richard has conquered, and Sid, his squire. Meanwhile, the malevolent but weak-willed Richard tries to win over the scheming Madalena. Richard has help in his efforts from his henchman, Gareth, and his chef, Vincenzo. The episodes chronicle Galavant's journeys (and the twists and turns that go along with them) through musical numbers composed and written by Menken and Slater.

In the second season, after Madalena and Gareth usurp the throne of Valencia, Richard allies himself with Galavant, who now hopes to rescue Isabella from being forced to marry Prince Harry of Hortensia, her eleven-year-old cousin, against her will. Along the way, Richard attempts to find a new role for himself in life and he falls in love with Roberta Steinglass, a childhood friend. Galavant goes to great lengths to recruit an army to help him on his quest. Richard also draws a sword that, unbeknownst to him, is to be drawn by the "one true king to unite them all." At the same time, Chester Wormwood, an evil sorcerer who doubles as a wedding planner, attempts to hypnotize Isabella into accepting being married to her cousin. When he fails, he flees from Hortensia to Valencia and encourages Gareth and Madalena to start an unplanned war with Hortensia. Wormwood also offers to teach them his "dark dark evil way" (abbreviated as D'DEW) of sorcery, which Gareth rejects but Madalena secretly accepts. All the episodes of the season lead up to a large battle between three armies, including those of Valencia and Hortensia.

Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 8 January 4, 2015 (2015-01-04) January 25, 2015 (2015-01-25)
2 10 January 3, 2016 (2016-01-03) January 31, 2016 (2016-01-31)

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

  • Ben Presley as Steve Mackenzie the Jester, Madalena's lover and the series' occasional Narrator[7]
  • Darren Evans as Chef Vincenzo[7][8]
  • Stanley Townsend as the King of Valencia,[7] Isabella's father.
  • Genevieve Allenbury as the Queen of Valencia,[9] Isabella's mother.
  • Hugh Bonneville as Peter the Pillager, the Pirate King
  • Sophie McShera as Gwynne,[10] Madalena's servant and Chef Vincenzo's love interest.
  • Al Yankovic as the Head Monk, leader of a group of monks who have taken a vow of singing
  • Rutger Hauer as Kingsley (season 1),[11] Richard's older brother
  • Kemaal Deen-Ellis as Prince Harry of Hortensia, Isabella's eleven-year-old cousin and fiancé
  • Robert Lindsay as Chester Wormwood (season 2), an evil sorcerer and wedding planner who follows the Dark Dark Evil Way (or "D'DEW")
  • Clare Foster as Roberta Steinglass (season 2), Richard's childhood friend and later his love interest
  • Muzz Khan as Barry, Wormwood's assistant (season 2)

Production

The series reunites screenwriter Dan Fogelman, composer Alan Menken, and lyricist Glenn Slater, who had worked together on the 2010 animated film Tangled (produced by ABC's corporate sibling Walt Disney Animation Studios).[12] The pilot was ordered by ABC in October 2013,[13] and picked up to series in May 2014.[14] The series is filmed in the Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, United Kingdom.[15][16] Peter the Pillager's pirate ship in series one is filmed on the life-size reproduction of The Matthew which lives in Bristol's Floating Harbour.[17] Other filming locations include Caldicot Castle and Caerphilly Castle in Wales, Southern Down on the Bristol Channel, Berkeley Castle,[18] Cosmeston Medieval Village,[19] and Wells Cathedral[20] When the series premiered in January 2015, it was billed as a four-week "comedy extravaganza".[21]

On May 7, 2015, the series was renewed for a 10-episode second season.[22] The title of the first episode mocks the predicted cancellation by the ratings website TV by the Numbers after the first season.[23]

Music

Galavant is a comedy musical.[24][25] The music of the series is composed by Alan Menken and Christopher Lennertz. The songs are composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Glenn Slater, and have been described as "self-knowing parodies",[26] both on Menken and Slater's previous work, as well as on classic musicals such as the West Side Story.[25] According to Dan Fogelman, the lyrics of the opening song of the second season makes fun of the "eventization" of every limited-run series. They also comment on the shows' broadcast time slot and the missed Emmy nomination.[27] The following songs featured on Galavant are performed by the Galavant cast, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater.[28]

Season 1 (2015)

