'High School Musical' Series Showrunner Talks Potential Queer Storyline for Joshua Bassett's Ricky

Tim Federle is dishing on a potential queer storyline for Joshua Bassett‘s character Ricky Bowen.
The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series creator and showrunner recently opened up about how this could be a possibility this season.
In the latest episode, Ricky went up to EJ (Matt Cornett) and talked about his excitement for auditions, and how they could both play the male leads again.
Keep reading for more inside…
“Those guys. There’s two of them. They’re friends? Enemies? Lovers?” he says, then looks right into the camera, before EJ, who seemingly is uncomfortable, leaved the brief conversation to say hi to someone else.
“One of the joys of a long-running show is that you get to explore all facets and all aspects of all of these characters,” Tim told Digital Spy. “So as a queer storyteller myself, I feel a real responsibility to try to tell the truth about the experience of young people today, which is so much more fluid and accepting and exploratory than I think it was when I was a youth.”
“I think particularly for Ricky this season, he’s got some big things to figure out. He ends up going to summer camp, feeling like: ‘It’s going to be a summer of fun, and I’m not getting involved romantically. My last entire year has been the obsession of trying to figure my romantic life out,’” he continues. “And as so often happens, the best-laid plans go up in smoke when someone important distracts you. So I think he’s definitely on a big arc this season.”
This possibility comes after in the first episode, Maddox (Saylor Bell) tells Ashlyn (Julia Lester) that people come to camp thinking/being someone and then they leave a different person.
While speaking about his own coming out in real life, Joshua said that he’s open to Ricky having a coming out. See what he said here!
Many fans are also seeing hints of this possibility, and are hoping it happens. Check out tweets below…
In case you missed it, find out what was revealed in HSMTMTS season three, episode two…
This episode: Ricky looking good, EJ looking good, them looking good together and at each other. Their little “lovers” line and pillow fight? Yeah bi Ricky and gay EJ.. come to me! #HSMTMTS pic.twitter.com/4tS5ADg2c3
— A | rj needs to happen (@hsmtmtslover5) August 3, 2022
“They’re uh friends, enemies, lovers…” Is Ricky gay? #hsmtmts
— alexandra (@hinnystheme) August 3, 2022
if ricky and jet don’t end up together i WILL be starting a riot. they’re so gay and you’re blind if you don’t see it. #HSMTMTS
— kate (villan era👹) (@primarysand) August 3, 2022
BISEXUAL RICKY x GAY EJ!! That lovers line was for us! #HSMTMTS
— A | rj needs to happen (@hsmtmtslover5) August 3, 2022
Ricky is so gay for ej and jet idk you can see it or not but i cant unseen it now like what is hitting him with pillow and smile like a baby or leaving a note on his bed lol #HSMTMTS
— hope ◡̈ SMOKE SLOW (@hopebssett) August 3, 2022
Okay like this tweet if you were getting MAJOR gay vibes from Ricky this episode #HSMTMTS
— tv activist (@andimack4dplus) August 3, 2022
Am I the only one who's hearing a lot of gay references from Ricky's lines? Ahahahah#HSMTMTS
— OLIVIA LOVES Roby🦋 (@RobyconlaY) August 3, 2022
ricky is gay #confirmed #HSMTMTS pic.twitter.com/Gs2BLELGJE
— micah. (@rinalovebug) August 3, 2022