The best portrayals of autism in TV shows
Did you know the character Rain Man is based on wasn’t actually autistic? The damage that the movie has made is still palpable today. Stereotypical representations of autism can harm us by perpetuating false or very narrow ideas of what autism is like. Almost all representations fit this genius savant stereotype, where the character is a genius who knows everything about everything. These representations exclude a lot of autistic people and can hurt us in our everyday life.
The genius savant stereotype also perpetuates the idea that autistic people are only tolerated in society if they’re “useful”. Savant syndrome is rare, and it’s not particularly linked to autism, so autistic savants are even harder to find. Autistic people have all levels of intelligence you find in neurotypicals, and our intelligence does not always fit the traditional definition. There are also different types of savant skills, but the genius savant they portray in so many shows is so rare there are probably only 75 people in the whole world who have it, and out of those, how many are autistic? For these reasons, any shows that choose this false idea of autism automatically get lots of eye rolls from me.
So let’s talk about the best portrayals of autism I’ve seen, those who show or at least don’t completely fail to show our humanity and the breadth of our experience. In this piece, I am only considering shows that have openly autistic characters, and I’m not including those who have autistic-coded characters. I am personally not a fan of shows that use autistic traits but don’t want to actually do the work of portraying an autistic character or the autistic experience. You don’t need to make the story about autism, but what’s wrong with making autism part of the story?
Almost all autistic characters depicted in media are white men. When they show autistic women, they’re almost always white, and they still often use the same already inaccurate male stereotype. Women and nonbinary individuals, as well as autistic people of colour, have a much stronger burden to mask their autistic traits. For some, like black autistic people, it’s even a question of life and death. As we will see, some shows actually get this right and show very realistic pictures of autism in underrepresented groups. I will sometimes refer to specific concepts of autism-like sensory issues, stimming/stims and special interests. I direct you to this neat autism glossary as well as my other articles for definitions.
1. Everything’s Gonna be Okay
- My rating: 💜💜💜💜💜
- IMDB link and pitch: “After their father’s untimely death, Nicholas and his two half-sisters are left to cope with not only a devastating loss but also the realization that Nicholas is the one who must rise to the occasion and hold it all together.”
- Where to find it: Hulu
“Have I missed a vital social cue again or is this pretty weird?” — Matilda
“I wish I was an autistic boy. They love trains” — Matilda
I’ve watched both seasons of this show twice now, and it really stands out as the best portrayal of autism I’ve ever seen. The show is also brilliantly made, and every character is a full-blown complex one.
Matilda, the main autistic character, is given lots of screen time and is far from an afterthought. In a very autistic fashion, she doesn’t know the arbitrary limits our society makes up and only follows her heart. This is a strength we have that is rarely shown, that we end up minimizing after realizing society does not tolerate deviations from even the most nonsensical rules. In the first episode, Matilda has a crush on the school’s most popular guy and doesn’t understand why her sister tries to dissuade her. And why should she? Why would it matter that he’s popular and she’s younger, not the popular type and autistic? I truly believe we can teach neurotypicals to care less about arbitrary rules that hurt them and to follow their hearts more. In the first episode, Matilda cracks inappropriate jokes at a funeral, and it’s hilarious and beautiful. She’s so endearing, and not in a pitiful way like I’ve seen in other shows, but humanly and genuinely.
A huge part of why this show is such a great representation of autism is that every autistic character is played by an autistic actor. And I think without it, you wouldn’t have such a realistic portrayal backed by amazing acting and a relatable story. We meet several autistic characters and get to see their inner life, not just how they make other people feel (the “what a burden autistic people are to neurotypicals” theme is present in many other shows). There’s also a good array of autistic characters, and it’s really nice to see how they’re each different. One of the characters has an amazing scene about their sensory issue and clothing, and I felt so seen. I particularly like that Everything’s Gonna be Okay shows the journey to diagnosis and acceptance of an adult character. Many people are diagnosed late because even the medical understanding of autism is highly stereotypical, and white boys are overwhelmingly studied.
