Olivia Rodrigo Will Not Be a “Huge Part” of HSMTMTS Beyond Season 3

Since the release and massive success of Sour, there’s been tons of speculation around whether Olivia Rodrigo would remain a part of the cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Now, showrunner Tim Federle is opening up about Olivia’s future on the show just in time for its season 3 premiere. 

“I think she’s ready to explore the world outside the halls of East High,” Tim Federle first said while speaking to Entertainment Tonight on July 21 about Nini’s “surprising” season 3 character arc. Tim teased the show’s plans “to give [Olivia’s] character a proper sendoff” and leave room for other characters to “step into the spotlight,” like Sofia Wylie’s character Gina. But now, Tim is elaborating a bit more on what Olivia’s — and Nini’s — future on the show really looks like, season 3 and beyond.

“From a pure logistical standpoint, the idea of Olivia doing the entire [third] season and doing her tour was immediately looking impossible,” Tim told Entertainment Weekly on July 27. “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?”

Olivia Rodrigo was first cast as one of the stars of HSMTMTS back in 2019, and received critical acclaim upon the show’s release for her performance as Nini and her chemistry with co-star Joshua Bassett. One year after the show’s season 1 finale, Olivia released her debut single “Drivers License,” which became a global, record-breaking hit. Olivia just wrapped up her first concert tour in support of her debut album Sour on July 7, 2022.

Olivia’s charcter Nini Salazar-Roberts had been reduced from regular status to recurring back in March 2021, which seemed to reflect the major changes in Nini’s storyline as she begins to come into her own as a young songwriter. Near the end of season 2, she’s faced with an opportunity to travel to L.A. to pursue the craft more seriously. Nini appearances are sprinkled throughout the trailer for HSMTMTS season 3, but it’s evident she’s not the main focal point of the show this season.

“Even though music is a big part of Nini’s life, I wanted to be really respectful and mindful of the fact that we didn’t want to write a story about a teenage girl whose music goes viral and now what?” Tim said to EW. “It just felt too on the nose since Olivia has a once-in-a-generation music career happening. Instead, it started with: what are personal things in Nini’s life that are unrelated to music that, while music is on her mind, might not be the driving force of the season?”

“Olivia is such a good actor, which I think it can be easy to overlook that because she’s a world-class songwriter, but Olivia’s actually an amazing actor,” Tim continued, explaining that Nini’s arc this season will dip more into her personal and familial backstory. When asked whether Nini would remain a recurring character in season 4 or permanently exit with season 3, Tim led with honesty.