Mo from Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is a game-changer for LGBTQ+ representation

The Mary Sue

"Alex Newell is the actor who brings Mo to life, week after week," says Lyra Hale. "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." ALSO: Harvey Guillén on his empowering Zoey's exit.