WICKED: The Official Podcast

Wicked has always been a story about perspective — who gets remembered, who gets misunderstood, and how friendship can reshape the meaning of “good” and “wicked” forever. In this final episode of Wicked: The Official Podcast, we arrive at the end of our journey through Oz, reflecting on how this story has evolved across generations and why it still holds us. Director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt look back on the responsibility of honoring L. Frank Baum’s original world, Gregory Maguire’s reimagining, and the Broadway phenomenon that followed, all while making room for something new. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande reflect on saying goodbye to Elphaba and Glinda, and on the friendship at the heart of the story that transformed both characters and performers alike. Joined by cast and creatives across Oz, they share memories of the moments, choices, and collaborations that changed them… for good. As our time in Oz comes to a close, the story reminds us how perspective can change everything. (0:11) Watch Wicked: For Good at home on the Apple TV app.https://apple.co/WFGMovie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wicked cast a vivid spell with its production design — and Wicked: For Good deepens that magic by expanding Oz into an even grander, more immersive world. Production designer Nathan Crowley, cinematographer Alice Brooks, editor Myron Kerstein, and director Jon M. Chu take us inside the craft that shaped everything from the Emerald City’s skyline to the Yellow Brick Road, revealing how towering practical sets, intricate illusions, and cutting-edge VFX bring this new chapter of Oz to life. Cast members Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode, and Bronwyn James share what it felt like to inhabit these environments — performing alongside VFX animals, riding the Wizard’s hand-built rollercoaster, and stepping into spaces that were at times fully constructed and at other times entirely imagined — a testament to the collaborative magic behind every corner of this world. (0:10) Watch Wicked: For Good at home on the Apple TV app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The music of Wicked has always carried the heart of the story—first on Broadway, and now across two epic films. In this episode, composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, music supervisor and arranger Stephen Oremus, and film composer John Powell take us inside the melodies, themes, and collaborative process that shaped Wicked: For Good—from reimagining classic songs to building a new musical vocabulary for Jon M. Chu’s cinematic vision. Director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt reflect on how music guided some of the film’s boldest choices, while Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, and Jeff Goldblum share how performing these numbers—often live—transformed their characters and the world of Oz itself. Spoiler alert: this episode explores musical changes between the Broadway show and the film adaptation—including reimagined numbers and the emotional architecture behind them. But we’re saving the two new songs and the titular number for next week! (53:12) Watch WICKED at home on the Apple TV app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To bring Oz to life, the Wicked team had to defy gravity in more ways than one—filming two epic movies simultaneously. Director Jon M. Chu led an extraordinary team of artists and dreamers, transforming one timeless story into a two-part cinematic event. Writers Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox reveal how the world of Wicked expanded beyond the stage, while producer Marc Platt reflects on the precision and heart it took to make the impossible possible. Oscar winners Nathan Crowley, Frances Hannon, and Paul Tazewell share how every color, costume, and brushstroke helped redefine Oz for a new generation. And from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, and Bronwyn James, the cast recounts what it meant to live—and act—between two eras at once. (53:01) Watch WICKED at home on the Apple TV app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Presented by Universal Pictures and Vanity Fair, and hosted by Chris Murphy, the official Wicked podcast is your all-access pass to the land of Oz. Featuring intimate conversations with Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, director Jon M. Chu, and the creative team behind Wicked, this eight-part series reveals how the iconic sets, songs, and visuals came to life across two epic films. (0:50) Watch Wicked: For Good at home on the Apple TV app.https://apple.co/WFGMovie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices