''Grease Live!'' is an American

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

that was originally broadcast by

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

on January 31, 2016. It was a live, televised remake of the 1978 film ''Grease'', executive produced by Marc Platt, directed by Thomas Kail, and starring

Aaron Tveit Aaron Kyle Tveit (; born October 21, 1983) is an American actor. Tveit originated the lead role of Christian the composer in the stage adaptation of ''Moulin Rouge!'' on Broadway, a performance for which he won the 2020 Tony Award for Best Acto ...

Julianne Hough Julianne Alexandra Hough (; born July 20, 1988) is an American dancer, actress, and singer. In 2007, she joined the cast of ABC's ''Dancing with the Stars'' as a professional dancer, winning two seasons with her celebrity partners. After leavin ...

Carlos PenaVega Carlos Roberto PenaVega (; born August 15, 1989) is an American actor and singer. He starred on the Nickelodeon series ''Big Time Rush'' as Carlos García, and is a member of the group Big Time Rush. He was also the host of the network's game sh ...

and

Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Anne Hudgens (; born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After making her feature film debut in '' Thirteen'' (2003), Hudgens rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in the ''High School Musical'' film series (2006 ...

. Patterned on similar live television musicals recently produced by

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

, the production incorporated elements and songs from both the original stage musical and the 1978 film version of ''Grease'', as well as additional songs that were not present in either. In an effort to emulate the "energy" of a theatrical setting, live audiences were incorporated into the production's stagings. ''Grease Live'' was broadcast from Warner Bros. Studios, utilizing two soundstages and the studio's outdoor

backlot A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction. Uses Some movie studios build a wide variety of ...

—the usage of the latter was notably affected by rain in the Los Angeles area on the day of the broadcast. Critical reception was positive, with particular praise to the overall atmosphere and production style of the presentation, as well as the performances of the cast, particularly Hudgens as Betty Rizzo—the special was dedicated in the memory of Hudgens' father, who had died from cancer one day prior to the broadcast. The special was nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards and won a total of five, including Outstanding Special Class Program.

History

Announcement and casting

On April 28, 2014, Fox announced that it had partnered with Paramount Television to produce a live, three-hour televised adaptation of the 1978 musical ''Grease'' in 2015. The move came in the wake of similar live musical adaptations that had been produced by

, such as ''

The Sound of Music Live! ''The Sound of Music Live!'' is an American television special that was originally broadcast by NBC on December 5, 2013. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the special was an adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1959 Broadway musical ''T ...

'' and ''

Peter Pan Live! ''Peter Pan Live!'' is an American television special that was broadcast by NBC on December 4, 2014. The special featured a live production of the 1954 musical adaptation of ''Peter Pan'', televised from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York, sta ...

''. On January 17, 2015, Fox officially announced that

had been cast as Sandy and

as Rizzo and that the special would air on January 31, 2016. ''Entertainment Weekly'' reported that the special had been delayed from its original target of Summer 2015 due to difficulties in the casting process. On May 28, 2015, it was announced that

Keke Palmer Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer (born August 26, 1993) ( ) is an American actress, singer and television personality. Known for playing leading and character roles in comedy and drama productions, she has received a Primetime Emmy Award, five NAACP I ...

would join the broadcast as Marty Maraschino, one of the Pink Ladies. On July 9, it was announced that

would star as Danny Zuko in the live TV broadcast, and

would play the role of Kenickie. On September 30, 2015, it was announced that Carly Rae Jepsen,

Kether Donohue Kether Donohue is an American actress. She is known for her role as Lindsay on ''You're the Worst'', as a cappella leader Alice in ''Pitch Perfect,'' and as the exocomp Peanut Hamper on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Early life Donohue grew up on the ...

, and

David Del Rio David Del Rio is an American actor, director and producer who has appeared in films and live productions such as ''Pitch Perfect'' and ''Grease Live! ''Grease Live!'' is an American television special that was originally broadcast by Fox on ...

would play Frenchy, Jan, and Putzie, respectively. On November 6, it was announced that

Jordan Fisher Jordan William Fisher (born April 24, 1994) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He began his career with recurring roles on several television series, including ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' in 2012 and ''Liv and Maddie'' fr ...

, Andrew Call and Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer would join the cast as Doody, Sonny and Cha-Cha, respectively.

Production

Director Thomas Kail envisioned ''Grease Live'' as being a "combination" of elements from the original musical and the 1978 film version of ''Grease''. For instance, the production incorporated songs that were created for the film version, such as a performance of its theme song " Grease (Is The Word)" by Jessie J, "

You're the One That I Want "You're the One That I Want" is a song performed by American actor and singer John Travolta and Anglo-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical '' Grease''. It was written and produc ...

