The ViacomCBS streamer has given a series order to the show, which was originally developed at HBO Max.
Grease is the word at Paramount+.
The ViacomCBS streaming service has given a series order to Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, a prequel to the beloved musical. The 10-episode show is the first pickup under new Paramount+ topper Nicole Clemens — who also runs Paramount TV Studios, which is producing the prequel.
Rise of the Pink Ladies takes place four years before the original Grease. Per the show’s logline, “before rock ‘n’ roll ruled, before the T-Birds were the coolest in the school, four fed-up, outcast girls dare to have fun on their own terms, sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever.”
Stockard Channing, Didi Conn, Dinah Manoff and Jamie Donnelly played the Pink Ladies in the 1978 feature film version of Grease.
The show has taken a rather long road to its green light at Paramount+. The show was originally titled Grease: Rydell High and scored a straight to series order from HBO Max in October 2019 under then WarnerMedia Entertainment and direct to consumer boss Bob Greenblatt and chief content officer Kevin Reilly.
HBO Max scrapped the series, however, after a management change that saw HBO head Casey Bloys take the streamer under his purview. It then moved to Paramount+, where it underwent a creative overhaul and got a new title.
Writer Annabel Oakes (Atypical, Awkward.) has remained with the show throughout and will serve as showrunner of Rise of the Pink Ladies. She executive produces with Marty Bowen of Temple Hill and Erik Feig of Picturestart.
Paramount, Temple Hill and Picturestart are also behind a feature film prequel to Grease titled Summer Lovin’, with Brett Haley directing.