Grease: Live
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 31, 2016
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 45 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 45
  3. Negative: 7 out of 45

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User Reviews

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  1. jaycee10
    Jan 31, 2016
    9
    As a Grease fan I have to say it it stayed true to the original. Great cast and cameos. Loved the set design and costumes as well. Was satisfied overall.
  2. WJS
    Jan 31, 2016
    6
    There's a certain geeky charm to this live made for TV remake of the iconic 1978 movie musical. Its well cast and performed with great energy, but unfortunately it just comes across as an elaborate episode of Glee. It has pretty good production values considering its live, but I don't think that it will ever replace the original. I mean there are really only one Sandy and Danny and that'sThere's a certain geeky charm to this live made for TV remake of the iconic 1978 movie musical. Its well cast and performed with great energy, but unfortunately it just comes across as an elaborate episode of Glee. It has pretty good production values considering its live, but I don't think that it will ever replace the original. I mean there are really only one Sandy and Danny and that's Olivia Newton John and John Travolta...at least in my mind.… Expand
  3. jgzeger
    Feb 3, 2016
    8
    Lots of fun to watch and full of talented people. However, Olivia Newton John can rest easily as she wasn't topped in her vocals by Julianne Hough. Kudos to Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo.
  4. MatthewDon2002
    Feb 21, 2016
    5
    Inadequate adaptation of its awesome material. Most of the cast are alright (Vanessa Hudgens doing remarkably well considering the circumstances), although leads Aaron Tveit and Julianne Hough have literally no stage presence and floundering in comparison to even leads in a high school production of GREASE. FREDDY, MY LOVE is a great number, btw, tipping the scales on Keke Palmer'sInadequate adaptation of its awesome material. Most of the cast are alright (Vanessa Hudgens doing remarkably well considering the circumstances), although leads Aaron Tveit and Julianne Hough have literally no stage presence and floundering in comparison to even leads in a high school production of GREASE. FREDDY, MY LOVE is a great number, btw, tipping the scales on Keke Palmer's otherwise atrocious performance. The production values are outstanding.… Expand
  5. nahtan1244
    Dec 23, 2016
    4
    to me is Very generous as I am not a grease lover. This production of grease was very good how could you go wrong when the man behind Hamilton is behind the camera. The answer is the actors for the most part and energy did not go wrong however the way the musical was written and score was composed is what makes it bad. Don't get me wrong I like some of the songs such as grease lighteningto me is Very generous as I am not a grease lover. This production of grease was very good how could you go wrong when the man behind Hamilton is behind the camera. The answer is the actors for the most part and energy did not go wrong however the way the musical was written and score was composed is what makes it bad. Don't get me wrong I like some of the songs such as grease lightening freddy my love grease is the word summer nights born to hand jive, we go together, and those magic changes were not bad but even with a handful of songs that i liked the rest is garbage. That is not to say the cast is perfect. They are mostly perfect expect for Aaron tveit and julianne hough were the only misses in the cast. the supporting cast was very good but if your leads are not as good as your supporting cast their is a problem. The addition of I need an angel was completely unnecessary and did not fit with the rest of the musicals retro feel. The character the way they were made all feel very one dimensional and the story does not seem to go anywhere or pack any good moral messages really. However even with all these negatives grease live gets a four based and Vanessa hudgens excellent performance as frenchy. The excellent showstopper that was Freddy my love and the excellent choreography of grease lighting and we go together. In conclusion the biggest probelm with grease is it's a musical with hiits and misses. It's better than mamma mia and rent but their are so many musicals that have a better story better characters a soundtracks that are not full of hits and misses. This is one of the better televised musicals to air but it did not have much competition to live up to other than the wiz live witch was way better and with that being said. I don't like grease I never will It's a mess of a musical and I do appreciate some aspects of it but even with a mostly fabulous presentation of this musical i did not turn me into a grease lover… Expand
  6. TheMovieSpot
    Mar 28, 2016
    9
    For starters - You can follow The Movie Spot on Twitter (@themoviespot_) and Facebook!

    *From February 12, 2016* The long anticipated live show of Grease debuted just a couple of Sundays ago, combining the elements of the 1971 musical and the 1978 film. And, after sitting through the live show two and a half times, I have to say one thing: I LOVED IT! I wasn’t alive to see the    For starters - You can follow The Movie Spot on Twitter (@themoviespot_) and Facebook!

    *From February 12, 2016*

    The long anticipated live show of Grease debuted just a couple of Sundays ago, combining the elements of the 1971 musical and the 1978 film. And, after sitting through the live show two and a half times, I have to say one thing:

    I LOVED IT!

    I wasn’t alive to see the musical or film in their original runs, but having backtracked through them both, my unpopular opinion is that this may be better than both in some aspects. The film is revered for its nearly spot on casting, catchy tunes that never leave your brain and quotable lines that have stood the test of time. And I love the film as much as the next musical buff, so don’t hate me and please read on:

    From the beginning, the live aspect of the show comes into play, opening on Danny (Aaron Tveit) and Sandy (Julianne Hough) on the “beach”, and thrusting right into Jesse Js rendition of Grease is the Word. All throughout the show, we were taken backstage and seeing the transitions from set to set, giving it a Broadway type feel to the show.

    But the real reason to watch is in the performance, and I wasn’t disappointed in the least by anyone’s disappointed. At times, it can feel like some actors or actresses might be miscast, if you compare them to their predecessors. For instance, I wasn’t all that into Aaron Tveit as Danny Zucko, because who can honestly play a role that John Travolta once played and expect to follow that? Or, Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo. The sass and attitude that comes with a role like Rizzo is need, and it felt forced when Hudgens would attempt it. However, she saves herself when she breaks into There are Worse Things I Could do, which she did very well.

    The rest of the cast does such a phenomenal job, I believe they’ve cemented themselves into these roles. I loved Julianne Hough for nailing the Sandy character in almost every way, and more. She brought the innocence and lovability, showed off her strong dance moves and belted out Hopelessly Devoted To You better than anyone else (despite the technical issues Fox faced at this moment). Carly Rae Jepsen as Frenchie and Ana Gasteyer as Principal McGee provide the comic relief, leaving us with the perfect one liners for the night. Oh, and less I forget, Jordan Fisher steals the show with Those Magic Changes.

    All in all, Grease Live! was a total success. Absolutely knocking it out of the park with the tremendous choreography, all of the catchy tunes still translate into the smash hits we remember them as, and the live aspect of the show takes it to a whole other level. Here’s hoping Fox produces more of these!    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best TV Season of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. TVLine
    Reviewed by: Michael Slezak
    Apr 6, 2016
    100
    Grease‘s live audience and inconsequential snafus served to underscore its meticulous production and allowed us to get swept up in a joyous and uniformly powerful set of performances.
    Read full review
  2. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Sophie Gilbert
    Feb 1, 2016
    80
    It’s like Fox took all the best elements of the British pantomime tradition (aggressive celebrity cameos, audience interaction) and fused them with big-budget movie-making and Tony-winning direction to make a musical-theater experience NBC could never, ever top.
    Read full review
  3. Sioux City Journal
    Reviewed by: Bruce Miller
    Feb 1, 2016
    80
    Sure, the show’s live sound was spotty in parts (too many lines were inaudible) but its energy was right where it needed to be, particularly in the big dance numbers.
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