There are many reasons to watch Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Some watch for the music; the numbers that they pick and the dances that go along with them are spot on and so well done. Some watch for the romance; the will they/won’t they combined with a slight love triangle is some people’s bread and butter. But then there are people like me, who are watching Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist for one reason, and that reason is Mo.
Alex Newell is the actor who brings Mo to life, week after week. Some might recognize him from Glee where he played Wade ‘Unique’ Adams. But Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is where he shines like the sun. And it’s not because of his voice. Well … some of it is. Newell has the voice of an angel and can make you weep with his renditions of “Too Good at Goodbyes” by Sam Smith or “This Little Light of Mine.”
The real reason why I love Newell to the moon and back in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is because of what he and his character symbolize. I have never seen someone like Mo before on my TV screen. Too often, creators pigeon-hole themselves into telling stories from a set of expectations no one questions. That leads to studios, executives, and writers only telling the story of an experience that they’re familiar with, leaving no room for exploration of other stories.
Mo is that other story. Newell himself is gender fluid and non-conforming. (He has no issues with any pronouns and likes to let others decide what they’re comfortable with.) His character is non-binary and doesn’t subscribe to the rigid representations of what a man or woman should look or act like. And seeing this being given the time of day and space to grow … it’s game-changing for queer people who have never seen themselves before in the content they consume.
“I want someone younger than me to have someone that they can look up to and I think it starts with taking a risk. Growing up, I didn’t see anyone that looked like me on television,” Newell said in an interview with Goldderby. Through his acting, Newell wants to change the lives of young LGBTQ+ people who feel alone, forgotten, or afraid to step out and be themselves. All LGBTQ+ stories are worth telling and NBC’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist wants viewers to know that.
Even more so, Mo and his character are super important to LGBTQ+ viewers around the world because his character doesn’t revolve around the lead. Too often, queer people are relegated to the role of “sassy gay friend.” And while Mo is sassy and is Zoey’s friend, that doesn’t mean that Mo’s world revolves around her. Mo has his own issues, friendships, and story lines that have nothing to do with the lead. This gives us an even richer character that doesn’t depend on others to be seen.
Alex Newell’s Mo is a message to all who watch him that stepping out of your comfort zone is an act of liberation that is worth celebrating and talking about. He’s a beacon of change that will inspire future writers to tell more stories about anyone and everyone that falls under the LGTBQ+ family. Newell and Mo are also proof to studios and executives who make the decisions about what gets made into TV or not. LGBTQ+ stories are worth telling. They always have been. Now it’s time to give us more.
(image: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC/Lionsgate)
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