‘JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS’ A FUN MUSICAL TRIP

My pick: “Julie and the Phantoms”

In search of something cool: A couple of weekends ago, when it was hotter than Hades in San Diego, I knew it was going to be a binge-watching kind of weekend. So I cranked up the A/C, made some popcorn and found a cool and comfy corner for two days of Amazon Prime and Netflix. Netflix’s algorithms still think my taste is that of a teenage girl, so it heavily pushed “Julie and the Phantoms.” Since it was 114 degrees outside, “Julie and the Phantoms” proved to be the perfect I’m-staying-inside-all-weekend entertainment. It was easy to watch, didn’t involve a lot of thinking, and actually had some decent music, in a musical theater kind of way.

The premise: “Julie and the Phantoms” isn’t actually an original idea — at least not in the U.S. It’s an American reboot of the Brazilian comedydrama television show “Julie e os Fantasmas.” On Netflix, it stars Madison Reyes as Julie Molina, a high school student who’s lost her passion for music after the death of her mother. Three boys — members of a garage band who died in the mid-1990s — come back as ghosts and help Julie fall in love with music all over again.

Why it feels somewhat familiar: The story is new to me, but there was something about the series that felt oddly familiar. I couldn’t put my finger on it until I realized that one of the executive producers is none other than Kenny Ortega, the choreographer-director-producer behind all three “High School Musical” movies as well as all three “Descendants” movies.

The voice: Reyes, cast in the lead role, didn’t have any professional credits when she sent in an audition tape for the production. The 15-yearold from Allentown, Penn., was among hundreds of submissions, but Ortega saw something special in her. “It’s the promise,” Ortega, who is an executive producer and a director of the series, told The New York Times. “It’s the promise in someone. And I saw it.” On the show, Reyes has some pretty sweet moments on the piano, but it’s her singing voice that makes her shine.

The ‘Phantoms’: The series works best when Reyes is with her ghost friends — think Casper, not Beetlejuice. And thankfully, the nineepisode season pretty much keeps the ghosts front and center as much as it does Julie. The three ghosts are ably portrayed by Charlie Gillespie (lead singer Luke), Owen Patrick Joyner (drummer Alex) and Jeremy Shada (bass player Reggie).

Bonus for musical theater geeks: The appearance of Cheyenne Jackson as a recurring character is a pleasant surprise for theater fans.

Find it: Netflix

NETFLIX