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These performers are back to spread yuletide cheer with their upcoming “Holiday Special.” That includes actor and musician Joshua Basset, who wrote a holiday-themed song for season 2 of the Disney+ original series, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ returns to Disney+ with a holiday special

It may still be a few months before fans can binge-watch season 2 of this Disney+ original mockumentary. In the meantime, though, Nini, Ricky, and all of their friends return for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Holiday Special. 

This Christmas//Hanukkah/nondenominational winter-themed episode premieres on the streaming platform on Dec. 11. Thanks to a post from Disney+, fans saw cast members putting on holiday-themed productions. The actor who portrays Nini sat behind a piano. 

The actor behind E.J. stood in front of a car with a Christmas tree. Carlos and Seb appeared to be singing a duet together, picking up right where their romance left off. 

Joshua Bassett attends the Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Party
Joshua Bassett attends the Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Party | Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Warner Music

Joshua Bassett helped write the music for season 2 of this series

Some fans expect this holiday special to be filled with music and warm wishes from the cast members. This Christmas-themed episode also features a sneak peek at season 2, with a brand-new song written and performed by Bassett, who portrays Ricky. 

“Christmas was always much more about the quality family time for me and my family than it was about getting fancy gifts, given that I had five sisters, and so we weren’t really big on gift-giving,” he said during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “So that really resonated with me and it made writing the song a pretty seamless process.”

This wouldn’t be the first time cast members for this series worked on the original music. For season 1, Olivia Rodrigo was behind a number of the songs performed by her character, Nini. That includes “All I Want,” which she even appeared in a music video for. 

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Season 2 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series was set to premiere during fall 2020

Although production on season 2 of this Disney+ series began earlier in 2020, it was since paused due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As a result, new episodes of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series are expected to premiere sometime in 2021. 

According to some cast members, season 2 picks up “right where season 1 left off.” That means Nini still has to choose between going to a new school and staying with her new friends for the spring musical. (This musical, fans learned from a Disney+ Instagram post, will be Disney’s stage production of Beauty and the Beast.)

Some already-released episodes of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series are available for streaming on Disney+. High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special premieres Dec. 11 on Disney’s subscription service.

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