Movie musicals are a tried and true genre in the film world, and they're often perfect for re-watching. There are few of these projects more iconic than the 1978 classic Grease, based off the stage musical of the same name. In the decades since its release, the film has remained a vital part of pop culture. Case in point: the recent Super Bowl commercial featuring John Travolta. Paramount+ is seemingly trying to capitalize on this iconography with its new series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies which serves a prequel to the film. And the stars of the show recently spoke to CinemaBlend about the various easter eggs and references to the movie that are included in the new musical series.
The Grease movie is arguably more iconic than the original stage musical, thanks to its stars like the late Olivia Newton-John as Sandy. Rise of the Pink Ladies is chock full of references to the movie, and each episode's title is named after some of the movie's quotable lines. As you can see in the video above, I had privilege of speaking with the cast ahead of its release, where I asked about the various Grease-isms that appear throughout its first few episodes. Olivia actress Cheyenne Isabel Wells offered a tease of the easter eggs to come, saying:
I think in the later episodes, I don't know if I’m allowed to say it but there’s a specific scene that happens in the movie and we kind of replicate it sort of in a later episode. And I’m obsessed with it and I feel like people will really notice it when it happens.
Well, that's intriguing. The first two episodes of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies are streaming now for those with a Paramount+ subscription, and they're jam packed with nods to the movie that'll thrill the generations of fans out there. But it turns out that there's some coming down the line that are going to blow people's minds. Just give us the full season already!
While Rise of the Pink Ladies is purposefully invoking nostalgic feelings thanks the inclusion of various Grease-isms, it turns out that there were more than even the cast was aware of. In our same interview, Jane actress Marisa Davila revealed that she's still discovering some of the ways that the new show honors the movie. In addition to dialogue that also includes the show's cinematography, as she put it,
I watched the film the other day, a couple weeks ago. And I was sitting enjoying it and was like ‘Wait, we did that camera angle!’ We didn’t even know. There’s so many times, it’s so subtle. It’s always a really nice nod to the original.
Talk about an attention to detail. While the cast of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies were obviously leaning into the legacy of Randal Kleiser's iconic movie, there are more easter eggs than they were privy to while filming the musical TV series. And if the show gets renewed for a second season, smart money says the connection to the film will fget even stronger.
Of course, there are also plenty of Grease easter eggs that the cast of Rise of the Pink Ladies were actually aware of. Actress Tricia Fukuhara plays aspiring fashion designer and founding Pink Lady Nancy in the new series, and spoke about one that can be spotted in one of the earlier episodes of the show's first season. As she told me:
I’m going to say that there is a little easter egg that’s sprinkled into one of the earlier episodes, and it has to do with costumes. Nancy loves designing things. So if you watch, you might actually miss it because it’s so quick so you might have to pause or rewatch. But I love those aspects of the Grease-isms.
I was lucky enough to watch some episodes of Rise of the Pink Ladies early, but now I'm tempted to go back and re-watch the first two eps on Paramount to try and catch the costume-related easter egg that Fukuhara is referencing. Clearly the show has plenty of fun content for the generations of Grease fans out there.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is streaming now on Paramount+, with new episodes airing on Thursdays. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to to plan your next binge watch.
