Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies - A Brilliant Show Worth Saving

 If there is one genre that a lot of streaming services and TV channels lack, it is musicals. Ever since "Glee" ended in 2015 and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" ended in 2019, we haven't seen an original series that features original songs and amazing production. 

The good news is Paramount+ gave us a show that we've been craving for as it introduced "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies" on April 6, 2023. The bad news is it was cancelled after only 1 season. And the worst news? It's been removed from the streaming platform. 

The Rise Of The Pink Ladies

"Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies" is a prequel to the famous "Grease" movies and is set in the 1950's. The show stars Marisa Davila as Jane Facciano, Cheyenne Isabel Wells as Olivia Valdovinos, Ari Notartomaso as Cynthia Zdunowski, and Tricia Fukuhara as Nancy Nakagawa. 

The four ladies were united after they've been, in their own way, became a victim of misogyny and the unfair treatment of society towards women. 

Jane had a  vicious rumor spread about her and her then boyfriend Buddy Aldridge (Jason Schmidt) did not have the backbone to stand up for her and even indicated that his reputation is much more valuable than hers. 

Olivia was groomed by one of Rydell's teachers and yet she was the one who suffered the consequences and was labeled as provocative. Nancy is not boy-crazy unlike her friends and was seen as aggressive and intense. 

Meanwhile, Cynthia tried so hard to fit in with the guys to the point that she wanted to be a part of the boy gang T-Birds even though she knew it was impossible. She also could not fit in with the girls in Rydell because she wasn't feminine enough. 

Cynthia perfectly showed the struggles that a lot of queer people experience in an environment where everyone is put in a box and is automatically expected to act a certain way. 

The four ladies decided that if they can't fit in anywhere, then they will march to the beat of their own drum. What started as a group formed to help Jane with her presidential campaign turned into Rydell's first girl gang with a strong sense of sisterhood. 

What I Love About The Show

The diversity and the storylines of each of the ladies is what drew people in to be fans of the show, me included. It showed scenarios that we still see today, such as not giving women the same opportunities as men because they'll just "get married and have children anyway," or how white men are given more chances to excel compared to people of color or women. 

Although it was set in the 1950's, these sentiments and situations still ring true today. One scene that stuck out to me was when the ladies were in Dottie's (Josette Halpert) house and the boys were boasting to each other about how "far" they've gone with their respective dates. 

All the while, the girls were obviously uncomfortable and obviously just went with what their dates wanted because they thought it is what was "normal."

Another scene that I loved was when Potato (Alexis Sides) told Cynthia why she could not be like other girls. As a queer person, I understood the pain that she felt, as I know deep down that I can never be like the "other girls." 

The show also did an outstanding job in showing Cynthia's struggle with her sexuality and how scared she was to even label it. 

Of course, since it is a musical, it is impossible not to talk about the overall production and soundtrack of the show. "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies" delivered on both aspects. 

The soundtrack is one of the best that I've heard in a musical series. Ari Notartomaso's "Crushing Me" is one of my favorites and it has now more than 2 million streams on Spotify.

Other standouts are "Face to Face" and "Merely Players" as they both captured the interest of the audience for their catchy tunes and relatable lyrics. 

Cancellation And Removal

Unfortunately, Paramount+ did not give the show a chance to find its audience because a month after its release, the streaming service decided to axe the show. 

To add salt to the wound, the show was removed from the streaming platform just two weeks after the cancellation announcement so they could apply for a tax write-off.

Now I am not going to pretend to be an expert on taxes and how businesses work, especially in the entertainment industry, but it is such a shame that this is how television has come to. 

TV shows nowadays need to break unrealistic records and need to make a splash immediately after their release or else they won't get a second season. 

It has been the trend lately, with numerous streaming services cancelling and removing a lot of shows with Sapphic characters or those with a diverse cast. 

I understand that money is important, and that difficult decisions need to be made in order to gain profit, but with the recent revelations of the SAG strike happening in Hollywood where actors, writers and staff members revealed that they were overworked and underpaid, who are these companies really doing all of these for? Where are all the said profits going?

Despite the disappointment, it seems like the fandom of the show and the cast are not losing hope. They've been campaigning and signing petitions nonstop to help the show find a new home. 

It is also a good sign that "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies" earned two Emmy nominations, meaning the industry is paying attention to the brilliance of the show. 

The show has all of the factors needed to get renewed for more seasons. It has a Billboard charting album with very high number of Spotify listeners, it is Emmy nominated and it has a strong and stable fandom. 

If another streaming platform sees this (and a lot of people are hoping it will be Hulu) then they might get picked up and we can start where we left off, because I am not ready to let go of being a Pink Lady yet.