Just how close is the new Paramount+ prequel series “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” connected to the beloved 1978 film “Grease?” Pretty close, as it turns out, considering two characters from “Grease” make appearances in the TV show.
Now streaming on Paramount+, “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” takes place four years before the events of “Grease,” before the T-Birds are the coolest guys in school, and before the Pink Ladies even exist. The story centers on Jane (Marisa Davila), Olivia (Cheyenne Isabel Wells), Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso) and Nancy (Tricia Fukuhara), a group of misfits at Rydell, who eventually just lean into the reputations they’ve been given.
They’re the ones who pave the way for the future Pink Ladies we know and love: Rizzo, Frenchie, Marty and Jan. But, as it happens, two of those ladies do get an appearance in this show, because one has a direct connection to the original Pink Ladies.
At the start of the episode, we see Jane’s mother scolding her youngest daughter, who she calls Fran, for how she’s been acting lately. Apparently, she’s made friends with a girl named Betty, who the girls’ mother says “is a bad seed.” Later in the episode, we learn that Betty not only pierced Jane’s sister’s ears, but also gave her a “vulgar” nickname: Frenchie.
Yes, as it turns out, Frenchie — the bubbly Pink Lady played by Didi Conn in the original film — is Jane’s little sister. And for those who don’t remember, Betty is actually Betty Rizzo, played by Stockard Channing in “Grease” the movie.”
But these aren’t just quick name drops. We do meet a young Rizzo alongside a young Frenchie in the second episode of the series, as the latter defends their friendship to her sister.
Now, it’s unclear if either a young Jan or Marty will show up in this series at this point. But it might just be worth keeping an eye out.
The first two episodes of “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” is now streaming on Paramount+.
