ABC's Dirty Dancing Remake is a 2017 made-for-TV musical based on the 1987 Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey film. It aired on May 24, 2017 and turned into a live Twitter roasting session, with viewers mocking the wooden acting, weak dancing, and cringe-worthy retake of the famous water lift.
Origin
On December 8, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter announced that ABC would produce a Dirty Dancing remake with Abigail Breslin as Baby, a script by Jessica Sharzer of American Horror Story, and Wayne Blair directing [5]. Producers cast Colt Prattes as Johnny on February 23, 2016, with choreography from Hamilton's Andy Blankenbuehler [6]. The film aired on ABC on May 24, 2017 [1].
- Platform: ABC (broadcast) / Twitter (viral spread)
- Creator: ABC (production); Twitter viewers (meme reactions)
- Date: 2017
Overview
ABC's Dirty Dancing Remake is the 2017 television musical that starred Abigail Breslin as Baby and dancer Colt Prattes as Johnny Castle, with Nicole Scherzinger playing Penny [1]. The three-hour broadcast was pitched as ABC's next big made-for-TV musical event, riding the wave of Grease Live! and Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do The Time Warp Again [4].
Instead of matching those hits, the remake landed at 20% on Rotten Tomatoes and was described as "a hollow remake that trips over its own good intentions" [3]. The Twitter dogpile that ran during the broadcast, more than the film itself, is what turned the airing into a meme moment [1].
How It Spread
While the movie aired, #DirtyDancing became the No. 1 worldwide Twitter trend as viewers live-tweeted their disappointment [1]. Vox summed up the reaction as "several hours of ridicule," flagging Breslin's teen Kirsten Dunst impression and the chemistry-free pairing with Prattes [1]. BuzzFeed rounded up the meanest tweets, including one that read "Jennifer Grey did not get a nose job to be disrespected like this" [2].
The water lift scene attracted the loudest mockery. Twitter user @bibble8gubbles posted a side-by-side of the original and remake lifts with the caption "When you order it online Vs when it arrives," which pulled more than 2,300 retweets and 4,900 likes [4]. Another user reposted the same image as "the epitome of a Pinterest fail" tagged #nailedit [2]. An empty-auditorium photo captioned "nice they included the shot of the people who appreciate this remake" also made the rounds [2].
The pile-on became its own joke genre: fake announcements for ABC's Ghost, ABC's Jurassic Park, and ABC's Titanic ("Jack lives!!!") circulated as jabs at the network's remake habit [2]. Business Insider called the film a "disaster" and Rolling Stone published a "10 Most WTF Moments" list within days [4].
How to Use
The template is basically dunking on a lazy nostalgia reboot. People post the water lift side-by-side or reuse the "when you order it online Vs when it arrives" caption whenever a beloved property gets a bad remake [4]. Fake "ABC remake of [classic film]" tweets, like the "Titanic remake: Jack lives!!!" joke, are a reliable format any time a studio floats another reboot [2].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Abcs Dirty Dancing Remake?
It is a 2017 made-for-TV musical produced by ABC, starring Abigail Breslin as Baby and Colt Prattes as Johnny, that became an online punchline after airing on May 24, 2017 [1].
Where did Abcs Dirty Dancing Remake come from?
The Hollywood Reporter announced the project on December 8, 2015, with Jessica Sharzer writing and Wayne Blair directing [5]. Colt Prattes was cast as Johnny on February 23, 2016 [6].
What does Abcs Dirty Dancing Remake mean?
As a meme, it stands for a botched nostalgia reboot, especially the awkward water lift scene that inspired the "when you order it online Vs when it arrives" side-by-side comparison [4].
How do you use Abcs Dirty Dancing Remake?
People post the water lift side-by-side or drop fake "ABC remake of [classic film]" tweets, like the Titanic "Jack lives!!!" gag, whenever a beloved movie gets a bad remake [2].
Is Abcs Dirty Dancing Remake still popular?
The broadcast itself was a one-off event, but the water lift comparison and "ABC remake of [classic film]" joke format became lasting reference points for reboot flops [2].
