Joshua Bassett's character will live a queer narrative in High School Musical

The series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premiered its third season on July 27th of this year on Disney's streaming service. This season is experienced during a summer camp, known as Camp Shallow Lake. The new season brings a lot of romance and the challenge of having Frozen for the musical purpose of the group.

In this new season, the character Ricky Bowen, played by actor Joshua Bassett, brings a big question to the audience. In last Wednesday's episode (3), Ricky, who is at camp, has a conversation with EJ, where he shares his excitement for the auditions of the musical that will be produced by the campers.

In the dialogue, Ricky comments on the possibility of the two being the protagonists in a “reimagined” version of Frozen and asks what the characters might be “Friends? Enemies? Lovers?”. The question makes EJ uncomfortable, and he walks away to talk to someone else.

The third season brings a possible queer narrative of the character Ricky. For Tim Federle, creator of the show, “One of the joys of a long-running series is that you get to explore every facet and every aspect of all these characters.”, he points out.

_{Joshua Bassett at the premiere of the third season of HSMTMTS. (Reproduction/Instagram/@joshuatbassett)}

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After actor Joshua Bassett told audiences he is part of the LGBTQIAP+ community in 2021, Tim said he crafted a fluid subtext for Bassett's character.

For Tim, who considers himself a queer storyteller, it is a responsibility to show the truth about the experiences lived by young people today. “I think particularly for Ricky this season, he has some big things to figure out.”, added the creator.

Another interesting fact about this third season is that actress Olivia Rodrigo, who plays Nini, who had been Ricky's romantic partner, is a guest star and is no longer part of the main cast of the series. One of the main reasons is the success achieved by the actress in her musical career, which is why the singer has left acting in the background.

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Tim believes the actress is ready to explore the world and is proud of her success. This season, the actress's participation is to provide a proper farewell to her character Nini.

Featured Photo: Ricky Bowen, Joshua Bassett's character in HSMTMTS. Reproduction/Instagram/@joshuatbassett.