Back in January, NBC did something out of the ordinary. They released a tester for their new show, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. The tester was a means to see if the public would like the show or not, and it turns out, they did. The first episode brought in a whopping total of 3.71 million views and NBC launched the full show on February 16th.
In the Pilot episode, we are introduced to Zoey (Suburgatory’s Jane Levy), a 30-year-old coder who lives alone in San Francisco. She works at SPRQPOINT (pronounced sparkpoint), a company that is akin to Fitbit-conveniently among a team of quirky coworkers and her best friend, Max (Pitch Perfect’s Skylar Astin). Her boss, Joan (Gilmore Girls Lauren Graham), is demanding a large workload from Zoey because their watch, the SPRQWatch, is set to launch in 5 days and there is a bug in the program.
However, Zoey has a very poignant backstory that is often not seen on network television. Her father (played by The O.C.s Peter Gallagher), has a degenerative rare neurological disorder, which renders him incapable of movement or speech. Her mother (Mary Steenburg), Zoey, and her brother (Cristela’s Andrew Leeds) must take care of him.
Lately, Zoey has been suffering from headaches and decides to go get an MRI. Unfortunately, an earthquake happens while she is being scanned and an issue occurs where all the music that has ever existed is loaded into her head, and she can begin to hear people’s inner thoughts and feelings in song.
At first, Zoey is skeptical about her newfound power and sees it as a nuisance. After all, it allowed her to find out that Max is in love with her. However, after talking to her neighbor, Mo (Glee’s Alex Newall), Zoey begins to embrace her power. As a result, she is able to bond with her crush, Simon, (Luke Cage’s John Clarence Stewart), who’s own father committed suicide. She is also able to better communicate with her father, who sings her Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors when she is feeling down (cue the tissues).
Unfortunately, towards the end of the first episode, Zoey finds out Simon is engaged. Thus, any feelings for him that she had are forced to dissipate and she begins to treat him more like a close friend. But let’s dive into some cons of this show.
First of all, one of my big issues is with the MRI itself. I understand that the earthquake was not within anyone’s control, but after it occurred, why didn’t any doctors conduct extra tests on Zoey? It was clear that her brain structure changed as a result of the quake, so why was that never picked up on by any healthcare professionals?
My second concern is that Simon was introduced as “the New Guy” in the pilot episode. However, in the third episode, we see that Simon already has good standing with other companies as well as his own office. I mean, it’s not entirely unrealistic. In all likelihood, he was hired into a higher position. However, much of the pilot focused on the fact that Zoey was aiming to get promoted to a higher spot in the company. Why didn’t she go after that position herself? Because unfortunately, that’s how the world works.
Finally, my third concern is that there’s a messy relationship angle. First of all, why does their need to be a relationship arc at all? Second, it was established in the pilot that Max is head over heels Zoey, but he suddenly is infatuated with a girl named Autumn in the second episode. What?! Also, their relationship is moving so fast. From a continuity standpoint, it just doesn’t make sense. Not to mention the whole crush on Simon is problematic considering he’s engaged, and from the sneak peek we got this week of the fifth episode, it looks like sparks might fly regardless between Zoey and Simon.
Now, moving onto some of the pros. I really enjoy the whole message of empowerment. As stated, SPRQPOINT is headed by a female boss who takes no nonsense from anyone. Further, Zoey is the only female coder in what seems the entire company and she is incredibly talented and smart, managing to be elevated to head of the engineering team.
Moreover, Joan, the boss, splits from her controlling husband in episode four. In a powerful moment, she breaks into Katy Perry’s Roar and realizes she’s more than capable of being able to lead the company on her own.
I also really like the diversity in this show and that it brings up real issues. For example, Zoey’s neighbor, Mo, is gender-fluid. It is not openly stated until the fourth episode, but the entire episode focuses on the challenges he faced growing up, and in the present in the church. It is an incredibly touching narrative that sheds light on the problems that some face in society.
Finally, I like the fact that Zoey’s dad has a neurological disorder. It’s not a story that you see on TV very often, but it is a real problem that people face. As someone who’s had experience with that whole situation, it was nice seeing that portrayed to a broad audience.
So should you invest your time in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist? After looking at all my pros and cons, I would say the answer is yes. Although it is not without its flaws, there are a lot of positive reasons to watch. It’s a refreshing idea filled with real issues and you can catch it all on Sundays on NBC at 9 PM.