Live musicals aren't the only toe-tapping television craze these days. Fox remade the Rocky Horror Picture Show for TV in 2016, and ABC has cooked up a new Dirty Dancing starring Abigail Breslin — and this time, the beloved story is a musical, not just a movie with several memorable song and dance numbers. The new take on the movie gives supporting characters more to do. And the added musical numbers also change how long the Dirty Dancing remake is significantly.
The remake will air on ABC at 8 p.m. ET and run until 11 p.m. Three hours is quite the commitment. Without commercials, the television movie clocks in at 130 minutes long, not so bad — but the original film is, in my opinion, a sensible 100 minutes. I suppose that audiences are more likely to get restless in a movie theater than at home with plenty of snacking options and commercial breaks. Still, it's incredible that this remake added a full half hour.
The songs account for a lot of that. The soundtrack alone is 50 minutes long, with 17 different tracks. The film also adds on to the original Dirty Dancing story, giving more of an arc to characters like Lisa and Penny. While the romance between Baby and Johnny is relatively the same, and the remake was filmed in Western North Carolina just like much of the original film — these added musical numbers distinguish the TV event from the 1987 movie, and the running time is affected by it.
So, if you're planning on tuning in to ABC Wednesday night, be warned, and clear your schedule. This is an event. While event television is often the best kind of television, make sure you're prepared for every minute of Dirty Dancing nostalgia goodness.
