TV Tuesday: Add Music!

[yourlibrarian]

Although very often musicals on TV are a special episode of an ongoing show, are these more common now? Are there different ways to define a musical episode?

Which would you consider the best musical episodes in a non-musical series? And how about a best musical series?

Comments

[feurioo]

Best musical episode: Buffy, "Once More With Feeling". Simply iconic.

Cannot name the best musical series because I never finished one. However, I still like listening to these shows' soundtracks: Flight of the Conchords, Galavant, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I also adored Eli Stone's George Michael premise.

[quodthey]

IMO "Once More With Feeling" is the best musical episode ever, hands down.

[executrix]

I agree about Once More With Feeling!
I'm a musical comedy nerd, so "Schmigadoon" should be perfect for me, but I found it somewhat disappointing.

[misbegotten]

Best musical series: Galavant

[dine]

Once More With Feeling, absolutely!

I'm having trouble thinking of others that qualify, though stuff like Glee and even Cop Rock from decades ago sprang to mind - but they absolutely don't count as non-musical series

[miscellanium]

i've heard good things about galavant but have yet to watch it myself. also never watched buffy haha. but i did quite enjoy the musical episode of scrubs when it aired, though!

[jo]

Not a fan of the musical episode in general -- too gimmicky and often very cringe-inducing, and luckily, 99% of the shows I watch don't go for that sort of thing. However, Star Trek Strange New World's "Subspace Rhapsody" episode was absolutely brilliant. I was ready to hate it, but I absolutely loved it. I know everyone's going to pick the Buffy thing, but I've never been into Buffy so nah, it's gotta be "Subspace Rhapsody". Hands down, no contest.

[rodo]

I recently watched the Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and really liked it.

I also tend to like random dance scenes that don't qualify as a musical episode, and nobody sings - stuff like the finale of Giri/Haji or the dancing in Umbrella Academy season 3.

[jo]

The finale of Giri/Haji was amazing.

[rodo]

It's a work of genius

[china_shop]

Another vote for OMWF (I rewatched not long ago, and got earwormed for weeks!) and Crazy Ex-girlfriend. :D

[wendelah1]

I haven't seen Moonlighting in years so I don't remember if "Big Man on Mulberry Street" was a "musical episode" per se but this is the best musical number in a TV series that I've ever seen. I remember it vividly. Billy Joel wrote the song for the series, they developed the episode around it and got Stanley Donen to direct the dream sequence that featured it. If that isn't enough, Bruce Willis still had hair. I just read that the series is newly available for streaming on Hulu.

For a musical series, I'd have to go with Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.

[yourlibrarian]

Yes, I just started watching Moonlight again yesterday. I was surprised at how much I remembered from the pilot episode. I don't remember the episode you mention, but I'll keep an eye out for it!

[wendelah1]

It's in season three. I'm curious about whether the series is still entertaining or just dated. It was very innovative for the time, but that was closer to forty years ago than thirty. Thanks to my son, I apparently have hulu so I guess I can see for myself.

[tellshannon815]

Once More With Feeling is the best musical episode, no contest.

[meridian_rose]

Obviously Once More With Feeling needs all the awards!
Galavant was fantastic. "Secret Mission" and the Pirate's song ("we're the lords of the sea; just of the actual sea!") are two of my faves but there are so many amazing ones.
The Psych musical episode was fun, but mostly just the "I've Heard it Both Ways" duet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=segB2eoDN-Y&ab_channel=MellanyKilmister).
The Xena Warrior Princess episode Lyre, Lyre, pants on fire was great with a mix of written for the show songs and some crack cover versions. One of the tracks is a IMHO a standalone amazing song called Tara's Dance (https://youtu.be/_NfsCXkpsqg?si=uJiXokaTmHo9Nd_A)
The Xena episode Bitter Suite also has some good moments.
Sometimes there'll be an in-universe song (metafiction?) that I really like in an otherwise non-musical show and non-musical episode; "White Lie" in "Lie To Me" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGzOXZRR0xc&ab_channel=MohitJohari), and the CSI episode "Grissom Versus the Volcano" has as a suspect a singer who more than once performs the song named after his now deceased wife. There are many other examples I can't think of right now.

[yourlibrarian]

I was wondering if someone was going to mention the Xena one! And though I haven't watched it I remember hearing about the Psych one as well.

Yes, there are definitely elements in different shows, especially when they have a singer/performer on it, that make the show a sort of musical episode. I'm thinking of the one where the characters are all trapped in Lorne's club and have to sing.

Great icon, btw!