'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' Will Play On With A TV Movie On The Roku Channel
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is coming back for an encore. NBC unceremoniously canceled the musical dramedy earlier this summer, but producers are eyeing a deal with a streaming service, The Roku Channel, which would see Zoey, played by Jane Levy, return for a holiday TV movie. Depending on the success of that movie, viewers could possibly see more new episodes down the line as well.
If you're a fan of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, then get ready to break out in an ebullient song-and-dance. The universe has heard your innermost thoughts (as heart songs); it knows you want more Zoey.
TVLine reports that Roku is "nearing a deal for a two-hour wrap-up movie," which would allow Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist to sing on a little while longer. If all goes well in the ratings, this might lead to an additional episode order, but fans should probably temper their expectations for that so as not to be disappointed again like they were when the show suffered its impromptu cancelation this past June.
At the very least, the movie would enable showrunner Austin Winsberg to resolve Zoey's storyline and give her a proper sendoff. The second season of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist ended on a cliffhanger back in May, with Zoey's coworker, Max (Skylar Astin), manifesting the ability to hear her heart song.
It had to be frustrating for people who invested 25 hours of their lives in this show to see it canceled the very next month, with significant plot threads left dangling. In a finale post-mortem with TVLine, Winsberg talked about some of his ideas for where the show would go post-season 2:
"Just in terms of thinking how could Zoey and Max work long-term, for me, it was important for Max to have an understanding of what it's like for Zoey to experience heart songs. And I also like the idea that Max could know what's going on in Zoey's head as well. And certainly, from a romantic comedy perspective, to be able to play stories where these two people are in a relationship, but they also know exactly what the other person is thinking about, felt like ripe ground for storylines."
All Good Shows Go to Streaming Heaven
The streaming age has not only facilitated the revival of old shows like Full House (which now streams on Netflix as Fuller House). It has also allowed canceled network shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine to find a second life online. Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is merely the latest in a long line of shows rescued by the likes of Netflix and Hulu.
Jane Levy also had a role in I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore, which recently made Marisa Mirabal's list of all-time favorite movies here on /Film. Levy had a significant role, too, in Castle Rock season 1. That show faced the axe late last year, and since it was already on Hulu to begin with, there wasn't much hope of Hulu saving it.
HBO recently turned down Bad Robot's Shining series, Overlook, so don't expect to see Levy pop up there, even though Castle Rock teased a possible Overlook stay for her character. For fans of Levy, your best bet for where to see her next is probably going to be the Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist holiday movie on Roku.