When we watch a jukebox musical we take it on ourselves, as viewers, to interpret how each popular song correlates to the characters and emotional direction of the story. In Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, leading woman Zoey joins us in that effort. This show is unique in how it uses music first and foremost as a tool for empathy, rather than solely self-expression. Though she has a few musical numbers of her own, much of her arc is dedicated to the art of listening and understanding others through their “heart songs”.
These songs take place entirely inside her head, but they all in some way reflect the thoughts and emotions of the people around her. It doesn’t always work as smoothly as you would hope. Many of the songs are far too on-the-nose, eschewing subtext for musical pieces that explain the exact situations the characters are in. Others are performed a little too sincerely, lacking the levity that often makes musical television shows work. But Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is confectionary for pop music lovers, packaging covers of famous songs into a jukebox musical comedy-drama. Its numbers are often hit-and-miss, but it primarily aims to entertain.
Jane Levy leads the cast as Zoey, an introverted coder who would rather focus on her work than emotional hang-ups. She gains her power at the right time in her life, as her father suffers from a rare neurological condition leaving him unable to speak or move. Through her gift she can hear him singing to her, letting her know that he is still present. His rendition of “Moondance” is a nostalgic evocation of a specific memory held dear by him and his wife, and a melancholy reprise of “True Colours” serves simply as underscoring to the most moving moment of the entire season. Though the actor, Peter Gallagher, isn’t an especially outstanding singer, his musical numbers are some of the best in the show simply for how they strike the perfect tone in the context of each scene.
Zoey’s power often shows up at the most inconvenient times as well, forcing her to acknowledge other people’s problems and then pushing her to address them. Most episodes let her focus on one or two characters who pour out their hearts in a classic “I Want” musical number, taking the form of a pop song. But occasionally the show complicates this when Zoey learns that sometimes the best thing she can do is to not interfere with more private issues, or that every now and again she is the one who needs to ask for help. It is usually the drama of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist that hits sweeter notes than its musical numbers, building warm familial and social dynamics around characters who largely resist asking for help but desperately need it.
Where this isn’t quite true is the central love triangle that often takes valuable screen time from other more deserving subplots. Caught between her best friend, Max, and co-worker, Simon, Zoey keeps flipping between them for far too long. Her indecisiveness becomes grating, and this storyline soon outstays its welcome. The finale opens up interesting possibilities for Max to keep developing in future seasons, potentially exploring his identity outside of his career, but Simon remains fairly one-note in his sullen moping around.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist has a ridiculous, fun premise, but it hasn’t quite figured out how to make the most of it yet. Shows like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend used the musical format to demonstrate how humour and music can deepen the exploration of more serious themes like mental illness, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist could learn a great deal from that. Now that it has had a season to find its feet, hopefully from here on it will lean into its comedy to explore Zoey’s developing empathy and grief.
