For Broadcast TV, Fox's "Grease" Was the Word

As previously reported here I knew amp8220Grease Liveamp8221 had potential but I never expected it to be the instant sensation that it became even before it endedPeople of a certain age can readily remember when broadcast television routinely brought together millions of people from all walks of life to enjoy an exciting shared experience and then happily talk about it the following day Watching amp8220Grease Liveamp8221 on Fox Sunday night felt a lot like that The response of course was immediate and constant in that momentbymoment way and amp8220Grease Liveamp8221 was filled to capacity with moments that demanded an immediate response on social media but in every other way watching this production felt a lot like watching almost anything that was special in the precable broadcast days and in all the right waysAccording to this article in The New Yorker Twitter is in real trouble I hope that isnamp8217t true because it certainly enhances live viewing experiences last nightamp8217s telecast of amp8220Grease Liveamp8221 being a prime exampleFor more than a year we had been made to believe that amp8220Grease Liveamp8221 would mark Foxamp8217s entry into the livemusical genre that NBC has in recent years so winningly revived with amp8220The Sound of Musicamp8221 amp8220Peter Panamp8221 and amp8220The Wizamp8221 Well that might be a bit of an overstatement but two out of three ainamp8217t badCritics and ordinary viewers alike wasted no time at all comparing amp8220Greaseamp8221 to the landmark NBC telecasts But as amp8220Greaseamp8221 moved so spectacularly along during its three hours feeling more and more to me like something I had never before seen on television as it zigged and zagged from one terrific set to another on the expansive Warner Bros lot defying even the omnipresent threat of El Ninoinduced storms I realized that it didnamp8217t really belong in the same category as the NBC productionsIn short NBC for three years has delivered live musical theater into millions of homes Fox did something different It delivered what can only be described as a live movie And we can only hope both networks will continue to do what they have done for many years to come This might be the right timeamp160to give a shout out to BBC Americaamp8217s presentation last October of the 40th anniversary staging of amp8220The Rocky Horror Picture Showamp8221 at Londonamp8217s Playhouse Theatre It wasnamp8217t telecast live but it was taped live and was certainly the next best thingMaybe amp8220Grease Liveamp8221 was something more than a live movie because it periodically revealed to home viewers how it was making magic happen with live glimpses of behindthescenes action This either enhanced the viewing experience or not depending on oneamp8217s point of view Iamp8217m oldschool enough to not appreciate such distractions from the entertainment at hand amp8211 though Iamp8217m not including the fantastic performance by Jessie J of the amp8220Greaseamp8221 theme song that opened the show with a jawdropping tracking shot that followed her from set to set out into the rain and back again simultaneously setting the tone of the entertainment to come and locating viewers square in the middle of a Hollywood backlot in full production modeNitpickers might note that the show actually began with Aaron Tveit as Danny and Julianne Hough as Sandy saying their endofsummer goodbyes at the beach pictured above exactly the way the movie with John Travolta and Olivia NewtonJohn opened but from the minute the camera pulled away Jessie J owned the segmentFrom there on it was three hours of pure television magic and I use that word often and deliberately interrupted only by commercials which werenamp8217t all that annoying as they provided time for the performers to catch their bearings and viewers to tweet without missing anything One commercial break was even worked into the story itself a natural break introduced by Mario Lopez as TV host Vince Fontaine during the epic dance sequence in the Rydell High School gymnasium This was just one of countless touches of creative genius that informed every moment of amp8220Grease Liveamp8221 as conceived by director Thomas Kail who is also the director of Broadway phenomenon amp8220Hamiltonamp8221 and is plainly a formidable talent intent on changing the way people view longestablished entertainment formats What would he do with a movie I wonderWho cares if Aaron Tveit didnamp8217t have the swagger or sex appeal of John Travolta as Danny or if Julianne Hough is a better dancer than singer or if lyrics for several songs especially amp8220Greased Lightningamp8221 had to be furiously reworked for television which impressed me actually in this day of everencroaching amp8220edgeamp8221 or if the sound dropped out for a few nervefrying moments during the big danceoff or if Mario Lopezamp8217s appearances at commercial breaks were more wearying then welcome Lopez was however perfectly fine as Fontaine Only a grump or a playedout Christmas Grinch would focus on those soft spots This was in many respects a onceinalifetime television event that was more damn entertaining than anything I can think of in recent yearsAmong the highlights A breathtaking and heartbreaking performance of amp8220There are Worse Things I Could Doamp8221 by Vanessa Hudgens as badgirl Rizzo who had lost her father less than 24 hours before the show and proved herself to be the ultimate pro and in my opinion a superstar in the making if she manages her career the right way fun appearances by Didi Conn and Barry Pearl both from the original amp8220Greaseamp8221 and the band DNCE featuring Joe Jonas much more welcome on this Sunday than Winter Storm Jonas the previous weekend dazzling sets inventive choreography by amp8220Gleeamp8221 dancemaster Zach Woodley and mindblowing recreations of seemingly challenging scenes from the movie including the drive in the drag race and the carnival at the endEspecially unforgettable were the sleepover scene that unexpectedly transitioned into a highoctane USO show with a surprisingly accomplished performance by Keke Palmer of amp8220Freddy My Loveamp8221 the showstopping production number built around amp8220Greased Lightningamp8221 pictured above in which the set the car and the dancers were miraculously transformed from one thing to another and back again the aforementioned amp8220Born to Hand Jiveamp8221 dance sequence that at some times equaled and at others surpassed the spirited energy of the same scene in the movie and again Hudgensamp8217 big numberI also appreciated the fact that the students and faculty at Rydell High School were diverse and that the character of Eugene the geek was treated with kindness throughout much of the storyamp160rather than being constantly mocked and harrassed as he had been in the original Even classics have to keep up with the timesExcluding my enjoyment of two of NBCamp8217s live musicals I canamp8217t remember the last time a night spent watching a broadcast network made me so happy in so many ways I probably have to reach way back to the early amp8220American Idolamp8221 finales to find anything comparable We canamp8217t expect entertainment like this every night but itamp8217s clear that special events are the way to go for the broadcasters if they are to continue outpacing their competitorsamp8220Greaseamp8221 is still the word but itamp8217s clearly the way as wellImages courtesy of Fox The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageMyersBizNet management or associated bloggers

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

For Broadcast TV, Fox's "Grease" Was the Word

Author

Publish date

Channel

Archived in

Ed Martin

The Ad Council, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and Amazon Announce “The Mind Set” to Support Mental Health - Ad Council InSites

More Videos:

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

For Broadcast TV, Fox's "Grease" Was the Word

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Ed Martin

The Ad Council, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and Amazon Announce “The Mind Set” to Support Mental Health - Ad Council InSites

The payment was successful

Cookies