It’s hard to believe that nearly 20 years ago, High School Musical premiered and made Disney Channel history.
High School Musical, which ran from 2006 to 2008, followed Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), two teenagers from completely different cliques, who bond over their love of music. Their love story is the backdrop for the film series as their friends take part in the school musical.
The Moment
Who would have thought that a meet-cute between teen basketball player Troy Bolton and studious transfer Gabriella would result in two decades of music, memes and memories?
Premiering January 20, 2006, High School Musical started out as Disney Channel’s attempt to replicate the success of The Cheetah Girls but turned into a celebration of you-do-you nonconformism through the lens of teenagers on the brink of adulthood.
And we all have that one HSM song we can’t get out of our head, whether it’s “Start of Something New,” “Get’cha Head in the Game” or “We’re All in This Together.”
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Who Was Involved
HSM — shot at Salt Lake City’s East High School, which became Albuquerque’s East High School on screen — showcased every school clique imaginable. In addition to Troy and Gabriella, whose desire to star in the school musical led to all kinds of romantic obstacles, there was jock Chad (Corbin Bleu); the drama club’s twin trendsetters, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) and Ryan (Lucas Grabeel); and brainiac Taylor (Monique Coleman).
Thanks to HSM, the cast became household names! In fact, Efron once revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that Papua New Guinea tribesmen on his crocodile catching excursion asked him to FaceTime their cousins and wives.
Why We Remember It
Bart Johnson, a.k.a. Efron’s onscreen dad, Coach Bolton, and host of the “Get Your Head in the Game” podcast (a “Magical Rewind” spinoff), credits the writers and director/choreographer extraordinaire Kenny Ortega for perfectly encapsulating the coming-of-age experience.
“Everything is exaggerated and extreme, but the message is very grounded and real,” Johnson notes to Us. “It resonates with people. It’s part of the magic.”
Key Details
Coleman — who was 25 when HSM made its debut, compared with her castmates’ 17-22 — tells Us they looked to her as a “big sister” figure.
“I am not going to say who, what or where, but I was in the car with people the first time they got to drive with an adult in the [vehicle]. I would be the one. They’d be like, ‘Mo, you’re going,”” she recalls. “People lost their virginities. All kinds of things [were] happening. And I was like, ‘Oh, my God, talk to your parents.’”
The Aftermath
HSM broke Disney Channel records, landed the soundtrack at No. 1 in the Billboard Top 200 and ushered in sequels, spinoffs and even cast tours. In 2007, High School Musical 2 offered a change of scenery (summer at the country club!) and a subtle cameo from Miley Cyrus, and in 2008, High School Musical 3: Senior Year graduated to a theatrical release.
Meanwhile, Tisdale scored a 2011 spinoff film, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure, with future Golden Globe winner Austin Butler.
According to Johnson, “I think there are three High School Musical 4 scripts written. One was a West Side Story type of movie where it was East vs. West.”
And from 2019 to 2023, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series — yes, about a production of HSM – dominated Disney+ and served as a launching pad for singer Olivia Rodrigo.
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A New Perspective
The trilogy paved the way for Disney Channel to take more storytelling risks, while HSM stars got the chance to branch out.
The question on everyone’s mind: What are the odds of an HSM revival? “I feel like we’ve already done that,” Tisdale tells Us, admitting she hasn’t seen most of her costars “in a while.” Still, once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat?
Where Are They Now?
Efron’s career led to raunchy comedies, a critically acclaimed performance in The Iron Claw and a recent audience role supporting brother Dylan Efron on Dancing With the Stars. Hudgens became a Netflix Christmas queen and just welcomed her second child in November as other former castmates, such as Tisdale, expanded into parenthood. In January 2026, Tisdale made headlines after writing an essay about a falling out she had with her mom group, which many suspected was in reference to Hilary Duff (whose own Disney franchise Lizzie McGuire is celebrating 25 years this month).
