Galavant

Galavant is an American musical fantasy 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. The series premiered on January 4, 2015, as the mid-season replacement for Once Upon a Time. In an interview about the show, actress Mallory Jansen described Galavant as, "the bastard child of Monty Python and The Princess Bride."

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. On May 12, 2016, it was confirmed the series was canceled.

Season One
Sir Gary Galavant (Joshua Sasse) is a dashing knight, who is determined to reclaim his "Happily Ever After" from the evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson), who has kidnapped Galavant's true love Madalena (Mallory Jansen). On Madalena's wedding day, Galavant storms King Richard's castle and interrupts the ceremony like Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. But, instead of leaving with Galavant, Madalena chooses "fame and fortune" over true love. A heartbroken Galavant is then kicked in the face and knocked unconscious by King Richard and his macho henchman Gareth (Vinnie Jones).

A year later, Galavant is a drunken has-been who is grudgingly waited on by Sid (Luke Youngblood), his squire. To both their surprise, Galavant is approached by Princess Isabella (Karen David), whose Kingdom of Valencia has been invaded and conquered by Richard. When the Princess explains that Queen Madalena is being abused by King Richard and regrets her choice, Galavant's joy and purpose in life are restored. He and Sid join Isabella on a quest to save both Madalena and the Kingdom of Valencia.

Meanwhile, the weak-willed King Richard tries in vain to win the love of the egotistical Madalena. It is revealed that Madalena has been always negatively comparing Richard to Galavant. This has made the King decide to destroy his former rival once and for all. To this end, Richard has threatened to kill Isabella's parents in front of her unless the Princess lures Galavant to where he can be executed in front of Madalena. But, as Isabella gets to know Galavant, she begins having feelings for him and starts to regret her role in the trap.

Needing money, Sid and Isabella enter Galavant into a jousting competition against the egotistical Sir Jean Hamm (John Stamos). Determined not to lose her family's heirloom jewel,the Star of Valencia, Princess Isabella trains Galavant for the joust in a Rocky-style montage and spikes Sir Jean Hamm's wine with absinthe. As a result, Galavant wins the contest.

In Valencia, Richard plans a romantic dinner with Madalena with the help of Gareth and Vincenzo, the castle's chef. Gareth urges Richard to man up, to never hug people, and to never, ever cry. During the dinner, Madalena and Richard begin to open up to each other. (Maybe You're Not the Worst Thing Ever)

Richard shares memories of his wetnurse, the only person who ever truly loved him. In response, Madalena tells Richard that his wetnurse never loved him, but only pretended to to collect a paycheck. Devastated, Richard spends the next eight hours sobbing and hugging Gareth.

Meanwhile, Galavant, Isabella and Sid visit Sid's Jewish adopted parents, who think that Sid, rather than Galavant, is the legendary Knight. (Oy! What a Knight!). As Isabella poses as Sid's fiancee, Galavant is forced to pretend to be Sid's squire. While eating with the other squires, Galavant is stunned to hear them sing about how Knights are nothing but arrogant jackasses in armor. (Jackass in a Can). Feeling regret over the past, Galavant decides to treat Sid more nicely in the future.

Season Two
After Gareth takes both Madalena and the throne of Valencia from the absent Richard, Richard and Galavant are shipwrecked.

While walking toward Richard's Kingdom, they wander into The Enchanted Forest, a Medieval gay bar presided over by "The Queen of All Queens" (Kylie Minogue). Seeing Galavant, the Queen declares him "a beefcake Happy Meal." (Off with His Shirt). She decrees that Galavant must remain as the joint's shirtless bartender until he loses his muscle tone.

Meanwhile, Richard meets his long-lost Uncle Keith, who wandered into the gay bar decades earlier and never returned. Saying that Richard and Galavant definitely don't belong there, Uncle Keith shows them a secret escape route concealed as the women's bathroom.

Soon after, the two meet a sorceror who helps Galavant to have a video call with Isabella. Learning that Princess Isabella is about to be forced to marry Prince Harry of Hortensia, her eleven-year-old cousin, Galavant declares his love for her and vows to come for her. Unfortunately, the signal is so garbled that a Isabella hears instead that Galavant no longer loves her and thinks her gross. Heartbroken, Isabella agrees to meet the wedding planner.

