Tangled creators' Galavant redefined fantasy TV — 10 years after its finale

Polygon marks the 10th anniversary of ABC’s comedy‑musical Galavant, whose final episode aired Jan. 31, 2016, and argues that the Tangled creators helped redefine fantasy TV with the show. The series was created by Tangled screenwriter Dan Fogelman with composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater, who pitched a cheerier, self‑aware alternative to the era’s grim, high‑stakes fantasy exemplified by Game of Thrones and other adult‑oriented shows.

Galavant follows the titular hero (Joshua Sasse) after his girlfriend Madalena (Mallory Jansen) marries the tyrannical King Richard (Timothy Omundson); Princess Isabella (Karen David), squire Sid (Luke Youngblood) and henchman Gareth (Vinnie Jones) join a cast that also featured cameos from Hugh Bonneville, Anthony Head and Ricky Gervais.

Jansen once called the show “the bastard baby of Monty Python and The Princess Bride.” The show’s songs, by Menken and Slater, echo Disney musical beats — with numbers such as “She’ll Be Mine” and “Hero’s Journey” — while openly satirizing those tropes. Polygon notes Galavant is cheeky and more knowing than classic Disney fare, using meta jokes (including a finale song about ratings) and audacious moments like spoiling season 2 in its opening number, “A New Season.” Working with a limited budget, the creators leaned into a cult‑classic, self‑mocking voice: fourth‑wall breaks, in‑jokes about expensive cameos and a tone that skewed loving send‑up rather than outright hostility to the fantasy genre.

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