Paramount+'s original series, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, which followed the origin of the eponymous Pink Ladies from the original film, premiered on April 6, 2023. It quickly found its way to TikTok, where a campaign began to ensure that the show would be renewed for a second season, and its songs garnered a massive audience. Paramount+ even went so far as to offer a discount code related to it -- if the code PINKLADIES was used at checkout, the first month of a new subscription was free.
Ultimately, all these efforts fell short because, on June 23, 2023, Paramount+ announced that Rise of the Pink Ladies had not been renewed for a second season. To pour salt on the wound, the show is also being removed from the service entirely on June 30. This highlights an infuriating trend that came into the public eye with a series of Disney+ cancelations -- the removal of canceled original series, thus effectively erasing them.
What's the Benefit of Removing Original Streaming Content?
In short, removing underperforming content provides financial benefits for the streaming service. If a program is removed, the provider no longer has to pay residuals -- given when the show is streamed after its initial release -- to the actors, writers, or directors. This development comes in the wake of the WGA strike, which highlights that many streamers were not properly paying their writers and could be tied to an unwillingness to compensate writers for their work.
This trend began with the removal of twenty original titles from HBO Max (now known as Max) in August 2022. The outrage surrounding this phenomenon reached its height in May 2023, when Disney+ announced removing many of its originals, including Willow, Stargirl (and its sequel), The One and Only Ivan, and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Nearly a month later, none of these programs have found other streaming homes or been physically released, meaning these pieces will essentially be erased from history unless something significant changes.
How Does This Impact Streaming Media in the Future?
Not only are many shows and movies being locked away in a vault forever, but new shows aren't given enough time to properly find their audience before cancelations. This pattern causes potential viewers to steer clear of them indefinitely. After all, why watch a new show that might get canceled or, worse, removed entirely when old popular favorites are still safe and aren't going anywhere? Thereby, a threatening age of streaming media may be beginning. All forms of creative work are in danger of being erased if they don't instantly succeed rather than having time to breathe before studios decide to cancel them.
All hope is not lost, however. Some canceled shows are being offered to free platforms with ads, such as Tubi and the Roku Channel, as a way to generate revenue still. In addition, many upset fans are taking to social media to voice their complaints. Some distraught Rise of the Pink Ladies lovers have even gone as far as to start an online petition, asking that other streaming services pick up the program. Only time will tell what eventually becomes of these canceled programs, but until then, they remain frustratingly inaccessible.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies will be streaming on Paramount+ until June 30, 2023.