''Atypical'' is an American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

television series created by

Robia Rashid Robia Sara Rashid (born July 30, 1977) is an American television writer-producer and showrunner. She is widely known as the creator of Netflix original series ''Atypical''. Rashid was also the co-story editor, co-producer and supervising producer ...

for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. It focuses on the life of 18-year-old Sam Gardner (

Keir Gilchrist Keir David Peters Gilchrist (; born 28 September 1992) is a Canadian actor and musician. On television, he portrayed Marshall Gregson on the Showtime comedy-drama ''United States of Tara'' (2009–2011) and headlined the Netflix comedy-drama ' ...

), who is on the autism spectrum. The first season was released on August 11, 2017, consisting of eight episodes. The 10-episode second season was released on September 7, 2018. In October 2018, the series was renewed for a third season of ten episodes, which was released on November 1, 2019. In February 2020, it was renewed for a fourth and final season, which premiered on July 9, 2021. The first season received mostly positive reviews. However, it was highly criticized by some sources for its lack of autistic actors, and inaccuracies in its depiction of autism. The second season featured autistic actors and writers, giving them an opportunity to work and represent their community, and received mostly positive reviews. The third season continued this positive development and received overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Cast and characters

Main

as Sam Gardner, an 18-year-old young man on the

autism spectrum The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

who has an interest in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

and loves

penguins Penguins ( order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...

. Gilchrist said about the character, "He's one person that is on the autism spectrum. He's a very specific character." *

Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough as Stacy Hamilton in ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She ...

as Elsa Gardner, Sam and Casey's overprotective mother. * *

Brigette Lundy-Paine Brigette Lundy-Paine (born August 10, 1994) is an American actor. They first came to prominence for portraying Casey Gardner on all four seasons of the Netflix comedy-drama ''Atypical'' (2017–2021). In 2020, Lundy-Paine achieved further recog ...

as Casey Gardner, Sam's younger sister who also is very protective of him. She is very athletic and thanks to this gets a scholarship at a private school. *

Amy Okuda Amy Okuda is an American actress. She portrayed Julia Sasaki on the Netflix comedy-drama ''Atypical'' (2017–2021), where she was a series regular during the first two seasons. Okuda is most well-known as Tinkerballa in the popular web series '' ...

as Julia Sasaki (seasons 1–2; recurring: season 3; guest: season 4), Sam's dedicated therapist, whom he briefly has a crush on. *

Michael Rapaport Michael David Rapaport (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. Beginning his career in the early 1990s, he has made over 100 appearances in film and television. His film roles include ''True Romance'' (1993), '' Higher Learning ...

as Doug Gardner, Sam and Casey's father and Elsa's husband. He works as an

emergency medical technician An emergency medical technician (EMT), also known as an ambulance technician, is a health professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found working in ambulances. In English-speaking countries, paramedics are ...

(EMT).

Recurring

Nik Dodani Nik Dodani (born December 19, 1993) is an American actor, writer, and comedian known for his roles as Zahid in the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Atypical'', and Pat Patel in the revival of the popular CBS sitcom '' Murphy Brown''. He also star ...

as Zahid Raja, Sam's best friend, a "dweeby and foul-mouthed

lothario Lothario is a male given name that came to suggest an unscrupulous seducer of women, based upon a character in ''The Fair Penitent'', a 1703 tragedy by Nicholas Rowe.

" *

Jenna Boyd Jenna Michelle Boyd (born March 4, 1993) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress with roles in the 2003 films '' The Hunted'', '' Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star'' and '' The Missing'', and the 2005 film ''The Sisterho ...

as Paige Hardaway, Sam's high-achieving friend and later girlfriend. * Graham Rogers as Evan Chapin, Casey's boyfriend from the beginning of the series. At the end of season 3, they however split up as Casey realizes she is

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

. He works at a local pizza place, but later decides to become an EMT like Doug. * Christina Offley as Sharice (seasons 1–2 & 4; guest: season 3), Casey's childhood best friend. *

Kevin Daniels Kevin Dwight Daniels Jr. (born December 9, 1976 in San Diego, California), is an American actor who started his career with a supporting role in the 1998 film ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' by director Nicholas Hytner. He has appeared i ...

as Coach Briggs * Rachel Redleaf as Beth Chapin, Evan's sister, who Casey stands up for after witnessing her get bullied for her weight. * Ariela Barer as Bailey Bennett (seasons 1–2) * Anthony Jacques as Christopher (seasons 1–2) * Wendy Braun as Kathy * Karl T. Wright as Chuck (seasons 1 & 3–4), Doug's EMT partner * Raúl Castillo as Nick (season 1; guest: season 2), a bartender Elsa has an affair with * Nina Ameri as Luisa, Elsa's friend. *

Fivel Stewart Trente Heavyn "Fivel" Stewart (born November 4, 1996) is an American actress and singer who first came to attention in her main cast role as Izzie in three seasons of the Netflix series ''Atypical'' (2018–2021). , she is in the main cast of th ...

as Izzie Taylor (seasons 2–4), a student at Casey's new school. A fellow runner, she becomes Casey's best friend, and later, girlfriend. *

Kimmy Gatewood Kimmy Gatewood is an American actress, director, writer and singer. Gatewood is a native of Silver Spring, Maryland, and was educated at Paint Branch High School. She has been in a long-running comedy duo with fellow '' GLOW'' actress Rebekka Jo ...

