Paramount+ Renew/Cancel: Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Premieres with Promise

 

Welcome to another edition of Paramount+ Renew/Cancel. The current methodology for predictions takes into account a show’s overall ranking in the ‘Popular’ tab of the Shows page, which lists the top 120 shows that can be streamed on Paramount+. It also takes into account how many times that show appears on Paramount+’s home page. This does not count the personalized Originals or Recommended For You sections. Since starting to make predictions using this methodology, we have 5 correct predictions and 1 incorrect prediction — a show that was in the Tilts Cancel category. 

Since the last edition of Paramount+ Renew/Cancel, Paramount+ has premiered three new original series: School Spirits, Rabbit Hole, and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Below is a table with predictions for all three shows as well as the other scripted originals that Paramount+ is yet to renew or cancel. The numbers in this table are updated as of Friday, April 14, 2023. Given these numbers fluctuate a bit, the important part is not so much a show’s exact rank, but it gives a general idea of how it typically performs. 

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies
Grease:Rise of the Pink Ladies is by far the most high-profile of the three shows to have premiered since the last column. It would not be a good look for Paramount+ to cancel it after one season. Plus, Paramount+ desperately needs to build up their comedy originals brand. Their only renewed live-action comedy at the moment is iCarly, a young adult-oriented revival of a Nickelodeon show. The upcoming Frasier revival should help them out a bit, at least when it first premieres, but at this point it would arguably be in Paramount+’s best interest to renew any live-action comedy that is showing promise. 

Three episodes in, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is in the top 20 of the Popular tab. That’s not terrible, but theoretically it could be doing much better. However, as a musical comedy and being based off a title not previously having any adaptations on Paramount+, this show has the potential to bring subscribers to the streaming service in the way a show of similar popularity may not. 

Paramount+ is certainly trying to make this show work. It appears in the top slider of their home page, it’s the first show to appear in the Now Featuring and Girl Gangs sections, and it also make an appearance in the Trending Shows section. That’s 4 home page appearances overall. If time goes on and it starts disappearing from the home screen, that would be a bad sign. However, it’s certainly promising for now and helps lead to Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies earning a Likely Renew prediction. 

School Spirits
School Spirits’ 8-episode first season wrapped on Thursday, April 13, meaning any renewal would come after the season had already ended. Given School Spirits is current a top 10 show in the Popular tab, the likelihood of this happening appears greater than that of most other originals with fates yet to be determined. If weeks or even months go by and its ranking stats to slip, it may be seen in more danger. However, School Spirits is currently a top-tier show on Paramount+, pointing to a likely renewal. 

School Spirits also has two home page appearances at the moment: one in ‘Now Featuring’ and the other in ‘Trending Shows.’ This is solid, but not quite an obvious sign of an impending renewal. This bumps its prediction down to Leans Renew. 

Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole has aired four episodes so far, and is currently just outside of the top 20. That is simply not a good start. In addition, its linear premiere on Paramount Network was pretty terrible. Coming in 114th place on cable for the night, it notched 144,000 total viewers and a 0.04 demo rating. For comparison, prime time on Paramount Network averaged 255,000 viewers for the week of April 9, 254,000 viewers for the week of April 2, and 300,000 viewers for the week of March 26, the week it premiered. And no, Yellowstone is not currently airing new episodes. 

It is not currently appearing on Paramount+’s home page’s top slider, despite being one of their only scripted originals to be currently airing new episodes. Its one appearance on the home page is in the Now Featuring section, and is the 8th title in it. 

Arguably, it is too soon to say definitively that Rabbit Hole is one and done. It could gain a greater audience as the season progresses, and it still could start appearing in more places on the home screen. This stops its prediction from going down to Likely Cancel. However, the signs are currently not good, leading to a Leans Cancel prediction. 

Wolf Pack
During the last edition of Paramount+ Renew/Cancel, Wolf Pack was still airing, ranked #16 in the Popular tab, and had 4 appearances on the home page. There have been no signs of a renewal since then, as it slides much further down the Popular tab and with only one appearance on the home page, in the Drama Shows section. It hasn’t been that long since Wolf Pack left the air, and Paramount+ could simply be waiting to see how well it holds after the season ends before making a decision. However, these are far from good signs for the show, and lead to its downgrade to Leans Cancel. 

Mayor of Kingstown
There is not much new to say when it comes to Mayor of Kingstown. While it is no longer one of the top shows in the Popular tab, the second season has wrapped since the last edition. It is now confined to two appearances on the home page, once in the Trending Shows section and the other in Drama Shows. Ultimately, the prediction here comes down to star Jeremy Renner’s recovery timeline from his injuries. 

The Game
It has now been over two months since the second season of Paramount+’s revival of The Game ended, and there is still no word on a renewal. Something very worrisome for the revival is its lack of presence in the Popular tab. Also very worrisome is its relative lack of appearances on the home screen: it can be found in the Girl Gangs section once scrolling a bit. In fact, the original series is arguably more prominent on Paramount+ than this revival series is. At this point, many signs are pointing to a cancelation, leading to the downgrade to Likely Cancel. One possible sign of hope is if Paramount+ sees it as a vehicle to drive viewership to the original show. However, it’s far more likely they were hoping the original show would drive interest to this revival. 

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