Olivia Rodrigo Returns To HSMTMTS Just In Time For the Finale

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is welcoming a familiar face back to Camp Shallow Lake for the finale episode of the season.

Nini, played by Olivia Rodrigo, only appeared in two episodes at the start of the season before leaving to go get to know her biological father (played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson). In reality, of course, the actress has been busy furthering her music career following the launch of her debut album,Sour, last year.

“The world was clamoring for [her] tour,” showrunner Tim Federle told EW. “But she was and is such an important part of the DNA of the show that it also didn’t feel right to not give an explanation for where the character of Nini went. That was thing one: how do you make both things work, schedule-wise?”

Fortunately, HSM was able to bring Rodrigo back just in time for the campers to put on their big end-of-summer production of Frozen in an episode that premieres on Disney+ today.

As of now, it doesn’t sound like Rodrigo is slated to return to the cast full-time for season four, but Federle made it clear he would always leave the door open for her should things work out.

“I would never say never to Olivia, and I would never use the word ‘last,’” he said. “But yeah, I think it’s probably a fairly safe bet to say that, for now, we have so many cast members who we love and who we’re serving, that I think there’s no immediate plans for Nini to be a huge part of the show going forward. But the world has a way of surprising me and I never say never.”

What we do know about season four is that it’s going even more meta. The characters will be putting on a stage production of High School Musical 3: Senior Year, while their school is being used as a filming location for High School Musical 4: The Reunion Movie, leaving fans wondering if we might be getting cameos from some of the actors who kicked this whole franchise off.

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