I complain a lot about HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE MUSICAL SERIES not having enough music. Thankfully, CENTRAL PARK doesn’t have this problem. There’re at minimum three songs per episode, and they’re Broadway-worthy. If you’re not familiar with CENTRAL PARK, it’s by the creator of BOB’S BURGERS, Loren Bouchard. The show has become a place for Broadway stars like Josh Gadd, Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom Jr., Tituss Burgess, Andrew Rannells, and many more to be turned into animated New York musical characters.
The songs continue to be the real reason to watch this show. Helen (Daveed Diggs) croons for her hometown WEEHAWKEN, Owen (Leslie Odom Jr.) cherishes his wife on Mother’s Day via ALL ABOUT YOU, and Molly (Emmer Raver-Lampman) grapples with being unique but trying to blend in as a teenager.
While the songs soar, the rest falls flat. Loren Bouchard’s style is for characters to deliver their lines monotone and matter of fact. This style works brilliantly for BOB’S BURGERS, but it clashes directly with musicals. The uniqueness of characters and stories is why people tune in to watch. Unfortunately, most of the characters on CENTRAL PARK are either kind and bland or mean and ugly. They are so one-note that when the music stops, the momentum of the series stalls with it.
I’ll continue to watch season two, and I’m hopeful the POW POW BOOM BOOMS will save the day for this Apple TV+ series with a ton of potential. 🤞
