By the time I learned about Galavant, the series had already come and gone. The show was made as a short-term replacement series--and it only aired four nights here in the States this month. However, this amazing show is available to watch online, on demand with many cable television systems and through Amazon...and it's well worth finding. Why do I so strongly recommend it? Well, it offers something you just wouldn't expect--a show that is thoroughly original, a lot of fun, filled with charm and it's made for network television. Why ABC decided to make such a show, I have no idea...but I am sure thrilled they did and it sure left me wanting more.
The program is an odd mix, being a musical-comedy-adventure set during the Middle Ages! It begins with a handsome but rather dim knight called Galavant who goes searching for his stolen girlfriend, the fair Madalena. The problem is that although she's been kidnapped by the wicked king, she kind of likes the idea of wealth and power--and poor Galavant's heart is broken when he arrives to reclaim his one true love. The show is all about his adventures after losing Madalena-- and the King's plot to kill the good knight.
While this may not sound like the sort of thing you'd want to watch, it works so very well because the songs are simply delightful...and extremely funny. Somehow the producers were able to get the services of Alan Mencken (who's written most of the famous music for the Disney animated features over the last few decades) and Christopher Lennertz --and this partnership is the biggest reason the show works so well. All the songs are great, but my favorite is a sick love song called "If I Could Share My Life With You" that talks about the plague, chamber pots, stinking breath, rotting teeth and high infant mortality--yet it somehow makes you smile! Additionally, the characters are hilarious...and very easy to love. Heck, even the villains are amazingly lovable!
Fortunately, when this mini-series ended, it ended with a cliffhanger and there's every indication that it will return for another season. When? I have no idea. But in the meantime, see season one and don't be surprised if you find yourself singing along with some of the songs...they are so catchy.
The program is an odd mix, being a musical-comedy-adventure set during the Middle Ages! It begins with a handsome but rather dim knight called Galavant who goes searching for his stolen girlfriend, the fair Madalena. The problem is that although she's been kidnapped by the wicked king, she kind of likes the idea of wealth and power--and poor Galavant's heart is broken when he arrives to reclaim his one true love. The show is all about his adventures after losing Madalena-- and the King's plot to kill the good knight.
While this may not sound like the sort of thing you'd want to watch, it works so very well because the songs are simply delightful...and extremely funny. Somehow the producers were able to get the services of Alan Mencken (who's written most of the famous music for the Disney animated features over the last few decades) and Christopher Lennertz --and this partnership is the biggest reason the show works so well. All the songs are great, but my favorite is a sick love song called "If I Could Share My Life With You" that talks about the plague, chamber pots, stinking breath, rotting teeth and high infant mortality--yet it somehow makes you smile! Additionally, the characters are hilarious...and very easy to love. Heck, even the villains are amazingly lovable!
Fortunately, when this mini-series ended, it ended with a cliffhanger and there's every indication that it will return for another season. When? I have no idea. But in the meantime, see season one and don't be surprised if you find yourself singing along with some of the songs...they are so catchy.