‘Grease’ prequel TV series is in the works

Although the original “Grease” stage musical opened on Broadway back in 1972 (and the now-classic movie followed in 1978), the teenage love story of Danny and Sandy still manages to captivate audiences to this day. Nearly 50 years later — and even after all the sequels, stage revivals and more — viewers are still longing for more of the Greasers, Pink Ladies and the rest of the Rydell High gang.

Now, the latest piece of “Grease”-spawned content is a prequel TV series focusing on arguably the most interesting aspect of the 1950s high school tale: the Pink Ladies. After languishing at HBO Max for a while, the 10-episode musical project landed at Paramount Plus with the epic title, “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.”

According to Variety, the prequel series takes place four years before quiet new girl Sandy arrives at Rydell from Australia and follows the Pink Ladies — Rizzo, Jan, Marty and Frenchy — as the “four fed-up, outcast girls dare to have fun on their own terms and spark a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever.”

Remember these sassy ladies who rolled up on the first day of senior year, ready to “rule the school”?

The hour-long comedic episodes will feature new original songs, though Variety notes that fan-favorite tunes from the original musical could make their way into the TV show as well.

The prequel series was originally titled “Rydell High” and was snapped up by HBO Max in 2019 with the idea that it would be a “High School Musical”-type TV version of “Grease.” Paramount Plus then took over the reins in October 2020 and rebranded the series so it would be hopelessly devoted to the Pink Ladies.

In the hit 1978 movie, the Pink Ladies were led by Betty Rizzo, in a fabulous performance by Stockard Channing. It’ll be fascinating to see who is cast in such iconic roles, and how the show will update the story to appeal to a 21st century audience, while still retaining that 1950s vibe.

Will you tune in to watch the “Rise of the Pink Ladies”?