‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ Christmas Movie Drops First Preview

Zoey Clarke can still hear your innermost thoughts as a song, just on a different platform. Roku released the first teaser for the Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Christmas special, which will debut on The Roku Channel on Dec. 1. The clip features Alex Newell as Mo, singing “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” while dragging Jane Levy’s Zoey through a mall.

The special will chronicle Zoey’s first Christmas since her father’s death. She hopes to recreate the magic of those holiday memories with her family. Peter Gallagher will make a special appearance as Zoey’s dad Mitch, while Bernadette Peters will reprise her role as Deb. The rest of the main cast will return as well, including Mary Steenburgen, Skylar Astin, John Clarence Stewart, Andrew Leeds, Alice Lee, Michael Thomas Grant, and Kapil Talwalkar.

The special was also written and produced in a way that anyone unfamiliar with Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist can still enjoy the special, Roku teased. However, the 25 episodes from Seasons 1 and 2 are already available for free on The Roku Channel, so viewers can familiarize themselves with the characters if they’ve never seen the show before. Series creator Austin Winsberg is also involved in the project, calling it a “true honor and a thrill” to bring the talented cast and crew back together.

“This movie never would have happened if it wasn’t for the incredible outpouring of love and support from the fans,” Winsberg said in a statement to TVLine. “It really is a Christmas gift for all of us. I am so grateful to The Roku Channel for believing in the whole Zoey’s team and for allowing us to continue to tell this story. I can’t wait for everyone to see all the passion, feeling, and genuine holiday cheer we put into making this film. I believe new audiences and die-hard Zoey viewers alike will enjoy and relate to our family holiday musical movie this year and for many years to come.”

Although Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist has its die-hard fans and even won an Emmy for choreography in 2020, the show’s audience was too small for NBC to justify ordering a third season. It was canceled in June, leading to Lionsgate, the studio behind the series, to shop the project to other streamers. There was hope that NBCUniversal’s Peacock would save the day, but that never happened. Instead, Lionsgate agreed to produce the Christmas special for Roku, which could order more episodes if it does well. The Roku Channel can be accessed even without a Roku device.

In Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Levy plays Zoey Clarke, a software developer who gains the ability to hear people’s personal thoughts as popular songs when she is getting an MRI during an earthquake. Astin plays Max Richman, Zoey’s closest friend who also has a romantic interest in her. Newell stars as Mo, Zoey’s neighbor who helps her understand her power since Zoey doesn’t know much about popular music herself. Steenbergen stars as Zoey’s mother Maggie.