Love on the spectrum
Netflix's Atypical proves nobody is normal
Netflix is back again with a new family drama filled with healthy doses of black comedy and coming-of-age suburban adventure. Atypical stars Keir Gilchrist (United States of Tara, It Follows) as Sam, the autistic son of parents played by Michael Rappaport and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Brigette Lundy-Paine rounds out the cast as sister Casey.
Sam is eighteen years old, on the spectrum, and needs a girlfriend pronto, leading to a whole heap of dramatic, humorous, and heartwarming situations. From his interactions with the opposite sex to just trying to fit in among his high school peers, everything is different for Sam, who is, simply, unlike everybody else.
The show is the brainchild of Robia Rashid, whose previous television credits include beloved sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother and The Goldbergs. The series is directed by Seth Gordon, who helmed the comedies Horrible Bosses and Identity Thief. Overall, the pedigree of Atypical seems scientifically optimized to deliver equal parts comedy and sincerity.
At the end of the day, life is hilarious, and Atypical looks to explore the joyful madness to which any family unit can relate, while offering an extra layer of relevance to families with autistic members. This refreshing new take on the domestic TV drama aims to help shed the enduring stigma of autism by advancing its universally relatable theme: “Nobody is normal.”
Season one of Atypical will consist of eight episodes and makes its debut on Netflix on August 11.