'Atypical' Comedy Series That Tackles Autism Is Set to Premiere in August
Netflix ventures into new territory with their upcoming "Atypical," which follows the life of a high school boy on the autism spectrum. The series premieres on Friday, Aug. 11.
"Atypical" may be another coming-of-age story, but the characters take the show to a different level as Keir Gilchrist plays Sam Gardner, a high school senior with autism. Jennifer Jason Leigh takes on the role of overprotective mom Elsa, as summarized by Entertainment Weekly.
A preview clip for the show comes with the premiere date announcement by Netflix, and the short video shows a typical interaction between the autistic teen and his sheltering mother. In the preview, the two are talking in the car as Sam starts mentioning his idea to start dating.
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"Talking to girls makes me a little nervous," Sam says, "but Julia says it's good to do things that scare you," he adds, referring to his therapist.
Elsa, his mother, probes his son's newfound confidence to start associating with the opposite sex. "Fear is also there for a biological reason: I mean, fight or flight, right?" she offered. Sam, however, is convinced that he has to take the next step.
"Mom, I'm getting older... and at some point, I really, really hope that I get to see boobs," Sam explained hesitantly.
The show follows not only Sam's personal development while faced with the fact that he's not that different from what society considers normal, but "Atypical" also explores the common notion of what is acceptable or not.
Michael Rapaport joins the cast as Sam's father, Doug, according to Deadline. Like his wife, Doug wants to understand his son better, and at the same time, help him along the way as Sam ventures out to try his hand at normal human relationships, whatever that means for him.
The video below shows Netflix' trailer for "Atypical," coming on Aug. 11.
