I loved High School Musical, but after HSMTMTS Season 3, it might be time to go my own way

“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” is back with another season on Disney+, albeit with one less high school and several missing characters.

School’s out for the Wildcats, who head to a California sleepaway camp in Season 3 (which premieres July 27) to meet a celebrity guest, star of the original “High School Musical” films Corbin Bleu, and put on the first sanctioned student-run production of “Frozen.”

At Camp Shallow Lake, the East High students meet a few new friends and sing more than a few Disney songs from the "High School Musical" movies, "Camp Rock" and "Frozen," among other franchises that will surely be referenced as the season progresses. It's been apparent since Season 2 that Disney+ is eager to use HSMTMTS to show off Disney’s intellectual property beyond HSM.

Basically, HSMTMTS Season 3 takes some inspiration from "High School Musical 2" and "Camp Rock," but lacks what made those Disney Channel movies, well, sing.  HSM2 worked because all the original cast members returned in the second installment to work at Sharpay’s dad’s country club.

This isn't the case for Season 3 of HSMTMTS.

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Who's in the cast of HSMTMTS Season 3?

“Love is an open door” (a “Frozen” reference, for those who haven’t been subjected to the animated film’s soundtrack) this summer.

Well, except for Nini (Olivia Rodrigo) and Ricky (Joshua Bassett), Season 1's Troy and Gabriella who are now broken up. And Ashlyn (Julia Lester), Carlos (Frankie Rodriguez) and Kourtney (Dara Reneé), whose partners are otherwise occupied for the summer.

So, really, romance is only in the air for Gina (the Valley’s own Sofia Wylie) and E.J. (Matt Cornett), seemingly.

The couple has an upward-hill battle ahead of them due to outside factors that include E.J.’s longtime friend Maddox (Saylor Bell Curda) and Gina’s former love interest Ricky’s last-minute decision to crash Camp Shallow Lake.

In Season 3 of HSMTMTS, several series regulars — Rodrigo, Kate Reinders (Miss Jenn), Larry Saperstein (Big Red) and Joe Serafini (Seb) have become guest stars. And since it's summer vacation, the iconic East High School does not make an appearance — at least in the first three episodes.

It’s understandable to want to switch up the format as actors find themselves with other commitments and showrunners try to prevent the story from getting stale. But too many changes come at the cost of the familiarity the show built with its audience.

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Where is the 'High School Musical' in HSMTMTS?

As a Millennial, I felt that my years of waiting had finally paid off when HSMTMTS was announced in 2017. I was probably more enthusiastic than I should’ve been as an adult for more stories from the “High School Musical” extended universe.

Even though the characters, surprisingly, were students at the high school where the movies were filmed, rather than new characters attending the school where Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Sharpay and Ryan once performed, the first season felt fresh with the faces of a new generation, unexpectedly funny and thankfully diverse.

The disappointment was ubiquitous when fans learned that Season 2 would not follow the order of the original movies. Instead of “High School Musical 2,” the East High theater kids inexplicably put on a production of “Beauty and the Beast,” with a few “High School Musical” songs thrown in for good measure.

Since the show has already distanced itself from “High School Musical," Season 3 is perhaps less disappointing than Season 2. So when the cast performs HSM classics like “What Time Is It," it makes it that much sweeter.

Otherwise, despite how catchy some of the original songs are, the show now feels more like an ad for Disney’s other properties.

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Olivia Rodrigo returns to HSMTMTS,  but why?

Some people may have been doubtful that star Olivia Rodrigo would return as Nini, given that Rodrigo's career has skyrocketed outside of Disney, but she is indeed back this season — albeit with a reduced role.

When she does appear in the storyline, it’s a bit confounding. See, Nini is on vacation with her parents and struggling with the creative inspiration that would launch her singer-songwriter career. But, at least in the first three episodes made available to critics, her storyline is revealed in fits and starts and has no overlap with her classmates’.

It seems like her character is being further developed, but what’s the point? Will she even return for Season 4?

In any case, one thing I can’t complain about is hearing more Olivia Rodrigo on the soundtrack.

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Characters old and new are delightful

Despite some characters having reduced roles, the returning cast is as fun to watch as ever.

Frankie Rodriguez’s deadpan sarcasm and portrayal of Carlos’ unabashed passion for theater are a joy to see, as well as a welcome contrast to E.J.’s earnest enthusiasm for summer camp and desire to prove himself after stumbling into directing the "Frozen" musical.

Continuing to see Gina’s character arc from Season 1 mean girl to having a “lighter and brighter” vibe, as Wylie told The Arizona Republic in a July interview, is satisfying — as is Ashlyn’s struggle coming down from the high of playing the lead role in “Beauty and the Beast.”

Season 3 newbies, the overly enthusiastic camp veteran Maddox and the utterly uninterested Jet (Adrian Lyles), have strong personalities that make for nice additions to the cast. Their characters’ conflict seems like it’ll be a promising and complex storyline for the season.

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Why HSMTMTS could be a draw for Millennials

What Season 3 of HSMTMTS lacks in familiarity it slightly makes up for with characters who are familiar to many Millennials.

Corbin Bleu, who portrayed basketball player Chad Danforth in the HSM movies, joins the cast as the director, host and producer of the show being made about the campers' “Frozen” production. In an effort at meta humor, the series will be released on — where else? — Disney+ and potentially catapult the aspiring thespians to stardom.

Bleu plays a fictionalized version of himself and joins fellow Disney alum Jason Earles, who plays camp leader Dewey. For us Millennials, it’s a “Hannah Montana” and “Disney Channel Games” (2007) reunion that was 15 years in the making.

JoJo Siwa also appears on this season, though she’s more of a Gen Z household name.

It's comforting to know that the HSMTMTS stars were just as enthused as I was about Bleu and Earles' participation this season.

"I freaked out, like, I was so excited," Cornett told The Republic. "He just steals the scene for me because I was obsessed with 'Hannah Montana.' I'm obsessed with Jason Earles, and I'm not afraid to say that because I love the man."

Though it depends on how the the rest of Season 3 shakes out, there's a chance that, like Gabriella in "HSM2," I've "Gotta Go My Own Way."

When does 'High School Musical: The Musical: The Series' Season 3 come out?

Season 3 premieres Wednesday, July 27, on Disney+. New episodes are added every Wednesday, with eight episodes total.

Reach Entertainment Reporter KiMi Robinson at kimi.robinson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'High School Musical: The Series' is just a Disney ad in Season 3