NBC is Giving the Musical Genre Another Try With New Pilot From Paul Feig
For those fans who never got over NBC’s sudden cancellation of Smash nearly six years ago, there may some good news on the horizon! The network has just ordered an “innovative” musical dramedy pilot from Bridesmaids director Paul Feig titled Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. The series was created by Gossip Girl and 9JKL’s Austin Winsberg and Feig will both direct the pilot and executive produce.
According to TVLine, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist will follow “a whip-smart but socially awkward girl in her late 20s who is suddenly able to hear the innermost thoughts of people around her as songs and even big musical numbers that they perform just for her. With this new ability at her disposal, she is able to use her ‘gift’ to not only help herself understand people in her life, but also to help others around her.”
Since the days of Glee, which aired on FOX for six seasons, networks have strived to recreate that same longevity with their musical dramas. Some have found success such as The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Fox’s Empire, and ABC’s Nashville, but NBC has always struggled in the genre. Despite being a cult hit, Smash only ran on NBC for two seasons from 2012-13 and last year they attempted to give high school theater a try with Rise, but that was canceled after just one season. This time around though, NBC has Paul Feig backing the series, so it seems highly likely that they’ve finally found their winning combination.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist won’t be the only musical series making a splash this year. Netflix recently picked up Jenna Dewan’s series Mixtape after it was passed over by Fox. Mixtape is described as a “romantic musical drama that looks at a disparate group of interconnected people in contemporary Los Angeles through the lens of the music that defines who they are.” The streaming service gave it a 10-episode order last July.
What do you think about Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist? What’s your favorite musical TV series? Let us know!
Having studied Media & Writing at James Madison University, I always knew that I wanted to do some type of creative writing, but being able to write about zombies, Starks, and superheroes on a daily basis for Fan Fest is my actual dream. While I probably shouldn’t be as proud as I am to be so similar to Nick Miller, I do hope to one day write my own “Pepperwood Chronicles’.
