In case you have been living under a rock for the past few months (no one would blame you, we all want to turn into Patrick Star from Spongebob Squarepants with what’s going on in the world), and somehow haven’t seen or heard about Julie and the Phantoms yet, allow me to introduce you to my new obsession and hopefully soon-to-be-yours, too! Julie and the Phantoms, a Netflix original show based on the Brazilian original, follows Julie, a teenage girl who has lost her mother and is overcome by grief, so she can’t find it in herself to return to playing music. Cue three ghosts popping up in her mother’s old music space, three very young, very talented, very adorkable boys who are still bound to earth by their immortal (hah, get it?) passion for music. Together, the four of them create the band that brings Julie’s love for music back to life – and gives the boys the fantasy of becoming famous which they never got to live out before they died.
If you’re hesitant to give this marvellous show a chance, let me give you some reasons why it’s worth getting into (reasons besides the very obvious one that I need you to stream this on Netflix ASAP so I can get a second season – haha, just kidding, but no, seriously, go watch it)!
The Cast Is Outstanding
Madison Reyes looks like a real-life Moana. With her unbridled enthusiasm and her strong voice, she makes the perfect protagonist for the show, belting out songs like she’s been doing it forever. And her chemistry with the Phantoms, made up of Charlie Gillespie, Owen Joyner and Jeremy Shada is off the charts. They really know how to bounce their acting off each other and make scenes feel incredibly timeless.
The extended cast is also impeccable. Long-time viewers of Disney and its original movies will definitely grin when they see Jadah Marie or Booboo Stewart grace the screen. Not to mention that a certain villain is played by none other than Cheyenne Jackson, who deserves an Oscar just for the choreography that he performs in this series (how is he so flexible?!).
What’s more is that you can just tell that these guys all actually like each other. If you follow Jeremy or Charlie on Instagram, you’ll get to see lots of cast hangouts and funny behind the scenes stuff from their time shooting JATP.
The diversity of the cast is also something I want to talk about for a second. This is a story about a girl whose mother died and who finds her way back to music by performing with ghosts only she can see. Netflix did not have to go as hard with the diverse cast and the storylines as it did but I, for one, am grateful. We have a Puerto Rican protagonist in Julie, one of the ghosts is openly gay and not only gets a love interest within the first season but also gets to be emotional and vulnerable without any stereotypical hazing about it. Do you know how rare that is for TV, let alone for a show geared towards adolescents? Representation matters and we have been blessed with it in Julie and the Phantoms.
The Music
Listen, if you don’t believe me that the soundtrack is fantastic, then that’s that but it literally jumped to iTunes #1 spot the moment it was released?! All the songs are so heartfelt and powerful and most of all, they are, without a doubt, certified bops. They encourage you to be the best version of yourself and to never give up on yourself even when heartbreak and grief looms in the corner, waiting to snatch you up. I mean, just look at these lyrics for Edge of Great:
I believe
I believe that we’re just one dream
Away from who we’re meant to be
That we’re standing on the edge of
Something big, something crazy
Our best days are yet unknown
That this moment is ours to own
Wow, am I right?
Also, if you don’t at least shed one single tear during Unsaid Emily, a song that has one of the saddest origin stories I’ve ever heard, then you’ve got a heart of stone, my friend, and it’s time to go to the wizard of Oz and ask for a replacement.
Watch Julie and the Phantoms slay one of their songs Edge of Great down below!
The Memes
In this day and age, you can probably tell how popular (and arguably, how good) a new Netflix show is by the memes that are going to be made based on said show. Judging from the memes for Julie and the Phantoms, the show is an absolute banger. Whether it’s “tag yourself, I’m Luke trying to look angry but actually look like a puppy who accidentally bit his own tail” or sophisticated ghost jokes, there’s a plethora of memes circulating on twitter and tumblr and they’re all fantastic.
If you like High School Musical, then you will want to watch this!
Whether you’re a late millennial or part of Gen Z, chances are you had your sexual awakening when you first saw Zac Efron singing his heart out in High School Musical 1-3. A hot hot hot basketball player who can sing and dance and basically looks like he jumped straight out of a Disney movie – hah, which he did – was what dreams are made of. After countless rewatches for the captivating ‘plot’ (yeah that works as well as saying you watched Magic Mike for the ‘plot’), you were convinced that there was no love interest better suited to you than Zac Efron, eh Troy Bolton. Well, Julie and the Phantoms has not one, not two, but three new boys to crush over. They’re ghosts who are tethered to the world through their music – how rock’n’roll is that?!
Not to mention that Kenny Ortega, who directed the High School Musical movies, also featured on this show and you can definitely tell by the enthusiastic song performances, the excellent dance choreographies and cinematography.
Toxic Masculinity? JATP Doesn’t Know Her
Fights over getting girls and pretending you’re something you’re not just to get the attention of a girl? Yeah, that’s not the case here. Instead of being the cool, calm and collected guy who rides in on his motorcycle and smokes for funsies, Julie and the Phantoms has male characters who, for the most part, are incredibly well adjusted when it comes to their feelings. Talking about your feelings is not only okay, it’s encouraged in this series. Alex is overwhelmed and likes to talk about his feelings and no one stops him, instead, group hugs are in order. All the time. Reggie is a certified golden retriever, there’s just no other way to say it. He’s kind and funny and tends to chase his own tail but he’s in touch with his feelings as well. Luke gets an entire episode dedicated to his demise and what and who he has left behind and it’s emotional and sad and you will need tissues watching certain scenes. And of course, Julie deals with a lot – she’s lost in grief, misses her mother and has to catch up in school. But when she breaks down, the guys are there for her, comforting her, and together, they make life work. It’s beautiful and says a lot about how it’s okay to be vulnerable. It essentially normalises platonic affection, not just between Julie and the boys but between the boys themselves. A warm hug, a lovely touch of the cheek isn’t immediately followed by been-there-done-that jokes no one wants to hear. Instead, it’s celebrated to be in touch with your feelings and I loved that.
The Actual Plot
What would a Netflix show be without a little romance? Luke and Julie have more chemistry than all of the Christmas Hallmark movie pairings combined, let me just say that. I haven’t shipped a ghost with a human so hard in…ever?! But there’s also a human boy vying for Julie’s attention and I have to say, the cliffhanger the show leaves you on is brutal.
There’s also an overarching plotline about how ghosts become part of a…well, let’s not call it cult but more like an exclusive club that you can’t get out of, that takes over Luke, Reggie and Alex’s lives, eh, deaths. Their existences, basically. There’s so much to explore – what makes a ghost move on? What makes them stay? Why is there someone who would want to harness the energy of ghosts? And what do they plan to do with all that power?! And will Julie’s little brother ever find out the truth about her sister’s ability to talk to ghosts? Also, if Julie and Luke actually get together, how exactly…would that work? So much to explore, you guys. So many questions unanswered.
Have I convinced you, yet? Then go forth and watch three ghosts become a girl’s best friends, get obsessed with the soundtrack and belt out Edge of Great during your next shower and most importantly, follow these cuties on Instagram to get all the deets on a second season!
The first season is available to stream on Netflix.
