Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist has been canceled by NBC after two seasons. The announcement was made after negotiations broke down over the weekend to have the show move to NBC/Universal’s streaming service, Peacock.
The show, which starred Jane Levy as a woman who can hear people sing their emotions to her, was a critically acclaimed series that failed to gain too much of an audience in its two seasons on network television. The show averaged 1.8 million total viewers (with a rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic of 0.35), which was a 10% drop from the first season, viewership wise, and a 17% drop in the demo. Only Good Girls did worse in those categories among NBC dramas.
The show performed a lot better on streaming, though, which made it seem like a good bet to make the move to Peacock, just as CBS moved a number of series to its streaming service, Paramount+, this Spring. However, the negotiations did not work out. Typically, when shows move from network television to streaming, the licensing fee for the shows decrease and show budgets have to adjust accordingly. That apparently did not work out in this instance.
The show’s creator, Austin Winsberg, had previously expressed an interest in steaming, noting, “If we had the ability to not be so beholden to the network runtime, I mean, there are scenes I have to cut every week or songs I have to cut for time. To able to have a little bit more creative freedom and flexibility there could be great.”
With the cancelation news, Wisberg tweeted, “Right now I refuse to believe the show is dead. There is too much love and goodwill and the fan base is incredible. Now here is what I need. I believe we can have a real chance somewhere else. But the more fan support we can throw behind it – the better. Please tweet #saveZoeysplaylist. Let’s get it trending and let the powers that be know the appetite is strong.”
Paul Feig, a producer on the show, also tweeted, “If you love @ZoeysPlaylist as much as we do, we need your help. NBC and Peacock have decided not to renew us. We want nothing more than to keep this wonderful show going. I feel like it’s 21 years ago all over again when Freaks & Geeks got cancelled. Help us find a new home.”
Source: TVLine
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