After Richard unwittingly pulls a sword from a tree stump that can only be drawn by the "One True King to Unite Them All", he and Galavant arrive in Richard's former kingdom. To their schock, they find that the peasants have deposed the monarchy, dismantled the royal castle, and created a thriving Republic in Richard's absence. (That's Democracy). Stunned, Richard is forced to reevaluate his whole life. (If I Were a Jolly Blacksmith).

In Valencia, Gareth and Madalena bond and begin to fall in love. When Sid warns Gareth that Madalena will break his heart, Gareth tells Madalena, who forces Sid to flee the castle with a price in his head.

When a group of peasants are about to turn him in, Sid convinces them to instead assault the castle and take back what is rightfully theirs. In a parody of Les Miserables, Sid sings as he leads a mob of outraged peasants towards the castle. But the more Sid graphically enumerates the gruesome fate that awaits them all, more and more peasants desert him. By the time the host reaches the castle, Sid is left completely alone and is forced to run for his life. (Today We Rise).

Determined to save Isabella, Galavant tries to recruit an army from Richard's former subjects, who consider fighting for true love to be ridiculous. Only Roberta Steinglass, Richard's childhood playmate, agrees to accompany them. The trio leaves, but not before Richard sets the rec center on fire to punish the peasants for deposing him.

Galavant goes to great lengths to recruit an army of mercenaries using the Star of Valencia, but Richard always screws things up. Much to Galavant's outrage, Richard then exchanges the Star of Valencia for a lizard which he names Tad Cooper, believing it will grow into a dragon. Disgusted, Galavant abandons Richard.

At the same time, Chester Wormwood, an evil sorcerer and wedding planner, brainwashes Isabella into accepting marriage to her cousin. At first the plan is successful and when Isabella's parents object to their daughter's complete personality change, Wormwood orders Isabella to send them to the dungeon.

But when Isabella attempts to invite a crass and vulgar Princess to her wedding, the jewelled crown Wormwood has been using to control Isabella's mind is thrown from her head. Vowing that Wormwood's ass is hers, Isabella exiles him from Hortensia and calls off her wedding to Prince Harry, who agrees as long as he gets to keep Isabella's bra.

Wormwood flees to Valencia, where he convinces Gareth and Madalena to invade Hortensia. As the invasion proceeds, Isabella finds that Prince Harry has no army and only chocolate weapons. Going to negotiate surrender terms with Gareth, Isabella is instead drawn into an epic music insult fest with Madalena. (I Really Don't Like You!). Much to Madalena and Gareth's horror, Isabella claims that her army includes "The One True King to Unite Them All."

After Isabella leaves, Wormwood offers to teach Gareth and Madalena the "Dark, Dark Evil Way" (aka "D'DEW") of blackmagic. Disgusted, Gareth rejects but Madalena secretly accepts.

The season lead up to a large battle among three armies; the Valencians, the Hortensians, and a swarm of zombies led by Galavant and Richard.

During the battle, Galavant and Isabella reconcile, while Madalena and Wormwood use D'DEW to turn the fight in their favor. (Do the D'DEW).

This, however causes the zombies to turn against everyone else. Viewing Madalena's use of black magic as a betrayal, Gareth turns against her and flees back to the Hortensian castle with Richard.

But before the zombies can tear down the castle, an army of gays, giants, and dwarves led by Sid arrives. Richard slays Wormwood as Isabella fights Madalena. After her defeat, Madalena tells Gareth that, while she loves him deeply, she has tasted absolute power and can't give it up for him. She uses D'DEW to teleport herself away.

Richard rescues Roberta just before she boards a ferry to Spinster Island. They marry and Tad Cooper is revealed to have been a real dragon all along.

Galavant and Isabella also marry and settle in a house by the seaside. Gareth and Sid embark on a quest to rescue Madalena from herself. Isabella's parents return to the Valencia throne and a chorus of singing monks led by Weird Al Yankovic serenade as the series ends.

