NBC has canceled Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Lionsgate TV musical dramedy was dramatically down in viewership compared to its first season. The second season drew 14 percent less than the first. However, the series has been a hit with critics, gaining an 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
“In a world where finding loyal and passionate audiences is never easy, we believe there must be a home for htis great, award-winning show with a passionate and dedicated following,” said Lionsgate in a statement regarding the cancellation.
As the show’s producer, Lionsgate TV will try to shop the show elsewhere, especially after discussions about the series to go to NBC’s streaming service Peacock have fallen through.
The trade publication reports, “Unfortunately, the two sides could not come to terms that would have allowed the pricey series to move to the streamer. Such a move would have required new deals to be completed as things like streaming rights — the series runs on Hulu — likely factored heavily into the discussions.”
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist stars Jane Levy in the titular role. Alex Newell, who joined Glee in its later seasons, also starred on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist as Mo, Zoey’s neighbor and landlord. John Clarence Stewart also plays Zoey’s love interest Simon Haynes.
Stewart spoke with Shadow And Act in February about the Season 2 midseason finale, which involved his character calling out racial bias at his workplace. The idea for the episode came on the heels of the spate of anti-Black violence across the country, including the death of George Floyd.
“Honestly, I knew about this back in June and July. The showrunner reached out to me and said that the writer’s room was thinking about doing this and I was concerned obviously,” he said. “I expressed those concerns not long after George Floyd was killed. I was in my own space processing my stuff.”
“The showrunner was very open and receptive to my apprehension,” he continued. “This is a very specific tone to Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Finding the way in took some time and I think that [writer] Zora Bikangaga was very instrumental to finding the way into this story.”
