Grease lightning was a hit in the 70s. But can it continue its legacy today?

Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies is a prequel to the original Grease movie set four years before the original and follows the creation of the infamous group called The Pink Ladies. The show premiered on April 6, 2023, on Paramount+ and has had one new episode a week since its release. With three episodes already out, we’re wondering how it lives up to the original so far.

The original Grease was loved and applauded for its 1970s lens of the 1950s world. The show does much of the same thing, except the gap is broader and displays the 1950s through a progressive Gen-Z lens. The show has many songs and subtle characteristics of the modern world today, as well as social problems. It addresses many social issues such as racism, sexism, and homophobia, however, it merely glosses over these topics rather than develop them within the story. 

Jane Facciano (Marisa Davila) is the main protagonist of the show as we follow her through her high school troubles. The main cast consists of Cynthia Zdunowski (Ari Notartomaso), Nancy Nakagawa (Tricia Fukuhara), and Olivia Valdovinos (Cheyenne Wells), a diverse friend group that is the shows the most interesting subplot. Naturally in a 1950s world, this friend group is faced with discrimination and other hardships. Seeing a group of girls stand up for themselves and make their own place in society is incredibly satisfying, but when the rest of the world seems to have no problems outside their friend group it can lessen that satisfaction. 

There are several characters within the show that would also face discrimination, but the show doesn’t delve into their characters in order to fully realize this world. 

With only three episodes released, it can be hard to dictate a show’s future success. But as of right now, most new fans of the world of Grease aren’t thrilled. New fans have said to see the show as too easy and simple based on the quick and satisfactory solutions to the discrimination that the main characters face. But avid Grease fans, have said while it doesn’t live up to Grease, it’s a nice remembrance. 

So if you are a diehard Grease fan, give the show a chance and see what you think. But if you aren’t a huge fan of Grease, you may not be a fan of the show either. 

The fourth episode plans to hit streaming services on April 27, 2023, which is just enough time to catch up!