Main

 * Joshua Sasse as Sir Gary Galavant
 * Timothy Omundson as King Richard
 * Vinnie Jones as Gareth
 * Mallory Jansen as Queen Madalena
 * Karen David as Princess Isabella Maria Lucia Elizabetta of Valencia
 * Luke Youngblood as Sidney "Sid"

Recurring

 * Ben Presley as Steve Mackenzie the Jester. Briefly Madalena's lover, who later becomes Isabella's confidant. The Jester also serves as the series' occasional Narrator
 * Darren Evans as Vincenzo, the royal chef of Valencia and Gwynne's love interest.
 * Stanley Townsend as the King of Valencia, Isabella's father.
 * Genevieve Allenbury as the Queen of Valencia, Isabella's mother.
 * Hugh Bonneville as Peter the Pillager, the Pirate King
 * Sophie McShera as Gwynne, Madalena's maidservant 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), 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 occasional wedding planner who follows the Dark Dark Evil Way (or "D'DEW").
 * Clare Foster as Roberta Steinglass (season 2), Richard's childhood friend and eventual love interest.
 * Muzz Khan as Barry (season 2), Wormwood's assistant.
 * Alfie Simmons as Young Richard
 * Sonnyboy Skelton as Young Gareth
 * Anthony Head (season 1) and Greg Wise (season 2) as Arnold Galavant, Galavant's estranged father and a former knight who opened a home for troubled youth.
 * John Stamos as Sir Jean Hamm, a legendary jouster and Galavant's rival.

Cameos

 * Kylie Minogue as the Queen of The Enchanted Forest, a Medieval gay bar whose regular patrons include Sir Jean Hamm and King Richard's long-lost Uncle Keith
 * Simon Williams as Uncle Keith, who helps Galavant and Richard's escape from The Enchanted Forest.
 * Simon Callow as Edwin the Magnificent, a fortune teller who assists Galavant in communicating with Isabella, albeit ultimately unsuccessful.

Development
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). The pilot was ordered by ABC in October 2013, and picked up to series in May 2014.

Filming
Principal photography took place in the Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, United Kingdom. Peter the Pillager's pirate ship in season one is filmed on the life-size reproduction of The Matthew which lives in Bristol's Floating Harbour.

Other filming locations include Caldicot Castle and Caerphilly Castle in Wales, Southern Down on the Bristol Channel, Berkeley Castle, Cosmeston Medieval Village and Wells Cathedral

Release
When the series premiered in January 2015, it was billed as a four-week "comedy extravaganza".

On May 7, 2015, the series was renewed for a 10-episode second season. The title of the second season premiere, "A New Season aka Suck It Cancellation Bear", mocks the predicted cancellation by the ratings website TV by the Numbers after the first season.

On May 12, 2016, it was confirmed that Galavant was canceled. Upon cancellation, composer Menken expressed interest on Twitter in continuing the series on stage.

Music
Galavant is a comedy musical. The incidental music is composed by Menken and Christopher Lennertz. The songs are composed by Menken with lyrics by Slater, and have been described as "self-knowing parodies", both on Menken and Slater's previous work, as well as on classic musicals such as West Side Story. According to 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.

The following songs featured on Galavant are performed by the Galavant cast.

Season 1 (2015)
An official soundtrack for the first season was released on iTunes on January 19, 2015.

Season 2 (2016)
An official soundtrack for the second season was released on iTunes on January 29, 2016.

The release of Galavant: The Complete Collection following the series finale features all numbers performed on the series, and includes two additional songs, one recorded by the actors, "Manlyology" (to have been performed in "Joust Friends" by Gareth, Richard and Vincenzo), and cut for placement; the other a demo, "Your Mother Is a Whore" (to have been performed in "About Last Knight" by Madalena, Gareth and the bar patrons) by the songwriters, rejected by the network for its abundance of censorship bleeps.

Critical reception
The first season averaged 4.83 million live viewers, and 6.52 millions including DVR-playback. It has received generally positive reviews: Rotten Tomatoes gives it a rating of 90%, based on reviews from 36 critics, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's 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." On Metacritic, it has a score of 61 out of 100, based on reviews from 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

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." 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." 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." Alan Sepinwall of HitFix, however, was more negative, writing, "...the whole is less than the sum of its comic and musical parts."

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." On Metacritic, it has a 77/100 rating based on 4 critics.

Home media release
Galavant – The Complete Collection was released on DVD as a set consisting both seasons in Region 1 on November 10, 2017.