Ariana Grande was casted by NBC for their ambitious TV show "Hairspray Live!" which was aired last Dec. 7, 2016. The "My Everything" singer previously posted on her Twitter, Penny has been a dream role since Hairspray opened on Broadway. The "Victorious" actress started her career in Broadway. After that, she got the role of Caterina Valentine on Nickelodeon TV series, the "Victorious". She was also part of the "Sam & Cat", a teen sitcom and a spin-off of "iCarly" and the "Victorious" TV shows of Nickelodeon. She also appeared as a special guest in one of the episodes of "Scream Queens".
Ariana Grande singer portrayed the role of Penny Pindleton, Tracy Turnbald's hopeless best friend. The "Almost Is Never Enough" singer together with Dove Cameron as Amber Von Tussel and Maddie Ballilio as Tracy Turnbald performed the song "Mama I'm A Big Girl Now". According to eonline.com, Dove Cameron managed to out-sing Grande. The "Problem" singer also had a duet with the "Dreamgirls" actress, Jennifer Hudson. Together, they performed the finale song "Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)". According to huffingtonpost.com, they were in top form as Motormouth Maybelle and Penny Pingleton singing in the '60s-set musical.
According to rollingstone.com, Ariana Grande was very much out of her depth as Penny Pingleton, her smooth-pop warbling getting lost amidst everyone else's brassy, theatrical vocals. Her presence in Hairspray might have brought in a lot of viewers, but she's likely not what they stuck around for. Kristin Chenoweth can project with or without amplification; unlucky for us, Ariana Grande definitely cannot".
Based on a report, the "Hairspray Live!" only garnered 9 million viewers and got the lowest rating in NBC's live musical TV show although it got good reviews. It will be shown again on Dec. 26 at 8 p.m.