Lo straordinario mondo di Zoey

I watched the pilot episode last night and laughed quite a bit. The show is obviously going to be quirky, based on the premise. It will be a few more episodes before we'll see if the musical number concept will hold up, but so far it's working and fun.

The casting has a lot of familiar faces. In particular, I love seeing Mary Steenburgen as Zoey's mother (there is a moment when Zoey and her mom look at her father, and they really look like mother and daughter). Peter Gallagher does a great job as Zoey's locked-in father, especially making the transition from singing back to locked-in. Lauren Graham is also doing a fine job as Zoey's boss, even if the character is a bit too cliched.

Actually, the biggest deficit in the show, based on the pilot, is that many of the characters and situations are too cliched. From the big brassy black woman living next door who dispenses wisdom and insight, to the unrequited love angle, to the boss who sends emails while not really listening. Even the basic arc of Zoey's character is too easy, shy/socially clumsy girl has an unusual thing happen and is suddenly bursting with self-esteem.

I think this show has a lot of potential for fun. It'll be interesting to see how Zoey deals with her ability in the longer term (the pilot covers a week of time). If you like quirky comedies with a healthy does of drama, then this is likely the show for you.