Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas came together quickly, going from an idea to a full movie in only four months. The beloved NBC musical comedy, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, aired for 2 seasons and followed its titular character, played by Jane Levy, after she discovers she has the ability to hear people's personal thoughts as songs. The series was well-received by critics and a devoted fanbase who enjoyed its originality, as well as its song-and-dance moments that helped advance the story. In addition to Levy, the show starred Skylar Astin, Alex Newell, John Clarence Stewart, Mary Steenburgen, and Andrew Leeds, among others.
NBC unexpectedly announced that the series would be canceled in June and left fans calling upon other networks and streaming services to save it. It was later reported that Roku was nearing a deal for a feature-length wrap-up movie, with potential future episodes dependent on its success. In September, the news of a Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist holiday movie was officially confirmed, with most of the cast and crew returning. The film will pick up after the events of season 2's finale and see Zoey attempt to create a magical Christmas for her family, just like her father used to do.
Series creator and showrunner, Austin Winsberg, recently spoke with The Wrap and explained how the movie ended up coming together. He says that Roku basically greenlit the project from nothing more than an idea and gave him four months to turn in the finished product. He details the writing process and describes how the crew was able to complete the film, which includes a total of 12 musical numbers, despite production challenges. Read Winsberg's quotes regarding the process of making Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas below:
"I had two weeks with two other writers from the show Sam Laybourne and Samantha McIntyre, to kind of break the story. Then I had a week to write the outline, and then another week and a half to write the script off of that. And then we had two weeks of pre-production, and then three weeks of shooting, and then two weeks of post, and it was just all kind of go, go go. There were definitely little production changes that had to happen because of weather and actor availability, and things like that, that we kept having to shift as we were shooting. And then for Mandy Moore, our choreographer, just the struggles of being able to mount 12 production numbers, some really big ones in such a short amount of time. The actors only had four days of prep rehearsal before we started."
Fans of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist were disappointed to learn that the series was ending, especially after the cliffhanger finale of season 2 that saw Max (Skylar Astin) acquire Zoey's ability. Jane Levy has spoken out about its cancellation and stood with fans, explaining that her show about love expanded NBC's standard lineup of procedurals. Fans can still expect season 2's ending to be addressed in the film but done in a way that welcomes new viewers as well, serving as both an extension of the show and a standalone holiday movie, with the hope that the series can continue on in future episodes.
The show's ability to blend musical numbers with grief and the realistic struggles of finding love is part of what enraptured so many. With such a loyal following, it is hard to imagine why it continued to fly under the radar, or why it met an unexpected end, but Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is not the first musical series canceled in its prime. Fans who have come to love the show will certainly keep rallying for more, but for now, they can look forward to seeing Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas when it premieres December 1.
Source: The Wrap