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 software developer 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, Lauren Graham, Andrew Leeds, Alice Lee, Michael Thomas Grant, and Kapil Talwalkar. In June 2020, the series was renewed  for a second season which premiered on January 5, 2021. In June 2021, the series was canceled by NBC after two seasons. In September 2021, it was announced that streaming service The Roku Channel officially commissioned a two-hour holiday film, which if successful, could lead to more episodes. The film was released on December 1, 2021. In addition to songs performed on "Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas", a second original song for this series was composed — "North Star", written by Mary Steenburgen, Caitlyn Smith and Troy Verges and sung by Tori Kelly, and played during the end credit sequence. 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 Today"'s annual Save Our Shows poll. The second season premiered on January 5, 2021. On June 9, 2021, NBC canceled the series after two seasons, but was expected to shop to other networks. On August 5, 2021, it was announced that streaming service The Roku Channel was nearing a deal for a two-hour wrap-up movie, with potential of leading to more episodes. "TVLine" reported on  September 8, 2021, that the movie — "Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas" — was scheduled to begin production in Vancouver within the month. An excerpt of the movie was posted to YouTube on November 1, 2021, promoting a full release of the movie on December 1, 2021. Casting. 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, Michael Thomas Grant, Kapil Talwalkar and Stephanie Styles were cast in recurring capacities. In September 2020, it was announced that Kapil Talwalkar, Andrew Leeds, Alice Lee, and Michael Thomas Grant had been promoted to series regulars while Harvey Guillén was cast in a recurring role for the second season. On October 29, 2020, Jee Young Han and Felix Mallard were cast in recurring roles for the second season. Graham's character  was written out in the second season as moving to Singapore, since Graham was busy filming "". On March 18, 2021, Katie Findlay joined the cast in a recurring role for the second season. Filming. Principal photography 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 began on September 21, 2020, and concluded on March 26, 2021. Filming for "Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas" ran from September 15, 2021, to October 8, 2021. Broadcast. "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" premiered on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, in the 10:00 p.m. (EDT) hour. The series returned on Sunday, February 16, 2020, at 9:00 p.m. and maintained that timeslot for the remainder of the first season. The second season premiered on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. EDT. "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" went on hiatus on February 9, 2021, and was replaced by "Young Rock" and  Kenan. The series returned to its original timeslot on Sunday, March 28, 2021. In the United Kingdom, the series was picked up by Channel 4 for broadcast on their E4 channel, though after a few episodes of season 2 the show was moved, at short notice, out of primetime to around 2:00am, being replaced by a repeat of "Naked Attraction". In addition to E4, Channel 4 have also re-run season 1 on their 4Music channel. 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 (sometimes) dance". Mae Abdulbaki of "Cinemablend", said the show "cleverly tackles pent-up emotions and storylines through song". Reception. Critical response. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 76% approval rating with an average rating of 7.18/10, based on 34 reviews for the first season. The website's critical consensus states, "Though it hits the occasional sour note, "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" manages to carry a pretty enjoyable tune, thanks in large part to the always charming Jane Levy." On Metacritic, it has  a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Mae Abdulbaki of "CinemaBlend", said the show "cleverly tackles pent-up emotions and storylines through song". On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 83% based on 6 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.37/10.