Joshua Hudson AKA Josh Hudson AKA The Hudsonian returns with another review that we think you’ll find intriguing. We know we did.
by Joshua Hudson
So Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist popped up on my Hulu yesterday. After seeing a few people post about it and having some time to kill yesterday, I decided to check it out.
I don’t know why, but I thought this show was a comedy. Sadly, I only LOLed once — “I wish I could report this to HR” was funny in context when Zoey (Jane Levy) sees her coworkers break out into song and dance to DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win”. Then I saw it was an hour and did a double take. So I rewatched it with a different set of eyes.
Then I saw the second episode.
I enjoyed it.
It feels original and reminded me a lot of one of my favorite episodes of Scrubs, “My Musical”. NBC really has a thing for song and dance in their shows. (Side note: I enjoyed Smash way back when.) The premise is simple: Zoey finds out that her father has succumbed to a rare neurological disease and her mother convinces her to get an CT scan to see if she is at future risk. The doctor puts on a playlist for her to listen to during the scan. Suddenly, an earthquake hits and now she hears people’s inner most thoughts– through song.
With her father unable to speak and communicate as a result of the disease, this little gift comes in handy because Zoey can “hear” him sing to her. She also uses it to get close to a coworker she’s had a crush on. The only person she’s able to talk to about this is her neighbor, Mo, a musical encyclopedia who surprisingly believes her. Their Odd Couple relationship is amusing, to say the least.
Peter Gallagher (Zoey’s dad) and Lauren Graham (Zoey’s boss) are the big names but they’re supporting players here. To the average audience, names like Jane Levy, Skyler Astin, Alex Newell, and John Clarence Stewart won’t resonate but they’re fantastic.
If you like singing and dancing, you’ll enjoy the show. If you don’t, enjoy the story of a female working in a man’s world (coding) and her journey towards balancing work and family. (Yes, the story is basic and overdone, but it works here.)
Turns out, something great can come from an earthquake. Who knew?
Thanks for this, Josh. Here at TVWriter™ we’re happily looking forward to your next review, and your next, and you…you know. (If that doesn’t care im off, nothing will!)