Abigail Breslin and Colt Prattes star in "Dirty Dancing"

Baby has been put in a corner, and Johnny is having none of it -- again. Relive the classic musical drama when ABC's adaptation of "Dirty Dancing" premieres Wednesday, May 24, on the alphabet network.

Abigail Breslin ("Scream Queens") steps into Jennifer Grey's ("Red Oaks") iconic role as Frances "Baby" Houseman, a dreamer whose family vacation in the Catskills turns into a summer of love. Relative newcomer Colt Prattes ("Wiener & Wiener") takes on the role of Johnny Castle, the resident bad-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold, played so perfectly by Patrick Swayze ("Ghost," 1990) the first time around. Those are some seriously big shoes to fill.

ABC's three-hour version stays pretty close to the original film's storyline. It's 1963, and Baby, along with her wealthy family, arrives at Kellerman's resort in New York's Catskill Mountains. She promptly falls for Johnny, an attractive working-class dance instructor, who introduces her to the "dirty dancing" craze that has hit the resort's staff.

Some other well-known faces appear in the remake's cast, too. Sarah Hyland ("Modern Family") plays Baby's older sister, Lisa; Debra Messing ("Will & Grace") plays Marjorie, Baby's mother; Bruce Greenwood ("I, Robot," 2004) is Dr. Jake Houseman, Baby's father; Katey Sagal ("Sons of Anarchy") plays Vivian Pressman, the "bungalow bunny" and former beauty queen who likes to seduce the younger male staff members; and Nicole Scherzinger (best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, but did you know she was the mother's voice in last year's Disney hit "Moana?") is Penny Rivera, Johnny's best friend and original dance partner.

There are a few differences between the classic film and this remake. A news release from ABC reads: "'Dirty Dancing' dives deeper into the iconic characters, showcasing their progression and tackling social themes like race, women's rights and the socioeconomic division of the country at that time." Heavy stuff.

The remake is also more of a conventional musical than the original. The classic version doesn't feature any singing by the film's characters (unless you count Lisa's memorable rendition of "I Feel Pretty"), but had a very successful soundtrack that spent 18 weeks on the Billboard 200, and sold more than 32 million copies worldwide. ABC's version features updated versions of the original film's classic songs -- such as "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" and "Hungry Eyes" -- while other songs have been reworked and are included as musical numbers.

The film also focuses more on supporting characters. "This fresh reimagining explores the relationship between Jake and Marjorie Houseman, Lisa's goals in life, and uncovers a fully realized character in Neil, with plenty of surprises in store," reads another news release. Lisa embarks upon an interracial romance with musician Marco, played by J. Quinton Johnson ("Everybody Wants Some!!" 2016), and Trevor Einhorn ("Frasier") gets to explore the depths of Neil Kellerman's character, the resort owner's grandson.

Katey Sagal in a scene from "Dirty Dancing"

But the biggest surprise of all occurs near the end of the presentation, when we're shown what happens between Baby and Johnny after the summer ends -- a question the original left up to our imaginations.

It's hard to imagine this remake pleasing fans even half as much as the original, but Messing claims we have nothing to worry about. In an interview with "ABC News," she said: "Everything you love about the movie is in here. The last dance sequence is just packed with people and dancers, the dancing is extraordinary. We all danced and we all sang, so it was all so celebratory to be in that room and to root on Abby [Breslin] for the big lift."

Though it's hard to imagine now, fans should remember that "Dirty Dancing" was a very unexpected hit -- the little movie that could, if you will. Upon its release, the film was seen as low budget with no bankable stars, but as of 2009 it had grossed more than $214 million. While many enjoy it mainly for the dancing and romance, it also manages to get serious, with the narratives featuring contentious social issues.

"My hope is that people who loved the movie are going to be happy with all the things that are iconic about the movie, that they'll appreciate the things that are new and modernized with this version," said Messing. She also insists that the film should be seen as a tribute to Swayze, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2009. "He WAS Johnny," she said.

The film is ABC's whack at the ongoing trend of television networks airing remakes of classic musicals. The alphabet network has shied away from going the live route though, the way some other networks have. I must say, I'm a little disappointed -- I'd have watched the whole film just to see that final lift scene happen in real time.

Here's hoping ABC's attempt pays off. The network television remake of "Dirty Dancing" premieres Wednesday, May 24, on ABC.