Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies Is The Best Show You’re Not Watching

I’m a musical theatre lover, but the one musical I could never get behind was Grease. From watching Sandy change everything about herself to fit in at Rydell to the irritating way “Summer Nights” is always playing on repeat at block parties, it just wasn’t for me. So, boy, was I surprised when TikTok introduced me to a behind-the-scenes video of actress Marisa Davila breaking down one of her performances in the show and I found myself obsessed with Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Did I stay up that night until 5 in the morning watching as many episodes were available on Paramount+? I did. The power of social media!

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is set in 1954, four years before the events of Grease, and follows four fed-up students who bring out a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever… and introduce us to the founder of the Pink Ladies. Watching the first episode, I was immediately impressed. The dancing, vocals, costumes, messages, and the way they seamlessly set up every character so we really understood who they were right away. It’s a bit more theatrical than typical on-screen acting, but in a way that feels purposeful, like its paying tribute to Broadway musicals. There were great Easter eggs to Grease, Grease 2, and musicals of that time or genre, like Bye Bye Birdie, West Side Story, and… maybe even High School Musical? I saw the connections!

We meet a diverse group of young women that immediately cracks open a world that’s much bigger and more inclusive than the original Grease’s Rydell. There’s Jane Facciano, played by Marisa Davila, a girl who goes from brain to dating the most popular guy in school to finding her reputation torn apart by rumors. After constantly being caught up in drama and being blamed as a woman for things that are often times a man’s fault, she’s tired of the double standard. This leads to her running for class president to change things at Rydell. Davila is Mexican-American actress, but plays a character who is also is a little lost when it comes to embracing her half Italian and half Puerto Rican identity because she has a mother who would rather hide her heritage in favor of fitting into this really white town.

There’s Cynthia Zdunowski, played by non-binary actor Ari Notartomaso, who really reminded me of Anybodys from West Side Story as this young woman who wants to get in with the T-Birds but ultimately ends up finding her own path with the Pink Ladies. She’s hilarious — there’s this one scene where she’s screaming about getting revenge by putting castor oil in people’s drinks so they could “caca in their khakis” that I’ve watched it over and over so many times — but she also goes on this really emotional journey figuring out her sexuality. 

Then there’s Olivia Valdovinos, played by Cheyenne Isabel Wells. She’s got this tough and sexy reputation that she tries to embrace, but is also a bit of a softy. Prior to the show starting, she and her teacher had a romance, but when they were caught he blamed it all on her and got off scot-free. That relationship was clearly not okay, but it wasn’t her fault. She’s a kid and he’s an adult who should know better. She also has a strong connection with her brother Richie (Johnathan Nieves), who’s a T-Bird. Their family is Mexican, but embraces their roots unlike Jane’s family.

And finally there’s Nancy Nakagawa, played by Tricia Fukuhara, who is all about fashion. She’s very quirky and headstrong and blunt. Her parents run the Frosty Palace, which is the hot spot in both the show as well as in the movie. She’s also got a unique relationship with Potato (Alexis Sides), another T-Bird, that was a lot of fun to follow. With all her style know-how, she’s the one who creates the iconic Pink Ladies jackets. Unfortunately, she got the short end of the stick in terms of story. I hope if the show gets a second season they give her more to deal with outside of just being the comic relief and support for everyone else. 

On top of that there are characters like Hazel (Shanel Bailey), the shy new girl looking to find where she belongs; Gil (Nicholas McDonough), the leader of the T-Birds; Buddy (Jason Schmidt), the jock with a heart of gold who does what’s expected of him versus what’s right; Dot (Josette Halpert), who’s trying to shed her little kid image. We also get to follow younger versions of characters from the original movies. We have an Assistant Principal McGee (Jackie Hoffman) before she becomes Principal in the original movies; a young Frenchy (Madison Elizabeth Lagares), who we learn is Jane’s little sister; and a young Betty Rizzo (Emma Shannon), sister of Gil, the leader of the T-Birds. The finale even teases Danny Zuko’s old brother arriving in a possible second season. Despite not being a fan of Grease, these connections were really exciting to see and the performances were spot on!

While Sandy changes to fit in, Rise of the Pink Ladies is about the complete opposite. It’s about teaching young people that they don’t have to conform to fit in. They can figure out who they are and find their own place and respect in the world. There’s all of these people — teachers, parents, your peers, society — that are going to want you to be quiet and do what’s easiest for them, but this show encourages you to speak up, be loudly and proudly yourself, and beat to your own drum. It works to push past the “boys with be boys” mentality and make people take responsibility for their actions. It’s about young women rebelling against what’s expected of them, against what’s “ladylike.” On top of that, these young women show up for each other. It’s a beautiful look at female friendship.

All that… and the music is incredible too! Hitmaker Justin Tranter, who has written songs for everyone from Selena Gomez to Fall Out Boy to DNCE to Ariana Grande, wrote over 30 original songs for this show. They even showed up as a new Teen Angel in an exciting full circle moment. A huge stand out is “I Want More,” which is the song that Davila broke down on TikTok, but all of the songs are incredible and the musical numbers are choreographed so creatively by the legendary Jamal Sims.

While some of the love triangles and romances that they set up don’t always land, the reality is the Pink Ladies are the heart of this show and they are perfect! If you’re a fan of musicals — whether you like Grease or not — you’ll have a great time with Rise of the Pink Ladies. You’ll laugh out loud, enjoy stunning musical numbers, and see them right the wrongs of the original film in this perfect continuation of the Grease legacy that celebrates individuality, sisterhood, and rock ‘n roll.

The full season of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is streaming on Paramount+. Catch more Easter eggs seen in the show, below: