Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is an American musical comedy-drama television series created by Austin Winsberg that premiered on January 7, 2020 on NBC. The series stars Jane Levy as Zoey Clarke, a computer programmer who discovers she has the ability to hear the innermost thoughts of people as songs. Each episode features multiple song-and-dance numbers that develop the storyline.
The series also stars Skylar Astin, Alex Newell, John Clarence Stewart, Peter Gallagher, Mary Steenburgen, and Lauren Graham. The series has received generally positive reviews from critics.
In June 2020, the series was renewed for a second season.
Cast
Main
- Jane Levy as Zoey Clarke, a programmer who has been recently promoted to engineering manager at San Francisco-based SPRQ Point, a tech firm specializing in smart devices and apps. An earthquake occurs while she is getting an MRI, and a huge playlist of songs on file is downloaded into her brain; she subsequently discovers her mind can now perceive the innermost thoughts of others in the form of popular songs and dance.
- Skylar Astin as Max Richman, Zoey's coworker at SPRQ Point and her closest friend, who has feelings for her.
- Alex Newell as Mo, Zoey's genderfluid neighbor and DJ, who tries to help her understand the extent of her power.
- John Clarence Stewart as Simon Haynes, a new employee at SPRQ Point who bonds with Zoey over their shared tragic experiences.
- Peter Gallagher as Mitch Clarke, Zoey's father. He has PSP, which causes him to lose muscular faculties. Mitch is unable to speak, but he can type short phrases on a computer.
- Mary Steenburgen as Maggie Clarke, Zoey's mother and Mitch’s wife.
- Lauren Graham as Joan Bennett, Zoey's boss at SPRQPoint.
Recurring
- Michael Thomas Grant as Leif Donnelly, a coder and professional rival of Zoey, who is part of her engineering team
- Kapil Talwalkar as Tobin, a coder at SPRQPoint and Leif's best friend. He is also part of Zoey's team
- Andrew Leeds as David Clarke, Zoey's older brother and a public defender
- Stephanie Styles as Autumn, a barista who dates Max at Zoey's insistence
- Alice Lee as Emily Kang, David's wife who is pregnant with their child and is a corporate lawyer
- India de Beaufort as Jessica, Simon's fiancée
- Patrick Ortiz as Eddie, Mo's new boyfriend
- Zak Orth as Howie, Mitch's home health aide
Guest
- Justin Kirk as Charlie Bennett, Joan's high-profile and demanding husband
- Noah Weisberg as Danny Michael Davis, a mercurial tech billionaire and the owner of SPRQ Point
- Renée Elise Goldsberry as Ava Price, Joan's counterpart on the sixth floor of SPRQ Point
- Sandra Mae Frank as Abigail, Howie's daughter who longs to go to Kenya and is deaf
- Bernadette Peters as Deb, a recently widowed woman that Zoey meets at the funeral home
Production
Development
On January 12, 2019, the production officially received a pilot order. The pilot was written by Austin Winsberg who executive produces alongside Richard Shepard, Paul Feig, Kim Tannenbaum, Eric Tannenbaum, David Blackman and Daniel Inkeles. Production companies involved with the pilot include Lionsgate Television and Universal Television. On May 12, 2019, it was announced that the production had been given a series order. A few days later, it was announced that the series would premiere as a mid-season replacement in the mid-season of 2020. The series premiered as a special preview on January 7, and moved to its regular time-slot on February 16, 2020. On June 11, 2020, NBC renewed the series for a second season, following significant gains among digital viewership and strong fan support in USA TodayCasting
In February 2019, it was announced that Jane Levy, Skylar Astin, Alex Newell and Mary Steenburgen had been cast in the pilot's leading roles. The pilot was ordered. In March 2019 it was reported that Peter Gallagher, John Clarence Stewart and Carmen Cusack had joined the cast. On May 23, 2019, Andrew Leeds was cast as David in a recurring role. On August 27, 2019, it was announced that Lauren Graham had replaced Cusack in the role of Joan. On September 6, 2019, it was announced that Michael Thomas Grant, Kapil Talwalkar and Stephanie Styles were cast in recurring capacities.Filming
for the first season began on September 3, 2019, and ended on January 30, 2020, in Richmond, British Columbia. The closing credits note that the pilot was partially filmed in San Francisco, with a number of open air musical productions shot on the downtown streets of The Embarcadero and North Beach. Mandy Moore serves as a producer and the choreographer for the series. Filming for the second season is scheduled to begin on September 4, 2020 and conclude on March 25, 2021.Episodes
List of songs performed on the show
This is a list of songs that have been performed on the show. The series features “musical performances that explore the innermost feelings of its characters” as they “break out into song and dance”. According to Cinemablend, the show “cleverly tackles pent-up emotions and storylines through song”| Episode | Song | Performer |
| 1.1 | "Angel of the Morning" by Juice Newton | Alex Newell as Mo |
| 1.1 | "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" by Wham | Alex Newell as Mo |
| 1.1 | "Morning Has Broken" by Eleanor Farjeon | Alex Newell as Mo |
| 1.1 | "Good Morning" from Babes in Arms | Alex Newell as Mo |
| 1.1 | "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen | Malinda Farrington as Lonely Woman |
