Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is a new musical romantic comedy web television series that airs on Paramount+. It is a direct prequel of the 1978 film Grease, which itself was based on the musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.
The series was officially canceled on June 23, 2023[1] and was removed from the service entirely on June 26, 2023. On July 24th, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies secured a VOD services such as Apple iTunes and Amazon. Paramount Home Entertainment also announced that a DVD release for the whole series slated for Nov. 7 with more than 40 minutes of special features included in the box set.[2]
Synopsis[]
The musical series takes place four years before the original “Grease”; in 1954 before rock ‘n’ roll ruled, before the T-Birds were the coolest in the school, four fed-up outcasts dare to have fun on their own terms, sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Marisa Davila as Jane Facciano
- Cheyenne Isabel Wells as Olivia Valdovinos
- Ari Notartomaso as Cynthia Zdunowski
- Tricia Fukuhara as Nancy Nakagawa
- Shanel Bailey as Hazel Robertson
- Johnathan Nieves as Richie Valdovinos
- Jason Schmidt as Buddy Aldridge
- Madison Thompson as Susan St. Clair
- Maxwell Whittington-Cooper as Wally Winslow
- Jackie Hoffman as Assistant Principal McGee
Guest Starring[]
- Charlotte Kavanagh as Rosemary
- Niamh Wilson as Lydia
- Josette Halpret as Dot
- Alexis Sides as Potato
- Nicholas McDonough as Gil Rizzo
- Maximo Salsas as Shy Guy
- Rachel Withers as Geraldine
- Madison Elizabeth Lagares as Fran Facciano
- Emma Shannon as Betty Rizzo
Co-Starring[]
Episodes[]
- We're Gonna Rule the School
- Too Pure to Be Pink
- So This Is Rydell?
- If You Can't Be an Athlete, Be an Athletic Supporter
- You Can't Just Walk Out of a Drive-In
- Sloppy Seconds Ain't My Style
- Cruisin' for Bruisin'
- Or at the High School Dance...
- You're Dropping Out of Rydell?
- Racing for Pinks
Production[]
Grease: Rydell High
A Grease spinoff series titled Grease: Rydell High was in development at HBO Max in partnership with Paramount Television, who produced the series with Picturestart. It was given a straight-to-series order on October 15, 2019. Additionally, Temple Hill, Picturestart, and Paramount Pictures were in development of a prequel film titled Summer Lovin'.[3]
On April 10, 2020, Annabel Oakes was tapped as an executive producer for the series, and writer of the pilot episode. The series was also described as, "Set in and around the world of Rydell High, the Grease offshoot reimagines the global smash hit movie with familiar as well as new characters. Still the 1950s, Rydell High will feature big musical numbers from the period combined with new original songs and will tackle the peer pressures of high school, the horrors of puberty, and the rollercoaster of life in middle".[4]
After reevaluation of HBO Max's slate, Grease: Rydell High was released by the network and picked up by ViacomCBS' streaming platform, which had been rebranded as Paramount+.[5] The series was retitled to Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and shifted to a be an hour-long musical comedy about how the infamous Pink Ladies (comprised of Rizzo, Jan, Marty and Frenchy) began and how the reverence, fear, and moral panic they sparked changed Rydell High forever. At the time, the estates for Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the original composers of the 1971 musical, withheld the rights to use their songs for the series.[6]
Paramount+ gave their formal green light to Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies on July 16, 2021, and ordered a 10-epsiode season. The series "is set four years before the original Grease. Before rock ‘n’ roll ruled, before the T-Birds were the coolest in the school, four fed-up, outcast girls dare to have fun on their own terms, sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever." The network also clarified that the series would include new characters and would not focus on Rizzo, Frenchy, Marty, and Jan. Annabel Oakes remained as showrunner and was joined by executives producers Marty Bowen (via Temple Hill) and Erik Feig (via Picturestart).[7]
On October 5, 2021, the creative team was filled with Justin Tranter, a Grammy-award nominated songwriter and producer, Jamal Sims, a renowned choreographer, and Alethea Jones, a director and producer.[8]
The starring cast for the series was announced on January 31, 2022. The prequel series stars Marisa Davila as Jane, Cheyenne Isabel Wells as Olivia, Ari Notartomaso as Cynthia, Tricia Fukuhara as Nancy, Shanel Bailey as Hazel, Madison Thompson as Susan, Johnathan Nieves as Richie, Jason Schmidt as Buddy, Maxwell Whittington-Cooper as Wally and Jackie Hoffman as Asst. Principal McGee.[9]
On February 11, 2022, Chris McNally was announced to be playing Mr. Daniels in a guest starring role.[10] The rest of the supporting cast was announced on February 23, and consisted of Charlotte Kavanaugh (Rosemary), Josette Halpert (Dot), Nicholas McDonough (Gil), Maximo Salas (Shy Guy), and Alexis Sides (Potato).[11]
Broadcast[]
The Pink Ladies premiered on Paramount+ on April 6, 2023 in the US and Canada. It premiered the following day in the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France. A premiere date for South Korea is pending. Following the premiere of the first two episodes. The remaining new episodes will be available to stream Thursdays and Fridays, depending on the regions.
The series was cancelled by Paramount+ on June 23rd, 2023. It was announced the series would be pulled from the streaming service entirely in the coming days. It was unexpectedly removed from the service three days later on June 26, 2023.