", and " Hopelessly Devoted to You", as well as songs that were exclusive to the stage version, such as "Freddy, My Love" and "Those Magic Changes". Kail explained that "very early on as I started imagining what this could be, talking to Marc Platt, our executive producer, and the folks at Paramount, one of the things we really were very focused on was trying to capture the spirit of both the original companies of ''Grease'' and that film that has left such an indelible impression on all of us. To try to honor that and pay homage to something that has moved us and we have such a great affection for, and then try to make our own version of it." The production also contained several new songs including the original, "All I Need Is an Angel", which was written for the character of Frenchy ( Carly Rae Jepsen) by Tom Kitt and

Brian Yorkey Brian Yorkey is an American playwright and lyricist. His works often explore dark and controversial subject matter such as mental illness, grief, the underbelly of suburbia, and ethics in both psychiatry and public education. Early life Yorkey w ...

of ''

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing ...

'' fame. Joe Jonas's band

DNCE DNCE is an American dance-rock band consisting of lead singer Joe Jonas, drummer Jack Lawless, and guitarist JinJoo Lee. Bassist and keyboardist Cole Whittle was a part of the band from when it started in 2015 to when it went on hiatus in 2018. ...

made a cameo appearance as Johnny Casino and The Gamblers during the Rydell High dance where they performed

The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...

' "

Maybe Baby Viktoriya Vladimirovna Lysyuk (; born 27 September 1995), known professionally as MAYBE BABY (), is a Belarusian pop singer and rap artist based in Russia. Early life Victoria Lysyuk was born in the city of Zhabinka in the Brest Region of Belar ...

", as well as a 1950s-inspired remix of their own debut single "

Cake by the Ocean "Cake by the Ocean" is the debut single by American band DNCE. It was released through Republic Records, as the lead single from their debut EP, ''Swaay'', on September 18, 2015. It is also included on their debut studio album, '' DNCE'' (2016). ...

" in addition to "Born to Hand Jive" from the stage version and "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay" which was previously only part of the film version. In an interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', Jonas explained that the band was approached by the producers for the role following a concert they had performed in New York City. ''Grease Live'' was broadcast from

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in Burbank, California, using two soundstages, half of its

, and 44 cameras. Set designer David Korins explained that the medium of a live, television musical would "really show off what theater does best, and also what film and television does best", having constructed a self-contained "cafegymatorium" set that is designed to provide an "immersive", 360-degree experience, as well as traditional theatrical-style stagings. ''Grease Live'' was presented to live studio audiences at each of the three filming locations, who were also directly integrated into relevant scenes as extras on-stage, such as in crowds. Kail explained that he wanted to capture the "feeling" of the audiences at live stage productions, as there was "an energy and an undeniable vitality that real humans give back to real humans that are performing". ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' believed that the use of live audiences would help to stylistically distinguish ''Grease Live'' from the NBC live musicals that it was patterned after. The price of a 30-second commercial during ''Grease Live'' was set between $300,000 and $320,000.

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

was signed on as a major sponsor of the special; the sponsorship included product placement of classic Coca-Cola signage and beverages within the special (such as on a vending machine and on the diner set), and sponsored

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

content. In order to be appropriate for broadcast television and to appease advertisers, several songs were edited for content; Platt stated that his goal was to make ''Grease Live'' a "family-friendly" show, but still wanted to maintain "the appropriate edge" the musical required. Among the edits, " Greased Lightnin'" changed the lyrics to remove several profane and sexual words (edits that original songwriter

Jim Jacobs Jim Jacobs (born October 7, 1942) is an American actor, composer, lyricist, and writer for the theatre, long associated with the Chicago theater scene. Jacobs is best known for creating the book, storyline, characters, lyrics for the 1971 musi ...

had made to the officially licensed versions many years prior), while the Italian profanity "fongool" was replaced with "be cool" within "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee".

Weather issues

The use of outdoor sets for portions of the production led to concerns that it could be affected by weather, especially in the wake of forecasts calling for a 100% chance of precipitation and possible thunderstorms on the day of the telecast. Kail stated that the production did have contingency plans in the event of rain, while Platt stated that his team had factored the possibility of rain into its plans for "many months", and that while safety was the highest priority, the show would still go on, rain or shine. While prepared for the possibility of rain, wind was also a major factor: at around 3:00 p.m. PT, an hour before the telecast went live, Platt was informed that a particular structure on the outdoor set could not be used for safety reasons. By 3:40 p.m. PT, while the team was in the process of re-staging the opening number to exclude the structure, the rain and wind passed, and engineers cleared the use of the structure—allowing a return to the original staging. The broadcast would ultimately feature references to the conditions: emcee

Mario Lopez Mario Lopez (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor and television host. He has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is known for his portrayal of A.C. Slater on '' Saved by the Bell'', '' Saved by the Bell ...

jokingly introduced "

El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date ...