| 1.1 | "Whatta Man" by Salt-N-Pepa | Connie Chen, Karriyma Pekary, and Carolyn Fluehr as Three Ogling Women |
| 1.1 | "Help!" by The Beatles | Various as Crowd |
| 1.1 | "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers | Alex Newell as Mo |
| 1.1 | "Mad World" by Tears for Fears | John Clarence Stewart as Simon |
| 1.1 | "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled | Michael Thomas Grant as Leif |
| 1.1 | "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper | Peter Gallagher as Mitch |
| 1.1 | "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family | Skylar Astin as Max |
| 1.2 | "I've Got The Music In Me" by Kiki Dee | Jane Levy as Zoey |
| 1.2 | "Sucker" by Jonas Brothers | Skylar Astin as Max |
| 1.2 | "I Wanna Dance With Somebody " by Whitney Houston | Various as Crowd |
| 1.2 | "Moondance" by Van Morrison | Peter Gallagher as Mitch |
| 1.3 | " Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones | Lauren Graham as Joan |
| 1.3 | "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by the Bee Gees | Mary Steenburgen as Maggie |
| 1.3 | "Superstar" from Jesus Christ Superstar | Michael Thomas Grant, Kapil Talwalkar, etc. as Coders |
| 1.3 | "NO" by Meghan Trainor | John Clarence Stewart as Simon |
| 1.3 | "Roar" by Katy Perry | Lauren Graham as Joan |
| 1.4 | “Great Pretender” by The Platters | Alex Newell as Mo |
| 1.4 | "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffett | Naoko Mori as Bonnie |
| 1.4 | "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys | Naoko Mori as Bonnie |
| 1.4 | "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus | Lauren Graham as Joan |
| 1.4 | “This Little Light of Mine” by Harry Dixon Loes | Alex Newell as Mo |
| 1.5 | "Just Give Me A Reason" by P!nk | Andrew Leeds as David and Alice Lee as Emily |
| 1.5 | " Fight for Your Right " by The Beastie Boys | Andrew Leeds as David |
| 1.5 | "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. | Michael Thomas Grant as Leif |
| 1.5 | "It's Your Thing" by The Isley Brothers | Peter Gallagher as Mitch |
| 1.5 | "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" by The Clash | John Clarence Stewart as Simon |
| 1.6 | "You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi | Stephanie Styles as Autumn |
| 1.6 | "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha | Lauren Graham as Joan |
| 1.6 | "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child | India de Beaufort as Jessica |
| 1.6 | “I'm Gonna Be ” by The Proclaimers | Skylar Astin as Max |
| 1.7 | "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley | Mary Steenburgen as Maggie |
| 1.7 | "If I Can't Have You" by Shawn Mendes | Skylar Astin as Max |
| 1.7 | "Don't Speak" by No Doubt | Kapil Talwalkar as Tobin |
| 1.7 | "Bailamos" by Enrique Inglesias | Alex Newell as Mo and Patrick Ortiz as Eddie |
| 1.7 | "I Put A Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins | Michael Thomas Grant as Leif |
| 1.8 | "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley | Jane Levy as Zoey |
| 1.8 | "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by Jimmy Boyd | Jane Levy as Zoey |
| 1.8 | "Pressure" by Billy Joel | Jane Levy as Zoey and Skylar Astin as Max |
| 1.8 | "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz | Jane Levy as Zoey |
| 1.8 | "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick | Jane Levy as Zoey |
| 1.8 | "How Do I Live?" by LeAnn Rimes | Jane Levy as Zoey |
| 1.9 | "The Sound Of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel | Zak Orth as Howie and Peter Gallagher as Mitch |
| 1.9 | "Buttons" by The Pussycat Dolls | Alice Lee as Emily |
| 1.9 | "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten | Sandra Mae Frank as Abigail |
| 1.9 | "The Trouble With Love Is" by Kelly Clarkson | Alex Newell as Mo |
| 1.9 | "Happier" by Marshmello | John Clarence Stewart as Simon and India de Beaufort as Jessica |
| 1.10 | "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake | Skylar Astin as Max and John Clarence Stewart as Simon |
| 1.10 | "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green | Michael Thomas Grant as Leif |
| 1.10 | “Mad World” by Tears for Fears | John Clarence Stewart as Simon |
| 1.10 | "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica | Lauren Graham as Joan and Renée Elise Goldsberry as Ava |
| 1.10 | "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran | Mary Steenburgen as Maggie and Peter Gallagher as Mitch |
| 1.11 | "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" by The Animals | Mary Steenburgen as Maggie, Andrew Leeds as David, etc. |
| 1.11 | "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone | Bernadette Peters as Deb |
| 1.11 | "All Out Of Love" by Air Supply/ "Bye Bye Bye" by *NSYNC | Michael Thomas Grant as Leif & Skylar Astin as Max |
| 1.11 | "Issues" by Julia Michaels | Alex Newell as Mo |
| 1.11 | "Get Together" by The Youngbloods | Lauren Graham as Joan and Renée Elise Goldsberry as Ava |
| 1.12 | "Bad Moon Rising" by Credence Clearwater Revival | Jane Levy as Zoey |
| 1.12 | "Jealous" by Nick Jonas | John Clarence Stewart as Simon |
| 1.12 | "I Will Follow Him" by Peggy March | Alex Newell as Mo |
| 1.12 | "All of Me" by John Legend | Skylar Astin as Max |
| 1.12 | "I Know You Want Me " by Pitbull | Skylar Astin as Max |
| 1.12 | "Lullaby " by Billy Joel | Peter Gallagher as Mitch and Andrew Leeds as David |
| 1.12 | "Dream a Little Dream of Me" | Mary Steenburgen as Maggie |
| 1.12 | "American Pie" by Don McLean | Various as Crowd |