Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies sees the return of some original characters
Grease: Rise of The Pink Ladies episode one and two spoilers below
The Grease universe is expanding like it or not (side note we love it).
This glitzy new world full of catchy new tunes and hand-jiving dance numbers also comes with a whole slate of new cast members, as you would expect.
Set in 1954, a mere four years before the original film and seven years before its sequel you'd be hard pressed to find a Sandy Olsson (or Stephanie Zinone, shout out to the Grease 2 hive) sporting a pink jacket, let alone Danny Zuko (or Johnny Nogerelli) trying to climb the ranks of the T-Birds.
Instead fans of Grease are encouraged to take a chance on a new group of high schoolers: a handful of fresh-faced teens elbowing their way to the frontline of the social pecking order, determined to be seen and noticed in their own right. Cue the beat: we feel a song coming on.
While we are a few years away from those Summer Loving, Cool Rider days, that doesn't mean the creative minds haven't found a way to honour the legacy of the franchise with some very special returning characters.
Which original Grease characters are in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies?
Madison Elizabeth Lagares as Francesca 'Frenchy' Facciano
Fans will be thrilled to see the bright and bubbly, fast-talking Frenchy pop up in this charming prequel.
Nothing could make Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies feel more like home than the only Pink Lady to have been in both the original film and its sequel.
Little Frenchy (or Fran) has all of the charisma of her older counterpart with very little restraint which means every thought she's ever had spills right out of her mouth, all the time.
In even more pleasing news we learn that Frenchy is the little sister of Jane Facciano, the co-founder and original leader of the Pink Ladies, which makes Frenchy Pink Lady royalty.
It's clear she idolises her older sister so it's no surprise that she will one day pledge Pink.
However, the question of why she doesn't quite rise to leader status like Jane is a mystery for the series to hopefully unlock.
Emma Shannon as Betty Rizzo
Speaking of leaders, fans are treated to a sneak peek of Grease's Pink Lady leader Rizzo as a littlun, a loudmouthed, feisty youngster who we can easily imagine morphing into the hard-as-nails teen with a cool and aloof attitude.
Despite "seeming like trouble" as the Faccianos put it, Fran is determined to keep her loyal best friend by her side.
She may have made fun of Frenchy's peculiarities when the family first moved to town but Betty stuck up for her in a way that no one else had since they arrived.
As she sees it, anyone who would kick a boy in the family jewels for taunting her is bonafide best friend material.
Their friendship is shaping up to be an integral side story and we look forward to how it unfolds.
Jackie Hoffman as Ms McGee
Rydell High would literally crumble to the ground without the pillar that is Ms McGee holding it up.
However instead of the strict, formidable, nonsense principal played by Eve Arden, we find ourselves confronted with Jackie Hoffman's milder interpretation of the character.
Sure she's stern but hasn't yet earned the authoritative fear in her role as assistant principal.
There is borderline respect from her students but given the chance they will openly make a mockery of her rules and aren't afraid to smart-talk her in a way we didn't see in the movie.
The original group of delinquents had enough respect to save their quips for behind-the-back conversations.
If that isn't bad enough, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies' principle Nicholson takes advantage of her willingness and lumbers her with task after task without a smidge of appreciation.
We have a feeling he will rue the day he messed with McGee and we wait impatiently to see how the show will sculpt her into the assured principal McGee we know she will become.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is streaming on Paramount+ now.
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