Grease Spin-off Series Ordered at HBO Max Entitled GREASE: RYDELL HIGH

HBO Max has ordered a new series for the streaming service that is a spin-off of the classic 1978 musical, Grease. The series will take us back to the high school where most of the film took place and will be aptly titled, Grease: Rydell High. HBO Max describes the series as:

“Grease: Rydell High” reimagines the movie with some familiar characters, as well as a host of new ones. It will still take place in the 1950s, in a world that rocks with big musical numbers from the period combined with new original songs as well.

So it’s not exactly clear if we will see the same main characters from the movie or if there will just be outlying familiar characters with new stars. While the old movie is fun and the songs are catchy, many of the themes of the movie are outdated and offensive. We turn a blind eye to them because the movie is old and nostalgic, but I imagine that even though the series will take place in the 50’s, we will see less of the ickiness included in the spin-off. They just wouldn’t fly nowadays.

This seems like a pretty big job for the writers to adapt. But if they scrap the original characters and just let the series revolve around a fresh take with music and the sweetness and innocence typically associated with that era, I think it could be good.

What do you think?

Source: Variety