" as being a "special guest", while the opening number, "Grease (Is the Word)", was performed with the cast holding umbrellas, and during a discussion about having a live broadcast at Rydell High, Principal McGee (

Ana Gasteyer Ana Kristina Gasteyer (born May 4, 1967) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2002. She has since starred in such sitcoms as ABC's '' Suburgatory,'' TBS's ''People of Earth'', NBC's ...

) quipped, "Let's just hope it doesn't rain."

Death of Greg Hudgens

On the day of the broadcast, Vanessa Hudgens announced on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that her father, Greg, had died of cancer the night before, and that she would dedicate her performance in ''Grease Live'' to his memory. Platt told ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' that he was "fiercely proud" of Hudgens' handling of the situation, describing her as a "very determined young woman" who "knows that the show has to go on, as any actor of the theater or in a live event knows. So she decided she would take her feelings of loss and sadness and put them in a box for that afternoon, that she would use them to fuel her performance and she would do it in honor of her father." Additionally, Fox and Paramount allowed the production to be dedicated in memory of Greg; Platt went on to say that "the cast was behind her and we all joined hands and said, 'We're going to live in this moment. Sometimes life interferes. But you have all worked so hard for this moment and we're going to go for it.'"

Cast and characters

Main cast

as Danny Zuko, Sandy's boyfriend, leader of T'Birds, Rydell High's Greaser gang *

as Sandy Young, Danny's girlfriend, relocated from Utah (this, her conservative values and sharing a name with

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...

imply a

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...

upbringing, much like Hough's own), who transforms from

square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

lady to female greaser over the course of the production *

as Kenickie, member of T'Birds, owner of the car Greased Lightnin', Danny's best friend and Rizzo's on-again/off-again fling *

as Betty Rizzo, leader of the Pink Ladies, frenemy to Sandy

Pink Ladies

* Carly Rae Jepsen as Francesca "Frenchy" Facciano, Sandy's best friend, aspiring

beautician Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/ pedicures, non-permanent hair removal such a ...

as Martina "Marty" Maraschino, the Pink Ladies' resident

sex kitten A sex kitten is a woman who exhibits a sexually provocative lifestyle or an abundant sexual aggression. The term originated around 1956 in articles in the British and American press and was originally used to describe French actress Brigitte Bardot ...

as Janice "Jan" Fellopa, blunt and somewhat dorky

T-Birds

as Anthony "Doody" DelFuego, a naive and childlike aspiring musician * Andrew Call as Sonny LaTierri, trouble-making

womanizer Womanizer may refer to: * "Womanizer" (term), a promiscuous heterosexual man * "Womanizer" (song), a 2008 song by Britney Spears * "Womanizer", a 1977 song by Blood, Sweat & Tears from '' Brand New Day'' * ''Womanizer'', a 2004 album by Absolute ...

-wannabe *

as Roger "Putzie" Jacobs, sardonic and self-confident

Special guests

Didi Conn Edith "Didi" Conn (née Bernstein; born July 13, 1951) is an American actress. She is best known for her work as Frenchy in '' Grease'', Denise Stevens Downey in '' Benson'' and Stacy Jones in '' Shining Time Station''. Early life Edith Bernst ...

as Vi (Conn played Frenchy in the 1978 film) *

Barry Pearl Barry Lee Pearl (born March 29, 1950 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is an American actor. Pearl is best known for his role as "Doody", one of the three supporting T-Birds, in the 1978 film version of '' Grease''. He also had a cameo as Mr. Weaver ...

as Mr. Stan Weaver (Pearl played Doody in the 1978 film)

Musical guests

* Jessie J as the title song singer * Boyz II Men as the Teen Angels *

as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers

Other characters

as Vince Fontaine *

as Principal Marj McGee * Elle McLemore as Patty Simcox *

Wendell Pierce Wendell Edward Pierce (born December 8, 1963) is an American actor and businessman. Having trained at Juilliard School, Pierce rose to prominence as a character actor portraying roles both on the stage and screen. He first gained notoriety portra ...

as Coach Vince Calhoun *

Eve Plumb Eve Aline Plumb (born April 29, 1958) is an American actress, singer and painter. She is best known for portraying the middle daughter Jan Brady on the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch''. A native of Southern California, Plumb began appearing in co ...

