NBC
NBC’s newest show is Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, a comedy where a San Francisco computer coder named Zoey (Jane Levy) finds herself suddenly able to hear people’s innermost thoughts as popular songs. It happens due to an MRI mishap during an earthquake — don’t question that part too much, just enjoy the ride — and leads to all kinds of consequences, some really fun and others incredibly emotional and touching.
If you liked the premiere and want to know what the songs are you heard, here’s our Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist playlist, which we will do weekly for the show. It begins airing in earnest on February 16.
The Morning Songs
Zoey has a very talented neighbor named Mo (Alex Newell) who wakes her up every day with rousing renditions of songs that vary from the best of the ’70s to classic hymns. Here is a list of those, though the Singing’ In the Rain does not sound like Mo singing, that one might just be in Zoey’s head.
- “Just Call Me Angel,” Juice Newton
- “Wake Me Up Before You Go-GO, WHAM
- “Lean on Me,” Bill Withers
- “Morning Has Broken,” hymn
- “Good Morning,” Singin’ In the Rain
The MRI Montage
There was a lot happening during Zoey’s MRI. An earthquake hits and the whole machine starts shaking, causing Zoey to hear several songs blasting at once. We think we got them all:
- “End of the World As We Know It,” REM
- “Respect,” Aretha Franklin
- “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” Twisted Sister
- “Sexy and I Know It,” LMFAO
- “Achy Breaky Heart,” Billy Ray Cyrus
The Passersby
After Zoey’s MRI, her first experience with this new-found power of hearing people’s thoughts manifests itself by way of Zoey hearing many, many people on the street talking about how much help they need — that, and three women appreciating a fine-lookin’ man walking by.
- “All By Myself,” Eric Carmen
- “Whatta Man,” Salt ‘N Pepa
- “HELP,” The Beatles
Simon at the Office
In one of the most moving scenes of the pilot, Zoey overhears a coworker, Simon (John Clarence Stewart), singing “Mad World,” a 1982 hit by Tears for Fears. It causes her to realize she can use this weird power for good, as she connects with Simon over the fact that they both miss their parents — Zoey’s dad has a degenerative disorder where he cannot communicate with anyone, while Simon’s dad recently killed himself.
Zoey’s Male Coworkers
One of Zoey’s big challenges at work is that she’s a brilliant computer coder — in an office dominated by men. They’re all up for a possible promotion and to her face, they say they’re rooting for her. But their innermost thoughts say otherwise when they sing, “All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled.
“I so wish I could tell HR about this,” deadpans Zoey.
Zoey’s Dad (Peter Gallagher)
Simon’s “Mad World” is very emotional, but the real gut-punch comes from the scene where Zoey cries to her father about how lost she feels and how unfair it is that the one person she could always turn to isn’t there anymore. Suddenly, her father sings Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” and twirls Zoey around the living room. It’s a real five-hankie scene and both Levy and Gallagher absolutely kill it.
Max (Skylar Astin)
Last but certainly not least, Zoey’s friend at work named Max (Pitch Perfect alum Skylar Astin) caps off the episode by confessing to Zoey — though he doesn’t know he confesses — that he’s in love with her by singing the delightful 1970 Partridge Family hit “I Think I Love You.”
What did you think of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist? If you liked this special sneak peek of the premiere, mark your calendars for February 16, when the show begins airing in its regular timeslot, Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
READ NEXT: Meet Skylar Astin & Alex Newell of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist