Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist season 2 is failing two key characters. The series first introduced Tobin (Kapil Talwalker) and Leif (Michael Thomas Grant) in season 1 as two of Zoey Clarke’s (Jane Levy) fellow SPRQ Point employees. With eccentric personalities and memorable performances by the actors, the characters quickly made an impression on the audience. While they only appeared in recurring roles in season 1, Talwalker and Grant were promoted to series regulars. However, a few episodes into season 2 and it’s clear Tobin and Leif are being sidelined to accommodate other (more temporary) characters.
In season 2 of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Zoey was not only dealing with her grief in the aftermath of her father’s death, but she was taken by surprise when Joan announced that she was leaving her post for a job opportunity in Singapore. This left Zoey in charge as executive director of the fourth floor, with Leif being promoted to the position of engineering manager. Meanwhile, Tobin, Leif’s best friend and the most energetic person on the fourth floor, remained in the same position. However, with the actors’ promotion to series regulars, the expectation was that both Tobin and Leif would be getting a lot more to do in season 2.
So far, though, the musical dramedy has turned its attention to George, a new programmer to SPRQ Point whose career at the company was very short-lived, and Danny Michael Davis, the tech billionaire and CEO whose illegal activities got him arrested at the end of season 1. Of course, their presence in the season isn’t inherently bad, but the shifting focus leaves Tobin and Leif with less screen time and no storylines of their own thus far. Whereas George, Danny, and even Aiden, Zoey’s neighbor recently returned from Australia, have played roles to further along Zoey’s story, there’s a little time spent building a rapport between her, Tobin, and Leif, whose character development has been subpar at best.
Currently, these additional characters have played a significant role in expanding Zoey’s relationships, work responsibilities, and in exploring her headspace as she adjusts to life changes. That’s fantastic and allows for her character to be the focus, as she should be. However, as Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist widens its lens to include other characters, temporary as they may be, it becomes even more noticeable that Tobin and Leif are being overlooked. After all, what’s the point in giving Talwalker and Grant series regular status if their characters aren’t going to be featured very often or given anything significant to do?
To be fair, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is only a few episodes into season 2 and there is still time to course correct and give Tobin and Leif their own development before the season finale. For now, however, the musical series could do with a bit more focus on the pair. How is Leif handling being a manager and dealing with Joan’s absence? Is Simon going to talk to Tobin about SPRQ Point software not recognizing people of color? There are several directions their storylines could take, but Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist needs to get to a place where it isn’t sidelining them to begin with.