Save Our Pinks Campaign[]
Following the cancellation and announcement of the series removal, the cast of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies created social media accounts with the handle "@saveourpinks" on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. They encouraged fans of the series to sign the Change.org petition created by a fan, contact streaming services, share what the series meant to them on social media, and stream the original music on Spotify. A series of videos created by cast members were shared to encourage fans and show support.[12] On July 7th, Marisa Davila shared that the combined efforts of the fandom made Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Music from the Paramount+ Original Series) trend in the Billboard Top 100.[13] Due to the SAG strike, the cast stopped posting about the series, but encouraged fans to keep up the good work.[14] Fans subsequently created a website to collaborate efforts.[15]
Video on Demand[]
Soundtrack[]
Over thirty original songs were written for the series, and are available to stream on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music. An official soundtrack was released on June 1, 2023, and would be released in LP form on June 23, 2023. On July 7, 2023, the soundtrack charted on Billboard's Top Current Album Sales chart. It ranked 70 in the top 100.[16]
Awards and Nominations[]
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies had four nominations and five wins for its first season. There is one pending award.
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Leo Awards | Best Choreography in a Dramatic Series | Jeff Mortensen & Louise Hradsky (Cruisin' for Bruisin') | Won |
| Hollywood Critics Association Awards | Best Streaming Comedy Series | Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies | Nominated | |
| 75th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Choreography For Scripted Programming | Jamal Sims (Routines: New Cool / The Hand Jive / The Boom) | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Choreography For Scripted Programming | Jeffrey Mortensen & Louise Hradsky (Routines: Pulling Strings / Hit Me Again / High Rollin') | Nominated | ||
| Women's Image Network Awards | Comedy Series | Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies | Nominated | |
| The ReFrame Stamp | Series | Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies | Won | |
| 2024 | GLAAD Awards | Outstanding New TV Series | Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies | Nominated/Pending |
| Women's Image Awards | Comedy Writer | Annabel Oakes "We're Gonna Rule the School" |
Won | |
| Series Director | Alethea Jones Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies "We're Gonna Rule the School" |
Won | ||
| Comedy Series | Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies | Won |
Additional Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical[17] | Justin Tranter | I Want More | Nominated/Pending |
Notes and Trivia[]
- The series was originally slated to premiere on HBO Max and was titled Grease: Rydell High. It was nabbed by Paramount+ who renamed the series, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.[6]
- The series was initially planned to be 1950s version of High School Musical and would build out the world of Grease.[6]
- The series is choreographed by Jamal Sims.
- Music in the series is by Grammy award nominee Justin Tranter, who is also the executive music producer. There are over 30 original songs in the series, all written by Justin Tranter with the help of some co-writers.
- The official soundtrack of Season 1 was released on June 1st, 2023, the same day the first season finale Racing for Pinks aired. A vinyl edition of the soundtrack is scheduled to be released on June 23rd, 2023
- To celebrate and promote the series, a pop-up version of Frosty Palace was set-up by Paramount+ and Popsugar on April 6th and 7th, 2023. They took over Mel's Drive-In on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood for the two-day interactive event. It included 1950s-era music and décor, as well as “twists on familiar diner fare” and photo moments. “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” merchandise will also be given away and customized on site.[18]
- The April 6th night included a screener of the premiere episode, "We're Gonna Rule the School".[18]
- On May 26, 2023, Roku TV announced their first ever custom Roku City Neighborhood featuring fan favorites from Paramount+. Among them was the Frosty Palace with the four Pink Ladies posed in front of it.[19]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Variety: ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies,’ ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Among Four Shows Canceled at Paramount+, Will Be Pulled Off Streamer
- ↑ Deadline: ‘Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies’ Gets VOD & DVD Release After Cancellation & Paramount+ Removal
- ↑ Deadline: ‘Grease’ Spinoff Series ‘Rydell High’ Ordered By HBO Max
- ↑ Deadline: ‘Grease: Rydell High’: Annabel Oakes To Write & EP HBO Max Spinoff Series
- ↑ Deadline: ‘Grease’ Spinoff Series Leaves HBO Max, Headed To Paramount Plus
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Variety: ‘Grease’ Spinoff Series Moves From HBO Max to Paramount Plus (EXCLUSIVE)
- ↑ Deadline: ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies’ Prequel Series Officially Ordered By Paramount+
- ↑ Deadline: ‘Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies’: Justin Tranter, Jamal Sims, Alethea Jones Board Paramount+ Prequel Series’ Creative Team
- ↑ Deadline: ‘Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies’: Paramount+ Prequel Series Sets Cast As Production Begins
- ↑ Deadline: ‘When Calls The Heart’s Chris McNally Joins ‘Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies’ & ‘Firefly Lane’
- ↑ Deadline: ‘Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies’ Adds Five To Supporting Cast Of Paramount+ Prequel Series
- ↑ Twitter: SaveRiseofThePinkLadies official campaign Twitter account.
- ↑ Twitter (@saveourpinks): SHOOKETH but not surprised considering ALL YOUR SUPPORT! To see you all enjoy the album as much as you have AND get us charting AFTER cancellation?!.
- ↑ Instagram (@saveourpinks): We pass it off to you!
- ↑ Save Pinks Fans
- ↑ Instagram (@saveourpinks): A dream come true. 🙌 Let’s keep going!! We’ve seen what the fans’ determination can do, why stop now?! 💋 LET’S GET TO TOP 50!.
- ↑ While this nomination goes to Justin Tranter, the song they're nominated for was written for the series. It is not an official nomination for the show, but still relevant to showcase its success.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Variety: ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies’ Pop-Up to Turn Mel’s Drive-In Into the Frosty Palace (EXCLUSIVE)
- ↑ Instagram (@rokuplayer): Welcome to our first custom Roku City Neighborhood, featuring fan-favorites from @ParamountPlus.