as Mrs. Murdock *

Sam Clark Samuel James Clark (born 18 October 1987) is an Australian actor, singer-songwriter, best known for his role as Ringo Brown on the Australian soap opera, ''Neighbours'' and Leo in the Fox/ Paramount live musical television special '' Grease: Liv ...

as Leo "Craterface/Hatchetface" Balmudo * Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer as Charlene "Cha-Cha" DiGregorio *

Noah Robbins Noah Robbins is an American actor. Background Robbins is a native of Washington, D.C. and graduated from Georgetown Day School in 2009. Robbins made his Broadway debut in the 2009 production of ''Brighton Beach Memoirs ''Brighton Beach Me ...

as Eugene Felsnick * Jon Robert Hall as Thomas "Tom" Chisum * Haneefah Wood as Blanche Hodel

Ensemble

* Carly Bracco * Gregory Haney * Harley Jay * Jeannie Klisiewicz * Chris Meissner * Tiana Okoye * Kayla Parker * Dominic Pierson * Cailan Rose

Personnel

Musicians

* Randal Kleiser – conductor, keyboards * Brian Kilgore –

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

* Dave Kendrick –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

* John Wilson – rhythm guitar * Taylor Hale – bass * Chad Timon – drums * Isaiah Miller –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, keyboards * Lindsey Stirling, David Garrett –

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

s * Laura Freeman –

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

* Joshua Alexander Sykes –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

* Nick Payton, Kail Graham –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

s * Lil' Joey –

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

* Ray Hanson, Kirk Sanborn –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

s, flutes * Arnold McCuller, Dorian Holley, Fred White, Emily Stevens, Kathy Gray, Siedah Garrett –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

*Bob Garrett – vocal director

Dancers

* Nick Baga * Karen Chuang * Janaya French * Courtney Galiano * Marko Germar * Jeremy Hudson * KC Monnie * Haylee Roderick * Brooke Shepherd * Ade Chike Torbert

Soundtrack

The official soundtrack album, '' Grease Live! (Music from the Television Event)'', was released on January 31 by Paramount Pictures. The

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, f ...

edition, including four bonus tracks, was released on February 27. In the show, 23 songs were performed, but only 19 were included in the official soundtrack. "Alma Mater" (performed by Ana Gasteyer and Haneefah Wood) and "Mooning" (performed by DNCE) were not included in any version of the album. The album debuted at number 37 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, and topped the same week on the Top Album Sales chart.

Reception

Critical reception

''Grease Live'' received mostly positive reviews. Review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

listed the special with a 91% rating based on 34 reviews, and an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critical consensus states that "''Grease: Live'' took the pressure and threw away conventionality — it belongs to yesterday. There was a chance that it could make it so far; we started believin' we can be who we are. ''Grease: Live'' is the word."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

listed a weighted average of 75 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Megan Vick of ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' felt that Kail had "upped the standard" for live television musicals, and had "successfully managed to combine all the nostalgic elements of ''Grease'' that everyone expected while creating a new experience. The set changes and scale of what they were able to accomplish—in a rainstorm no less—were incredibly impressive. Grease is the word, and ratings most likely will be too." While praising "All I Need Is an Angel" for demonstrating Carly Rae Jepsen's capabilities as a singer, Vick felt that the song was too modern for a musical that is set in the 1950s. Vanessa Hudgens - 2019 by Glenn Francis

Jeremy Gerald of ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wit ...

'' noted that ''Grease Live'' was broadcast "with nary a hitch and one last-minute change in the out-of-doors opening number that paid tribute to the greatest movie musical of all time, '' Singin' in the Rain''". Acknowledging that none of NBC's live musicals had "hit the stratospheric highs of this show", while aspects of the production were also praised, such as the live audiences and stage design. Vanessa Hudgens was judged to have "stolen" the show, and that Aaron Tveit and Julianne Hough "couldn't be better matched as the head of the T Birds and the sweet new girl from Utah." In conclusion, Gerald felt that he had "never seen a more inventive interplay between a show and just enough of the mechanics of the deal to make it all the more engaging. That, and the audience that played its essential part in moving ''Grease Live'' along with enthusiastic applause replacing the dead air that followed key moments in the earlier live broadcasts, set a new standard for this kind of presentation that will be tough to top." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''s Maureen Ryan felt that the performance of Hough and Tveit was weak, explaining that "when Danny has all the presence of a glass of milk and even the black-clad Sandy of the final scenes exudes all the sexual danger of a church choir director, well, rest assured that those concerned about the ''Grease'' legacies of Travolta and