No. Episode Song Names
1 "Pilot" "Galavant"
"Galavant Rides"
"Galavant (Isabella Reprise)"
"She'll Be Mine"
"Galavant Wrap-Up"
2 "Joust Friends" "Hero's Journey"
"Stand Up"
"Maybe You're Not the Worst Thing Ever"
3 "Two Balls" "Previously On Galavant"
"Oy! What a Knight"
"Jackass in a Can"
"Dance Until You Die"
4 "Comedy Gold" "Togetherness"
"Lords of the Sea"
"Comedy Gold"
"Togetherness (Reprise)"
5 "Completely Mad...Alena" "Galavant Gallivants"
"No One But You"
"Hey, Hey, We're the Monks"
"Hey, Hey, We're the Monks (Reprise)"
"If I Could Share My Life With You"
6 "Dungeons and Dragon Lady" "I Love You (As Much As Someone Like Me Can Love Anyone)"
"A Day in Richard's Life"
"Love Is Strange"
7 "My Cousin Izzy" "Moment in the Sun #1"
"Moment in the Sun #2"
"A Happy Ending For Us"
"Moment in the Sun #3"
"Moment in the Sun #4"
"Moment in the Sun #5"
8 "It's All in the Executions" "Galavant Finale"
"Goodnight My Friend (Short)"
"Secret Mission"
"Goodnight My Friend"
"Goodnight My Friend (Reprise)"

An official soundtrack for the first season was released on iTunes on January 19, 2015.[29]

Season 2 (2016)

No. Episode Song Names
1 "A New Season aka Suck It Cancellation Bear" "A New Season"
"Off With His Shirt"
"A New Season (Reprise)"
2 "World's Best Kiss" "World's Best Kiss"
"Let's Agree to Disagree"
"World's Best Kiss (Reprise)"
3 "Aw, Hell, the King" "Build a New Tomorrow"
"If I Were a Jolly Blacksmith"
"The Happiest Day of Your Life"
4 "Bewitched, Bothered and Belittled" "As Good as it Gets"
"Serenade (Maybe You Won't Die Alone)"
"What Am I Feeling"
5 "Giants vs. Dwarves" "My Dragon Pal and Me"
"Different Kind of Princess"
"Dwarves Vs Giants"
"My Dragon Pal and Me (Reprise)"
6 "About Last Knight" "Today We Rise"
"He Was There"
"He Was There (Reprise)"
7 "Love and Death" "Time is of the Essence"
"Love Makes the World Brand New"
"Goodbye"
8 "Do the D’DEW" "I Don't Like You"
"Finally"
"A Dark Season"
9 "Battle of the Three Armies" "Galavant Recap"
"A Good Day to Die"
"Do the D'Dew"
"A Good Day to Die (Reprise)"
10 "The One True King (To Unite Them All)" "Will My Day Ever Come"
"A Real Life, Happily Ever After"
"Season 2 Finale"

An official soundtrack for the second season was released on iTunes on January 29, 2016.[30]

Reception

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The first season averaged 4.83 million live viewers, and 6.52 millions including DVR-playback.[31] It has received generally positive reviews: On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a rating of 81%, based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The critical consensus reads, "While the jokes in Galavant ride the line of predictability, their execution, along with campy themes and silly musical numbers, make it memorably entertaining."[32] On Metacritic, it has a score of 61 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[33]

The New York Times' Neil Genzlinger gave it a mixed response saying, "Despite some amusing bits and clever songs, it's only occasionally as much fun as it ought to be."[34] Brian Lowry of Variety gave it a mostly positive review saying, "Owing a strong debt to Monty Python and a lesser one to spoofs like When Things Were Rotten, Galavant largely overcomes the challenges that have traditionally bedeviled TV musicals with rambunctious energy, cheeky lyrics and music, and — significantly — a half-hour format, thus condensing the need to create songs into a manageable task."[35] TV Line's Matt Webb Mitovich wrote, "With some resignation, given a colleague’s 'meh' reaction to the pilot, I finally cued up Galavant… and found myself binge-watching the six episodes available to me. (And I seldom binge anything.) That’s why I think ABC is smart to double-pump episodes, because yes, the plot progression is a bit slow, pausing as it does to allow for song-and-dance numbers and vamping by the more colorful characters (the king included). You’ll want two at a time to come away satisfied."[36] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix, however, was more negative, writing, "...the whole is less than the sum of its comic and musical parts."[37]

The second season was met with equally positive critical response: On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 100% rating, based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The consensus reads: "The surprise second season of Galavant sends its cast in many directions, but keeps the fun and music that made it a hit firmly at its center."[38] On Metacritic, it has a 77/100 rating based on 4 critics.[39]

References

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  38. Galavant: Season 2 at Rotten Tomatoes
  39. Galavant: Season 2 at Metacritic

External links