ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST
STARRING: Jane Levy, Lauren Graham, Skylar Astin, Peter Gallagher
There was a time when shows that featured characters bursting into song were unmitigated disasters (think Cop Rock and Viva Laughlin), but then Glee came along and made the concept a viable prospect, with critical hit Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and fan favourite Smash following in its footsteps. The latest entry into the scripted musical genre is Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – Zoey (Levy) is an ambitious and highly skilled coder at a San Franciscobased technology firm and her extraordinary playlist is her ability to know what people around her are thinking, because they tell her … in song.
As special abilities go, it’s an unusual one, and Zoey is not sure what to make of it, taken aback as complete strangers and those closest to her make their feelings known by breaking into highly choreographed songand-dance routines only she can see. Her discomfort is matched by the viewer’s, as it takes a little while to get used to the show’s premise and its execution.
But if anyone can convincingly sell the concept and make the absurd seem believable, it’s Levy, who switches from comedy to more emotional moments with ease. She delivers her character’s quick-witted retorts as effortlessly as she brings heart to the scenes between Zoey and her father (Gallagher), who suffers from a neurological disease that renders him unable to speak or move. Zoey worries her skill is somehow linked.
Gallagher is one of a multi-talented supporting ensemble, which also features Graham as Zoey’s no-nonsense boss, former Glee star Alex Newell as her neighbour and Pitch Perfect’s Astin as her colleague/ would-be love interest.
Where Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist will succeed or fail will be in how long it can maintain its premise, and whether it can evolve into more than just a routine-ofthe-week spectacle. But it’s early days, and for now there is a lot of fun to be had as Zoey explores her new-found ability, and all the formation dancing and power ballads that come with it. (On Stan from Mon., Feb. 17)