New ‘Central Park’ to feature exciting music, Bell return
The Tillerman-Hunter family is back for more musical fun in “Central Park” season three, set to debut on Apple TV+ on Sept. 9.
The Emmy-nominated series, which features an ensemble cast of voice talent including Leslie Odom Jr., Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, Kathryn Hahn and Stanley Tucci, will be introducing new characters, plotlines and more this season.
“A new dawn is approaching,” says executive producer Josh Gad, who also voices busker/ narrator Birdie in the series. “We have change afoot and some of that change is good. Some of that change is not so good. You still have this existential
threat that is Bitsy Brown, [and at] the same time, the Tillermans are planting new seeds, literally and proverbially speaking.”
Gad says there are plenty of things to look forward to for fans of the show, which was one of the first Apple TV+ originals when it debuted in 2020.
“We have some new characters. We have Abby,
who is Paige’s sister played by Kristen Bell. We have a new mayor played by Sam Richardson. We have, I think, our best crop of songs yet, 40 new songs.”
The music has always been a big part of the show’s wide appeal and has featured tunes from some massive, genre-spanning artists in the past, including Danny Elfman, Wyclef Jean, They Might
be Giants, Fiona Apple, and even “Frozen” composers Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.
Gad teased this year’s lineup of musical artists, saying, “we have some new [songwriters] that I don’t know that I can announce just yet, but they’re going to blow people’s minds.”
Confirmed musical collaborators this season include Sara Bareilles,
Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Spektor, Rafael Casal, Supercommuter and Mike Viola.
Though Gad co-wrote the pilot and also penned last season’s finale, “The Lyin in Winter,” he said wasn’t able to write any episodes for season three.
“It was just an incredible gift to be able to do that,” he said about writing last year’s finale. “I’d like to do more. I hope I get to do more of that in the future.”
Emmy Raver-Lampman, who plays middleschooler Molly, says fans of the series can look forward to more growth from her character this season. “Molly’s journey is really deep,” Raver-Lampman says.
In season two, viewers saw Molly struggle with social anxiety, peer pressure and body issues as well, which is something Raver-Lampman says she can relate to.
“I’ve gone through so many of those beats not only as like a young woman but also as a woman of color and trying to figure out where you fit in and who your people are and loving yourself. I think we’re continuing to have — like ‘Central Park’ does in a very beautiful way — [some] really important conversations [in the show], with a lightness that makes it feel universal,” Raver-Lampman said.
Molly’s superhero alterego Fista-Puffs will be back again this season, with Raver-Lampman saying that one of the episodes featuring the character is her favorite of the series so far.
“I want a Fista-Puffs spinoff, is what I really want!” Raver-Lampman added with a laugh.
Season three of “Central Park” will debut on Apple TV+ on Sept. 9 with new episodes set to release on Fridays.