A blackout skit might be no more than Lurie introducing you to his garbage can, or telling the moon about a dream he had. (“They’re all true, I mean they’re as true as I can make them, except for the stories that are of course obviously not true”: An escape from summer camp, for instance, involves talking trees, alligators, Gurdjieff and giant frogs.) Written and directed by Lurie, as before, the new season feels more sophisticated, while being no less personal - indeed, it’s mostly one person, with the occasional amateur participation (less and more enthusiastic) of helpers/compatriots Nesrin Wolf (as “Scooch the Oooocher”) and Ann Mary Gludd James. On the unnamed tropical island where he shelters from the slings, arrows and personal space invasion of untrustworthy humanity, to the accompaniment of music from his back catalog, Lurie makes fiddly little watercolors, their creation captured in sharp detail, while he tells stories.
It speaks well for HBO, as opposed to whatever Max is, that it has produced a third season of “Painting with John,” John Lurie’s philosophical art oleo. Plus, all of the show’s original songs are impeccably shot, gorgeously choreographed and brilliantly performed by a cast of talented newcomers, raising the bar for how showstopping a TV show’s musical sequence can be. The show still pays plenty of tribute to its classic source material via various lines, score and setups (of course there’s a guardian angel sequence, a climatic car race and a spectacular school carnival!), and the period costumes, hair and makeup evoke the same nostalgia as Olivia Newton John’s poodle skirt and John Travolta’s greaser ‘do. Hardcore “Grease” fans needn’t worry, though.
This 10-episode series gives its female characters way more agency as they navigate daily life at their 1950s high school - which, this time, includes staving off slut-shaming, dismissing racist remarks and discovering your sexual orientation. Tucked into Paramount+’s library of CBS sitcoms and “Yellowstone” spinoffs is “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies,” an entertaining prequel to the hit movie-musical “Grease,” which remains largely beloved despite its now-sexist perspectives.
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