In bringing the comedy series Palm Royale to life for Apple TV+, creator Abe Sylvia’s hope was to create something reminiscent of “one of those movies that bankrupted the studio system in 1968” — a show that felt like “the last gasp of the big studio musical comedy.”
“Before Easy Rider and the new generation of filmmakers came in, they were doubling down on these big CinemaScope epics with big orchestras and lavish costumes, and it sort of ruined the studio system,” Sylvia notes, “and I was like, ‘That’s our aesthetic on this show.'”
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When it came to the show’s score, penned by Jeff Toyne, what was called for, Sylvia recalls, was music that felt very fresh, which never commented too directly on the period in which the story was set, even if it felt “of a time and a tradition.”
Taking a “classic approach” to composition, says Toyne, the general idea was to move toward a sound that was “strongly thematic, strongly melodic and sincere, and not afraid of melodrama.”
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Loosely based on Juliet McDaniel’s novel Mr. and Mrs. American Pie, Palm Royale follows Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig) as she endeavors to break into Palm Beach high society during the powder keg year of 1969. As Maxine attempts to cross that impermeable line between the haves and the have-nots, Palm Royale asks the same question that still baffles us today: “How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice to get what someone else has?”
First connecting with Sylvia for a student film at UCLA during the early 2000s, Toyne had a full orchestra at his disposal in his work on Palm Royale, which he would supervise remotely during the pandemic, with recording taking place in Budapest. Working in person with a number of big band musicians, the composer shares in today’s episode of The Process that one highlight of his experience on the show was the six or seven recording sessions he spent perfecting what Sylvia calls “a main title for the ages” — “a classic television theme” featuring vocal performances from Toyne’s wife, Aiko Fukushima, and Melissa Kaplan.
In the case of that piece, says Toyne, “I was really inspired by this group in the ’60s called The Swingle Singers, and I thought it’d be really fun to bring some of that to our show. [Henry] Mancini was also doing vocals in a lot of his tracks, but those were more kind of voiced choral backgrounds. This was a little more active and fun and a little jazzy.”
In addition to the aforementioned artists, “big, sweeping orchestral moments” from the films of Pedro Almodóvar were a major influence on the show, which never winked at its audience, despite its comedic moments.
Premiering on Apple TV+ in March, Palm Royale also stars Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Amber Chardae Robinson, Laura Dern and Allison Janney. Sylvia served as showrunner, EP, writer and director on the series. Additional EPs included Dern and Jayme Lemons for Jaywalker Pictures, Wiig, Katie O’Connell Marsh, Tate Taylor and John Norris for Wyolah Films, Sharr White, Sheri Holman, Boat Rocker and Rock Shaink Jr.
Check out the full conversation between Sylvia and Toyne above.