Behind the Curtain: Unveiling the Hilarious Absence Jokes in Disney+'s 'HSMTMTS' - Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale's Mystery Explained!

Zac Efron Vanessa Hudgens. Fred Hayes/The Disney Channel/Kobal/Shutterstock

In High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4, famous stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale were not featured in any cameos. However, the characters Troy, Gabriella, and Sharpay still had a presence in the storyline. The final season of the show, which began streaming on Wednesday, August 9, brought together several cast members from the original High School Musical series, such as Lucas Grabeel, Kaycee Stroh, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Alyson Reed, and Bart Johnson. They filmed footage for a fictional fourth film.

As Coach Bolton, Johnson inquired about the whereabouts of Troy, Gabriella, and Sharpay to Stroh, who portrayed the character Martha. Stroh responded that she had not seen them yet because they had been unresponsive in the group chat.

Later in the season, Bleu and Coleman disclose plot information regarding the fictitious fourth installment of High School Musical to the students of East High School. According to Coleman, Troy and Gabriella are undergoing "couples therapy."

The High School Musical franchise revolves around Troy and Gabriella, two teenagers belonging to different social groups, who develop a connection through their shared passion for music. Spanning from 2006 to 2008, the trilogy explores their romantic journey while showcasing the involvement of their diverse group of friends in the school musical.

Sharpay, played by Tisdale, made another appearance in the 2011 spinoff film Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure. Leading up to the premiere of season 4 of HSMTMTS, which acts as a continuation of the film series, Efron created speculation that he might make a guest appearance on the Disney+ show. This came about when he surprised fans by visiting East High, the school where the High School Musical movies were filmed, and captioned a photo on Instagram with the words, "Don't you... Forget about me," in July 2022.

One month prior, Hudgens, Efron's former girlfriend, shared her visit to East High on Instagram. She captioned an Instagram video with, "Do you recall in kindergarten when you would meet a child and have no knowledge about them? Then, in just 10 seconds, you would play together as if you were the closest of friends because all you had to be was yourself?"

Tim Federle, the creator of HSMTMTS, verified that he contacted Efron, Hudgens, and Tisdale for a possible cameo appearance, but unfortunately, it didn't happen.

"Ashley personally reached out to me and she was absolutely delightful. Due to her busy schedule launching brands, the timing just wasn't right," Federle shared with Trib Total Media on Friday, August 4. "As for Zac and Vanessa, whom I admire as a fan but haven't had the pleasure of meeting, I sensed from the signs and signals that once we started negotiating the logistics, the production would be completed and the show would come to an end."

Disney+/Craig Sjodin

In an exclusive conversation with We, Federle expressed his desire to have director Kenny Ortega join the project.

“It was incredible to have the original cast members back as it propelled their careers in remarkable ways. I believe the same is happening for some of the cast members of my show,” Federle shared exclusively with Us. “I was truly inspired by the humility, gratitude, and maturity displayed by Corbin, Monique, and Lucas. I had a strong desire to have Kenny Ortega return as well."

He stated that he had contacted Kenny, who was extremely occupied with a project. Kenny responded graciously, expressing his inability to return and portray his character. Although Kenny's collaboration is something he desires and is on his bucket list, he understands that Kenny was busy editing a documentary. Nonetheless, he is content with how they concluded the entire show. The fourth and last season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is now available for streaming on Disney+.