Lace up those saddle shoes! We're going back to Rydell High in early 2023 for the much-anticipated new series, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, a prequel to the classic 1978 film starring John Travolta and the late, great Olivia Newton-John. Set in 1954, the 10-episode Paramount+ series will follow the founding members of the Pink Ladies, Grease's fan-favorite high school girl gang, as they chart their dominion over Rydell High.
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Created by Annabel Oakes (the mind behind the recent HBO Max series Minx), Rise of the Pink Ladies is a musical-comedy that promises midcentury nostalgia, moral panic and, of course, some killer original songs. Here's what we know about the series so far.
What's the Series About?
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is set four years before the events of the film — so, alas, we won't be seeing Danny, Sandy, Rizzo and the gang. The 10-episode first season will track the trials and tribulations of the original Pink Ladies, a group of four outcast high school girls who decide to live life on their own terms, igniting controversy at the buttoned-up Rydell High.
While the 1978 film, itself based on the hit 1971 musical, was largely a collection of character tropes (the greaser, the goodie-good, the bad boy), Rise of the Pink Ladies will explore the vulnerabilities and sensitivities beneath those labels.
"We did use those archetypes, but because TV is a longer format, we get to go a little bit deeper into what's behind those archetypes," Oakes told Entertainment Weekly. "How can we take a character, like Frenchie, who's focused on her future in that way and expand that? What is the Tough Girl and why is she so tough? Stockard Channing in the original movie did such a great job of showing Rizzo's toughness, but also showing the vulnerability underneath. We get to go even deeper with our characters because we have more time with them."
Who's Who in the Series?
School is almost back in session! Here is an exclusive first look at Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, coming in 2023 to #ParamountPlus! ? https://t.co/UAyVHPD646 pic.twitter.com/d9TPB2LmKk
— Paramount+ (@paramountplus) December 19, 2022
So who are our titular Pink Ladies? The group is led by bookish, gregarious Jane Facciano, played by Marisa Davila (Love and Baseball). Then there's Nancy Nakagawa (Tricia Fukuhara), Olivia Valdovinos (Cheyenne Wells) and Cynthia Zdunowski (Ari Notartomaso).
According to Davila, playing a Pink Lady has been a tall but immensely rewarding task. "It's a really big responsibility bringing something this iconic back," Davila said. "Getting to be in the same colorful universe was the way we connected to them and honoring what they were able to do."
The Music in the Series
In keeping with the series's predecessor, Rise of the Pink Ladies is a musical-comedy with original songs by Grammy-nominated pop music producer Justin Tranter, who's penned hits for everyone from Justin Bieber and Britney Spears to Imagine Dragons.
The series will feature 31 original songs (a "no-skip soundtrack," according to Davila) — all of them written by Tranter. The soundtrack is described as a blend of 1950s musical styles and contemporary pop sounds.
The series does not have an official release date yet, and there's no word on when we'll get a trailer (or a listen to the soundtrack). In the meantime, we'll put that Grease playlist on repeat and dust off our pink jackets. The girls will be back in town in no time.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies premieres in early 2023 exclusively on Paramount+.
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