as Coach Crowley (seasons 2–4) * Angel Laketa Moore as Megan (seasons 2–4), Doug's female friend & confidante from the Autism support group. * Domonique Brown as Jasper (seasons 2–4) a student in the peer group who later enrolls at Denton. * Layla Weiner as Amber (seasons 2–3), Megan's daughter. * Naomi Rubin as Noelle (seasons 2–4), a girl in Sam's peer group who later attends Denton with Jasper and Sid. * Graham Phillips as Nate (season 2; guest: season 3), Izzie's ex-boyfriend. * Casey Wilson as Ms. Whitaker (season 2) * Major Curda as Arlo (season 2; guest: season 1) * Jeff Rosenthal as Bob (seasons 3–4; guest: seasons 1–2), Sam and Zahid's boss at Techtropolis. *

Sara Gilbert Sara Gilbert (born Sara Rebecca Abeles; January 29, 1975) is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner on the ABC sitcom '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and ...

as Professor Judd (seasons 3–4), Sam's ethics professor at Denton University. * Allie Rae Treharne as Gretchen (seasons 3–4), Zahid's disgraced troublemaking girlfriend. * Kimia Behpoornia as Abby (seasons 3–4), Sam's friend. *

Eric McCormack Eric James McCormack (born April 18, 1963) is a Canadian-American actor and singer, known for his roles as Will Truman in the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', Grant MacLaren in Netflix's ''Travelers'' and Dr. Daniel Pierce in the TNT crime drama ...

as Professor Shinerock (season 3), Sam's art professor at Denton University. * Tal Anderson as Sid (seasons 3–4) a new friend that Sam meets while she is volunteering at the Denton Disability Services office. *

Jenny O'Hara Patricia Joanne "Jenny" O'Hara (born February 24, 1942) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for Dixie in ''My Sister Sam'' (1986–1988), Janet Heffernan in ''The King of Queens'' (2001–2007), and Nita in ''B ...

as Lillian (seasons 3–4), Elsa's mother.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2017)

Season 2 (2018)

Season 3 (2019)

Season 4 (2021)

Background, production, and release

The

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

series, originally known as ''Antarctica'', was created and written by Robia Rashid, who previously worked on ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...

'' and '' The Goldbergs'' as a producer. For a more accurate portrayal, she consulted with Michelle Dean, a

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...

professor who worked at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

's Center for Autism Research and Treatment. Gilchrist said in an interview for ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'', " ashidwrote the script. We talked a ton and I did research and I watched movies and I read books". The supporting character Christopher is played by Anthony Jacques, who is autistic. Season 1 was released on August 11, 2017, and consisted of eight episodes. On September 13, 2017, ''Atypical'' was renewed for a ten-episode second season. David Finch, who is autistic, joined the writing team. Eight autistic actors from

The Miracle Project The Miracle Project is a theater and film program for autistic children and their siblings and friends, which was featured in the HBO documentary ''Autism: The Musical''. The documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and won two Emmy ...

have supporting roles in the second season as members of a peer support group which Sam joins, and other autistic actors play neurotypical characters. Executive producer Mary Rohlich also said the show was "bringing in more female directors and female diversity": seven of the ten episodes were directed by women and half of the writing team were female. The second season was released on September 7, 2018, and consisted of 10 episodes. On October 24, 2018, ''Atypical'' was renewed for a third season of 10 episodes. In May 2019, it was announced

and

would appear in the third season. The third season was released on November 1, 2019, and consisted of 10 episodes. On February 24, 2020, ''Atypical'' was renewed for its fourth and last season. The season consisted of ten episodes and premiered on July 9, 2021.

Reception

Season 1

At the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the first season received a score of 66 from 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, 74% of 42 critics have given the season a positive review with an average rating of 5.4 out of 10. The website's consensus is: "Great performances and a likable, realistic family dealing with autism lift ''Atypical'' above its alarming tonal shifts and predictability." The acting was generally well-received, although Gilchrist's portrayal received criticism for being "inaccurate" and "stereotypical". The lack of autistic people in the cast was also questioned.

Season 2

Sara Luterman of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that the second season improves on the first. Sam's decision to go to art school deviates from common depictions of autism, and his being autistic is no longer "the source of

is family's In linguistics, a copula (plural: copulas or copulae; list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word or phrase that links the subject (grammar), subject of a sentence (linguistics), sentence to a subject complement, such as the word '' ...

misery". Luterman praised the involvement of more autistic people as writers and actors, but criticized that Sam's misogyny is unaddressed and that he is "still portrayed as more of a checklist than a person". Lorraine Ali of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' lauded the show's continuing "unique perspective, sharp humor and empathy", and described the show as a "wonderfully atypical family drama" with "many moving and awkward moments". In a negative review, Jen Chaney of ''

'' wrote that the show "loses some of its focus" in the second season, such as with the "unnecessary side plot" of Julia, an "underdeveloped side character", or by attempting to make Zahid a "lovably wacky sidekick". Chaney stated that the show's situations "often seem contrived or aim blatantly for the easy joke", and criticized scenes between Doug and Elsa which "don't seem reflective of actual human behavior". However, Chaney praised Lundy-Paine's acting, which switches between "understanding" and "exasperation", and Gilchrist's "yard-stick straight" acting.

Season 3

, season 3 has a 100% rating based on 7 reviews, and the average rating is 7/10. Merrill Barr of ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' wrote, "Season three of ''Atypical'' is the show's boldest to date and truly feels like it has reached its stride. ..Now, the show just gets to live and breathe as it explores its unique story in ever-evolving and fascinating ways." Holly Edwards of ''Film Inquiry'' concluded that "the dramatic and comedic beats almost always hit the right notes and know when a shift in tone is required." She called the show a "step up from many shows of the same variety and a worthwhile viewing experience."

Accolades

References

External links