On May 18, Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum USA took the country by storm and tugged at viewers’ heartstrings. The romance docuseries, which is a spinoff of Love on the Spectrum Australia, follows seven adults with autism as they embark on a quest to find love.
While Love on the Spectrum USA is a powerful step in the right direction for representing the lives of individuals with autism, it is a rarity to come across a show like it: one that accurately, thoughtfully, and inclusively showcases the vast spectrum of autism. About one in 45 adults have autism in the United States, according to estimations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and yet, their stories often remain untold or inaccurately shared in Hollywood. Many nonautistic actors play autistic characters, like Keir Gilchrist in Atypical and Freddie Highmore in The Good Doctor.
Although there is a large scarcity of television shows that accurately depict autism and feature people on the autism spectrum, there are a few that are worth checking out. Here is a list of three shows that feature people on the autism spectrum.
- As We See It
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Amazon Prime’s As We See It is a comedy-drama series that follows three twenty-something roommates on the autism spectrum named Jack (Rick Glassman), Harrison (Albert Rutecki), and Violet (Sue Ann Pien) as they navigate the world of adulthood and living in the hustle-and-bustle of Los Angeles.
Many of the actors, writers, and crew members on the show have autism, including all three of the show’s main actors. The creator, Jason Katims, has a son with autism, which is where he garnered much of the inspiration for the show.
Although the show has good intentions and features people with autism, some have also criticized it for a number of reasons. Kristen Lopez, a writer for IndieWire, explained that the show satisfies a harmful notion of “caretaker entertainment,” meaning that the “caretakers’ opinions [in the show] are valued equally with Violet, Jack, and Harrison’s, yet the series seems to at least lean on the side of those who are neurotypical.” On the other hand, others have celebrated the show for its inclusivity.
- Everything’s Gonna Be Okay
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Everything’s Gonna Be Okay is a comedy television series on Hulu that follows Nicholas (Josh Thomas), a twenty-something who visits his father and two teenage half sisters, Matilda (Kayla Cromer), who is on the autism spectrum, and Genevieve (Maeve Press). However, when his father unexpectedly passes away, Nicholas must extend his stay and learn how to parent and care for his two half-siblings. The show also explores themes of sexuality and adulthood, all with humor infused throughout.
Josh Thomas is also the creator of the show and recently shared that he also has autism. The show has been praised for accurately and thoughtfully depicting autism, as well as showcasing and featuring people with autism. Kayla Cromer also has autism.
- Love on the Spectrum
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Love on the Spectrum is a romance docuseries on Netflix that has been praised by critics for its thoughtful representation of the autism community, and has recently been all the buzz as a new season was just released. The docuseries follows actual people with autism as they navigate the dating world, go on dates, and discover what they’re looking for in a romantic relationship.
The show currently has two seasons, with one taking place in Australia and the other set in the United States. While there are some areas of improvement for the show, cultural critic Lexi Lane wrote for NBC News, “Unlike a lot of other reality dating shows — let alone reality shows featuring people with disabilities — a real effort by producers seems to have been made to showcase the range of experiences for people on the spectrum, as well as to destigmatize a commonly misunderstood, misdiagnosed and deeply maligned condition.”
Part of why this list is so short is that there is not enough accurate and thoughtful representation of people with autism in Hollywood. Although there are television shows like Atypical, Parenthood, The Good Doctor, and On the Spectrum that also explore autism, they fail to actually cast and feature people with autism. These shows could have actually featured people with autism, but consciously chose not to, instead opting to cast neurotypical actors. Watching and supporting television shows like As We See It, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay, and Love on the Spectrum is not only important in learning more about the diversity within the autism community, but also in demanding better representation from Hollywood.