Grease Live!

Grease Live! is an American television special that was originally broadcast by Fox on January 31, 2016. It is a live televised remake of the 1978 film of the same name, executive produced by Marc Platt, written by Robert Cary and Jonathan Tolins, directed by Thomas Kail and Alex Rudzinski, and starring Julianne Hough, Aaron Tveit, Vanessa Hudgens and Carlos PenaVega. Patterned on similar live television musicals recently produced by NBC, 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—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 Greg, who had died from cancer one day before the broadcast. The special was nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards and won a total of five, including Outstanding Special Class Program.