American Housewifes Musical Episode Dodged The Cringiest Part Of The Trend

Like so many other popular shows of the 2010s, American Housewife had a try at the musical format, despite it being far removed from its usual tone. The final episode of the third season, titled “A Mom’s Parade,” showed new sides of its cast of characters by having them dance and sing throughout the story. The mini-musical featured performances from Katie, her friends Doris and Angela, as well as Cooper and her kids Oliver, Taylor and Anna-Kat.

Luckily for fans of the show, the episode didn’t stray too far away from the general themes of the show. The musical numbers were able to flow easily within the plot. Getting this work is one of the challenges that other shows trying out the musical format have to deal with, but American Housewife pulled it off, while also avoiding one of the worst parts that comes with the musical episode trend.

The Episode Worked The Same As Any Other

The Plot Of The Episode Was Similar To Any Other Episode

The great thing about the musical episode of American Housewife is that the plot was very similar to a regular episode of the show. Katie was feeling unappreciated by her husband and her kids, as she normally does. The only difference is that she explains her troubles through song. Some shows that had a musical episode, like Once Upon A Time or Henry Danger, shifted the whole plot of the episode to explain why the singing. However, the fact that American Housewife didn’t do this allowed the songs to be performed and integrated into the plot more organically.

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Plus, the episode stuck to the usual 22-minute runtime, which meant that there was only time for four songs in the episode. As there were only a small handful of songs in the episode, it meant that the songs were of high quality, as more time was spent developing the four songs. It also meant that the songs didn’t take up too much of the plot, as each song was only around two minutes each, meaning that the songs didn’t take over the episode as much as they could have.

The School Set Was The Same Set As Glee, So It Felt Natural

The Set Was Built For A Musical TV Show, So It Was Used Again For It's Original Purpose

A fascinating fact about American Housewife is that the set for the school hallway is the same set they used on the Fox TV show Glee in the early 2010s. Once aware of the fact, it is very obvious to spot the similarities of the set between the two shows. The placement of the lockers as well as the classroom doors are exactly the same. There has just been a slight touch-up on the decorating with a new coat of paint to make sure the set holds some kind of originality for American Housewife.

American Housewife using the same set piece from a show that was all about singing and dancing helped immensely with the natural feel of the musical episode. Seeing the hallway used for singing, dancing and performing again offers a hit of nostalgia to all the fans of Glee as it’s what the set was originally made for. Even though there is only one song in the musical episode that takes place in the school hallway, after learning that fact, it makes the number even more special.

Katie Is A Diva Anyway, So It Made Sense For Her To Act Like A Broadway Star

Katie's Behavior Made Her The Perfect Subject For A Musical Episode

Of course, Katie Otto had a lot to do with the musical episode's strengths. Katie generally comes across a diva, which made the musical format all the more fitting. For Katie, in any situation where a decision needs to be made, it is always her way or no way. She wants everyone to always listen to her, take her advice and do what she says. Katie feels like she is better than all the other housewives in Westport because she always does everything herself, without hiring a nanny, and she isn’t afraid to let everyone know.

Katie’s diva-like personality made for a perfect soloist in the American Housewife musical episode. It allowed her a chance to shine in the spotlight while singing like the star of a Broadway musical while making both of her big numbers all about her. Even her final song, titled "Where Is My Parade" is a parody of "Don’t Rain On My Parade" by Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl. Ultimately, Katie’s personality makes her the perfect candidate to be the star of a musical like Patti LuPone or Judy Garland, which is why the musical episode of American Housewife worked so well.

American Housewife is a 2016 family comedy series featuring Katie, a determined mother navigating the challenges of raising her imperfect family in a wealthy suburb dominated by idealized wives and their children.

Cast Barret Swatek , Diedrich Bader , Eve Sigall , Hugh Holub , Jay Mohr , Jenny O'Hara , Jeremy Howard , Larry Joe Campbell , Lidia Porto , Mary Linda Phillips , Steve Agee , Carly Craig , Christopher Gehrman , Gloria Garayua , Janet Varney , Jessica St. Clair , Kathleen Rose Perkins , Katie Cleary , Katy Mixon , Lara Everly , Victoria Justice , Amarr M. Wooten , Kirstin Eggers , Miles Elliot , Giselle Eisenberg

Release Date October 11, 2016