‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’: What We Want to See in a Wrap-up Movie
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist may be getting what few canceled shows do: a chance to wrap up all the loose ends from the end of the finale.
A two-hour movie is reportedly coming to Roku, around the holidays — and depending on how that does, it’s possible we could get more episodes, too. While nothing is confirmed just yet, we’re already thinking about what we’d like to see happen. After all, the NBC series finale left off with Zoey (Jane Levy) singing a heart song to Max (Skylar Astin) — though she’s the one who hears those musical tunes that express how people are feeling. Neither had any idea how that happened.
And while some storylines were sort of wrapped up — Simon (John Clarence Stewart) made a major career move, Mo (Alex Newell) and Perry (David St. Louis) are together, Maggie (Mary Steenburgen) has decided to think about dating and informed her kids — they still left off in ways that left us needing to see more.
So below, we’ve gathered what we’d like to see if a Zoey’s movie does, in fact, happen.
A definitive answer about Max hearing a heart song
Does he now have the same power Zoey does? Or was it an extension of her power because she was ready to open herself up to him now that they’re back together? The goal of Max hearing her sing was to give him the “window into her” she had had with him prior to that song, executive producer Austin Winsberg told TV Insider. As for whether he’d be able to hear other people’s heart songs, that had “not fully been decided yet” at the time, he admitted.
Zoey and Max very much together
It felt like we barely got to see them be a couple at the beginning of Season 2 before their split, then as they got back together in the finale, that was overshadowed by the heart song shocker. Don’t let their relationship status be a question mark for even a moment — that’s already been done.
Simon finding out about Zoey's (and Max's?) power
It just never felt right that he was kept in the dark, considering he and Zoey were dating — and her power caused problems in her relationship with Max. Simon didn’t even know about it to decide how he felt. But now that he and Zoey are going to be friends — and he and Max are — it’s a loose end that needs to be addressed.
A return from Lauren Graham
Lauren Graham, who played Zoey’s boss Joan, couldn’t be part of the second season (except for the premiere) due to scheduling with The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. It’s unknown if that could end up being a factor again (the Disney+ series was renewed) but it just wouldn’t be right to not see her at all, even if it just ends up being a quick stop-in.
More Peter Gallagher
While the Clarkes may have said goodbye to Mitch in the Season 1 finale, that wasn’t the last time we saw Gallagher — and Winsberg hadn’t ruled out that continuing while waiting for news of a third season in May. “Any time that we can incorporate Peter and Mitch into the show, the show’s better for it,” he said. “The challenge is just always, how do we do it? What are the creative ways in which we can bring Mitch back? …It’s just all about trying to find unique ways to bring him into the storytelling.” As long as it makes even a tiny bit of sense, we’re on board.
A big dance number
It just wouldn’t be Zoey’s without one. (Just look at “Shake It Off” in the Season 2 finale.) Need we say more?
An emotional heart song
As much as we love the big musical performances, the smaller, more emotional songs are just as much a part of the show’s DNA. Whether it’s a duet — like Zoey and Max’s “A Moment Like This” — or a solo — like Emily’s (Alice Lee) “Anyone” — there needs to be at least one (maybe two, if it’s a two-hour movie and the end).
Simon suceeding at work
In the finale, Simon got the go-ahead to create an incubation program for small businesses, focusing on people of color and other marginalized groups, which was going to “pave the road for us to tell us more inclusive stories in Season 3 and bringing new, smaller businesses and more diversity into SPRQ Point,” Winsberg said. That very much has to be part of anything Zoey’s does going forward, and since it’s unknown just what (if anything) we might get, let’s see more successes than missteps — a season could explore the ups and downs of it in the right way, but not really a two-hour movie.
Mo and Perry figuring things out together
Just because they were together at the end of the two seasons on NBC doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy journey forward. After all, Winsberg wanted “to see what it’s like for Mo, who was kind of this carefree, independent person, having to be in a relationship with an older man, who’s got two kids and an ex.” If there is a movie, let’s have it pick up with Mo sort of comfortable around Perry’s kids in some aspects but not others. Let’s see a couple of stumbles but have them be ones that the couple can take on together as a unit.
Maggie figuring out her next steps
In Season 2, Maggie began to figure out life after losing her husband Mitch, and that included maybe dating. By the finale, she was ready to think about it. Season 2 was “about her being able to start her business again without Mitch, about being able to go back out into the world again on her own and try to be her own person. Now she’s starting to find her own sea legs as an individual. Now it’s about the next step of that,” Winsberg said. “And I think it’s interesting to take a real look at a woman of a certain age and what it means to try to go back into the dating world again. I’m excited about the kind of stories we can tell there.” Let’s see that play out, especially if Bernadette Peters can come back as Deb to help her.
The Clarkes sharing a scene
Considering this is a show about someone who hears people’s inner feelings as heart songs — complete with elaborate musical productions — it’s not impossible to imagine a way for the family to be together one last time. There could be a flashback, perhaps only Zoey sees Mitch due to her powers, or really anything (except in another hospital room like above). Like with a return from Gallagher, we’re on board even if it doesn’t entirely make sense.
