The theme of 2023 seems to be “women dancing in pink in order to rebel against societal expectations” and so far, things are looking up! The latest girl-power moment will be Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies, a new series on Paramount+.
Rise Of The Pink Ladies will follow the “original girl gang” aka The Pink Ladies at Rydell High, made famous in the hit john Travolta musical Grease. The series is expected to show how the notorious Pink Ladies began their reign in a 1950s high school when everyone was all about hair combs, skin-tight leather pants, and hanging out in an automotive shop and fixing cars at the ripe age of 16. This was the fifties, after all.
The series will be led by Marisa Davila as Jane, the leader of the group, who just wants everyone to feel included and wear a snazzy pink jacket. She is joined by 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. The show will also feature 31 (!!) original songs for all of your karaoke needs.
Davila recently told Entertainment Weekly that despite being a prequel of an existing universe, the cast is well aware of how much pressure there is to please all of those diehard Grease fans (they exist, they’re just old) while also shuffling in a new, young audience. “It’s a really big responsibility bringing something this iconic back,” says Davila. “Getting to be in the same colorful universe was the way we connected to them and honoring what they were able to do.”
Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies will begin streaming on Paramount+ on April 6th.