“Atypical” Is Anything but Typical

By JASMINE CHEN

The Netflix series “Atypical” created by Robia Rashid centers around Sam Gardner, an eighteen-year-old boy on the autism spectrum. This comedy-drama follows the busy lives of the Gardner family as they guide Sam through love, independence, and friendship.

Played by Keir Gilchrist, Sam’s character portrays life with autism in a new light. After a session with his therapist Julia, Sam announces he is ready to start dating and be independent. His father Doug is thrilled when his son asks him for advice instead of his mother Elsa. Feeling unneeded, Elsa meets a bartender on a night out and begins an affair with him. Meanwhile, Sam’s supportive younger sister Casey, a track-and-field-star, receives an athletic scholarship to a wealthy private school and has to decide between staying with her brother or switching to a new school to pursue her dreams.

Based on the first two seasons, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. In my opinion, autism was accurately portrayed, but of course, I’m not an expert on the topic. In the second season, Sam joined a support group, and it featured actual autistic teenagers on the show. Many people thought that the first season’s portrayal of autism wasn’t accurate, but with the addition of these teenagers, some changed their minds about its authenticity. I have learned a lot from watching these episodes, and I know many others did too. High school students may not be very knowledgeable about autism, and this series may help to educate them. Jericho High School Life Skills teacher Ms. Delvecchio said, “The main character, Sam, does an excellent job at explaining, especially to people who don’t know anything about autism, what it’s like to be a student in a school with autism.”

Many viewers find this Netflix original very appealing. For me, each episode was better than the last. Though it may be different from the other shows that teenagers watch, I found it to be just as enjoyable and informative. Many other students expressed the same opinions. Freshman Avery F. said, “I thought that it was really good, and I’ve never really seen a show about something like this, and they showed it in a good perspective.” Junior Tiffany C. said, “It’s an amazing show that accurately portrays the life of someone with autism and how they can have characteristics beyond that.” Adults like the series as well. Curriculum Associate of Pupil Personnel Services Dr. Sapienza said, “I enjoyed it. I thought it was funny. I think it was a good representation but presented in a nice way.”

Overall, this show exceeded my expectations. “Atypical” informs and entertains the audience all at once. The show is set to have a third season with ten new episodes. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend you hop onto your Netflix account and start watching.

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