The musical TV series Galavant premiered Jan. 4, 2015, on ABC. The first season included eight episodes, aired in back-to-back pairs over four weeks. The second (and final) season included 10 episodes, aired in the same pattern. After cancellation, composer Alan Menken tweeted his interest in adapting the show into a Broadway musical, which has not yet happened. The series was primarily filmed in Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol, England, with the life-size reproduction of the Matthew in Bristol’s Floating Harbour serving as Peter the Pillager’s pirate ship. Other filming locations included the Welsh castles in Caldicot and Caerphilly, Berkeley Castle and Wells Cathedral in England, and Cosmeston Medieval Village in Wales. Below is the official trailer for the series.
The series was created and written by Dan Fogelman, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Those three had worked together on the 2010 animated Disney film Tangled. They served as executive producers with Chris Koch, Kat Likkel, and John Hoberg. The creative team also included writers Jeremey Hall, Joe Piarulli, Luan Thomas, and Julia Grob as well as Christopher Lennertz (music), Ashley Rowe (cinematography), David L. Bertman (editing), Andrew Lavin (art direction), and Sheena Napier (costumes). The DVD Galavant: The Complete Collection was released Nov. 10, 2017, and is available for streaming at Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube, iTunes, and Vudu.
Menken and Slater received a 2016 Emmy nomination in Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the song “A New Season!” from the second season’s opening episode, “A New Season aka Suck It Cancellation Bear,” which you can watch below. The official soundtrack for the first season was released Jan. 19, 2015, on iTunes. The official soundtrack for the second season was released Jan. 29, 2016, on iTunes.
The cast included Joshua Sasse (Sir Galavant), Timothy Omundson (King Richard), Mallory Jansen (Queen Madalena), Karen David (Princess Isabella), Luke Youngblood (Sid), Vinnie Jones (Gareth), Darren Evans (Vincenzo), Sophie McShera (Gwynne), Clare Foster (Robert Steinglass), Hugh Bonneville (Peter the Pillager), and Ben Presley (Jester Steve). Other recurring characters and cameo appearances were sung by Ricky Gervais (Xanax), Robert Lindsay (Chester Wormwood), Kylie Minogue (Queen of The Enchanted Forest), Faith Prince and Michael Brandon (Sid’s parents), and Al Yankovic (Head Monk), among others.