Galavant is your standard Prince Charming type, who embarks on a quest to reclaim his "one true love" Madalena from the clutches of the evil King Richard. The thing is, Richard isn't really evil, he's merely a petulant man-child, and Madalena immediately tilted "pretty sharply bitchward" when presented with wealth and power. It's evident from the very first episode that Gal's REAL true love is strong-willed Princess Isabella, who's blackmailed into leading him into a trap... though there are plenty of twists, turns and surprises along the way.
There's never been anything remotely like "Galavant" on TV before, and there most likely never will be again. Comparisons to things like "The Princess Bride," "Monty Python," "When Things Were Rotten" and "Wizards and Warriors" are rampant... but none of those were full-blown musicals with music by Disney legend Alan Menken. Every episode features at least two big musical numbers and a short reprise, running the gamut of musical styles and with utterly demented lyrics by Glenn Slater. And on top of the infectiously zany music, there are running gags, inside-jokes and intentional anachronisms galore - plus the characters routinely take a sledgehammer to the fourth wall.
Although it's called "Galavant," it's an ensemble and the namesake is the least interesting character on the show (which is pretty typical of Prince Charming types). The big breakout star is Timothy Omundson as King Richard - the man routinely upstages costars with his impeccable comic delivery and cartoonish facial expressions - and thankfully the writers recognized the power of his performance and readjusted their initial vision of the character in a believable way. Mallory Jansen revels in portraying evil Queen Madalena, Karen David is literally pitch-perfect as constantly-flustered Princess Isabella, Darren Evans and Sophie McShera are utterly delightful as the dour peasant chef and handmaiden, and Vinnie Jones gives a surprisingly multi-dimensional performance as King Richard's henchman (and who would've guessed he could sing?!). There are too many other secondary, minor and recurring characters to list, but suffice it to say there's not a weak link in the chain.
The songs were a little stronger in the first season but the story was a tad unfocused, the jokes were hit-and-miss and it ended on a very sour cliffhanger. The show seemed destined to fall into TV oblivion but in a move that surprised everyone, ABC renewed it for a second season... and that's when everything really came together. For their second outing, the story was more concise, the writers injected it with an overwhelming amount of heart, the jokes were as rapid-fire as a machine gun, there were ginormous character arcs to be had for most everyone, and it all came together in a wholly-satisfying-but-open-ended conclusion. Unfortunately, the ratings went even more dire than they'd been in the first season.
I don't know exactly what the future holds for "Galavant" on television, but it was an instant cult-classic and I can pretty much guarantee its popularity is going to snowball. Critics and fans loved it (season 2 attained an unheard-of perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes), plans are being made for a Broadway adaptation, and I could totally see it being spun-off into a theatrical feature film. It's rare for any production to be struck by magic, but this little show got it in spades.