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

have nothing to worry about." Despite this and other shortcomings, such as audio issues during "Hopelessly Devoted to You", and the "surreality" of the audience's presence in certain scenes, Ryan felt ''Grease Live'' got "most of the big things right", and that "by incorporating a live audience, using creative staging and employing energetic camera work", the production "boasted an impressive sense of momentum and even spontaneity." Of the individual performances, Ryan praised Keke Palmer's, Hudgens', and Carly Rae Jepsen's vocal performances, Elle McLemore's "simply terrific" Patty, Kether Donahue's "infectious joy", and Ana Gasteyer's "beautifully droll timing" as Principal McGee. She concluded that "If Fox can get the lead casting right in future and snag Kail again, audiences will surely be hopelessly devoted to the network’s next live endeavor." Writing in ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'', Robert Bianco noted various positive and negative aspects of the broadcast. While he praised performances by the supporting cast, he lamented "the progressive dumbing-down of the material. A Broadway musical that originally spoofed our rose-tinted-glasses view of the '50s has turned into a nostalgic wallow, leaving the show with an odd mix of tones – and in this particular version, a book that sometimes seemed to get lost between songs and inside jokes. ... it was often so flatly acted" that the "kinetic", "visually impressive" musical numbers came as a "much-needed relief". Nevertheless, he felt that the production "sprang to life at the end."

Ratings

''Grease Live'' was seen by 12.18 million viewers, with a 4.3/13 share in the 18–49 demographic, making it the most-watched program of the night. The special brought Fox its best ratings of the 2015–16 television season since the second season premiere of ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' in September 2015, which was seen by 16.18 million viewers. The overall and demographic ratings also beat NBC's December 2015 presentation of ''The Wiz Live!'', with 6% higher viewership overall, and 30% higher 18-49 ratings. While both competed against NFL games, ''The Wiz'' competed against a regular-season ''

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...

'' game on CBS, and ''Grease'' against the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

on ESPN. Over 1.2 million

posts were made throughout the airing, with most providing condolences for Hudgens' father. An encore of ''Grease Live'' on March 27, 2016,

Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel P ...

, was seen by 1.54 million viewers.

TiVo Inc. TiVo Inc. was an American corporation with its primary product being its eponymous digital video recorder. While primarily operating in the United States, TiVO also operated in Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, the Unit ...

estimated that Hudgens' solo of "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" was the most replayed scene of the special.

Accolades

International broadcasts

In Canada, ''Grease Live'' was aired by CTV, in simulcast with the Fox broadcast. The special aired on February 2 in Australia ( Nine Network), February 3 in the United Kingdom ( ITV2), February 5 in New Zealand ( TV3), February 7 in Norway ( FEM), February 20 in Denmark ( TV2 Fri), and in Italy August 21 (dubbed) (

Rai 4 Rai 4 (pronounced ''Rai Quattro'') is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. Launched on 14 July 2008 with the film ''Elephant'', Rai 4 targets youths with ...

). In Latin America, it was broadcast by FOX Family on April 24, 2016, (dubbed). It was broadcast in Sweden by the public service network ( SVT1) on June 12, 2016. It was broadcast in The Netherlands by

RTL 8 RTL 8 is a Dutch free-to-cable television channel that was launched on 18 August 2007 replacing Tien, previously known as Talpa. RTL 8's main target audience consists of women. It broadcasts soap operas, talk shows, films and reruns of progra ...

on July 22, 2016. In Singapore, it was broadcast on

Mediacorp Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prope ...

Channel 5 on Christmas night, December 25, 2016. In

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, it was broadcast on 6ter on December 26, 2016.

Home media

''Grease Live'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

and Digital HD, on March 8, 2016. It was included in the 40th anniversary collection

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

alongside '' Grease'' and ''

Grease 2 ''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American musical romantic comedy film and the sequel to the 1978 film ''Grease'', adapted from the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Originally titled ''More Grease'', the film was produced ...

'', which was released on April 24, 2018.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grease Live 2010s American television specials 2010s dance films 2016 in American television 2016 television films 2016 television specials American dance films Remakes of American films American high school films American live television shows American musical comedy films American rock music films American rock musicals American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films American teen comedy films American teen musical films American teen romance films English-language television shows Films based on adaptations Films based on multiple works Films set in 1959 Films set in 1960 Films set in the 1950s Films set in the 1960s Fox television specials Grease (musical) Musical television films Musical television specials Television remakes of films Television shows filmed in California 2010s English-language films 2010s American films