disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

GREASE: RISE OF THE PINK LADIES -- The Iconic Musical of Stage and Screen Gets the RIVERDALE Treatment

4/5/2023

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
Photo Credit: Eduardo Araquel/Paramount+.
Attempts to capitalize on the popularity of Grease in the past have not been particularly successful, with the film’s sequel and the live musical version on television having both been largely maligned. The new spin-off/prequel Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies hopes to cash in on nostalgia, and is surprisingly successful at doing so.

Set five years before the events of Grease, Rise of the Pink Ladies tells the story of the origin of the girl gang from the iconic musical. At least in the first five episodes, the show seems content with being mostly its own thing. Although there are plenty of callbacks — especially with some of the musical riffs and an opening musical number that modernized the eponymous song — it’s pretty independent.

The biggest issue with the show is that it’s not really Grease. However, once you get past the expectations of it channeling the vibes of the classic musical, it becomes something enjoyable in its own right. It’s best to think of Rise of the Pink Ladies as a Riverdale-type show that shares the same settings but has a different tone.

However, over the course of the five episodes, it’s easy to get absorbed into the high school drama of these characters. The show takes a bit of time to find its rhythm, but that’s because there are so many characters and subplots that must be set up. Eventually, it becomes enjoyable in a trashy, soapy way that is extremely watchable.
Picture
Photo Credit: Eduardo Araquel/Paramount+.
As one would expect, what we get here is a much edgier take on high school drama. Although Grease was certainly filled with innuendos, Rise of the Pink Ladies takes it much further, with one subplot even involving a relationship between a student and a teacher. Although some of the show’s commentary feels genuinely insightful, other parts feel like they are being edgy just for the sake of it.

The part of this series that is likely to be most divisive is its music. First off, the songs are nowhere near as good as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “Beauty School Dropout,” and the rest of the iconic soundtrack of the musical and film. Still, the way in which the show mixes the vibe of the original soundtrack with more modern musical influences — like hip-hop — is consistently fun and often catchy.

There is also no denying the impressiveness of the choreography and production design of the show. They pulled out all of the stops on this one, with some intricate and creative musical numbers that are unreal for what has been done for a streaming show. Honestly, it’s shocking to see such impressive and ambitious form in what is otherwise a somewhat trite teen drama.

It would be easy to be cynical and hate on Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, but it’s pretty fun for what it is. If you’re willing to accept that this is a trashy teen soap with some catchy songs and not up to the caliber of the original, it’s a pretty good time.

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies streams on Paramount+ beginning April 6. Five out of ten episodes reviewed.

​Rating: 3.5/5
               
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About