The show also portrays romantic relationships and navigating sexuality on the spectrum. “We’re not in a movie. You always wanna act like we’re in a movie,” says one character to Matilda. That line really hit home for me. Using movies as references a bit too literally is something I have done, especially in my youth 😄
Everything’s Gonna be Okay also includes a very touching and sensitive portrayal of grief. It is so smartly done, not overwhelming, and full of subtlety. This show is deep and touching but also light and funny and all the things you want a show to be. I cannot recommend it enough!
2. As We See It
- My rating: 💜💜💜💜💜 🙄
- IMDB link and pitch: “Three autistic roommates find a way to live together and strive for similar things in life.”
- Where to find it: Amazon Prime Video
“Before last night I was a child. I was clueless. I was blind. I was…you” — Violet
- “You wanna see my cabinets? I organized the content by size and color.” — Douglas
-”Shit, yeah. I wanna see your cabinets” — Violet
My very close second favourite, As We See It, also features autistic actors and even had a couple of smaller non-autistic specified characters played by autistic actors (you might recognize a cameo by one of my fave from Everything’s Gonna be Okay!). This show has a lot of autistic characters, showing a good array of what the spectrum actually means. There is not just one main character, and I love this because all three of them are given the lead.
My favourite, Violet, is such a gem. I felt so validated watching her. She’s intense and big in her joy and pain. Her emotions are raw, and she strives for human connection. A lot of the experiences and feelings depicted in this show resonated with my own life, especially the very strong feelings that Violet has. I understood exactly what she was feeling, and it was almost too real. Her intensity of being, of feeling, felt so true to life.
I also love Harrison, who is such a lovely and gentle soul, but he’s often misunderstood the most because he doesn’t act like people expect a man his age too. Yet he has so much to offer; he’s considerate and has a rich inner life, even though he barely goes out because of his sensory issues. The character I found the least interesting is Jack, who’s closer to the regular and tired stereotype. He’s still better than most other shows because he’s more than just the stereotype, but I still can’t help but roll my eyes sometimes at how cliché his behaviour is. They still did a good job, as he has depth, and you can’t help but feel attached to all of them in the end.
All the characters are well-developed and incredibly attached. The show touches on underemployment and the troubles of keeping a job in a society not made for us or even accepting of our strengths and challenges. It also portrays romantic relationships as an autistic person and the challenges of navigating feelings in a neurotypical world. As Everything’s gonna be okay brilliantly did, As we see it also shows meltdowns and sensory issues. I also found an amazing depiction of friendship and a great illustration of the fact that autistic people don’t care about age. We’re not stopped by arbitrary rules of what’s appropriate and who we should be friends with. We connect with people on a human and honest level, even if neurotypicals don’t always understand that.
As We See It is a great show that portrays autistic characters as full-blown human beings, (mostly) far from the tropes. I strongly recommend watching this one if you haven’t already!
3. It’s Okay Not to be Okay
- My rating: 💜💜💜💜
- IMDB link and pitch: “An extraordinary road to emotional healing opens up for a selfish antisocial children’s book writer and a selfless psych ward caretaker when they cross paths.”
- Where to find it: Netflix
“Is being different something to be afraid of?… Do you have to live alone in a castle when you’re different” — Moon Sang-tae
This Korean drama features an autistic supporting character. Moon Sang-tae is the brother of one of the main characters, Moon Gang-tae. He’s warm-hearted and cares a lot about people. His meltdowns are well portrayed, and the steps his brother takes to help him are really accurate.
There is only one autistic character, so we don’t get a wide array of autistic experiences, but Sang-tae didn’t feel over the top or exaggerated. The portrayal felt pretty genuine, and I was really happy the show and the actor didn’t overdo it. His stims are also portrayed, and even if his special interest in dinosaurs is a little stereotypical, it’s still less so than trains. He’s also an artist, which many autistic people are, and I liked that it showed a less-known side of autism and debunks the genius savant stereotype. Autistics are very creative and can be great artists.
His strengths are also shown not in a savant way but in a realistic way. He’s fiercely honest, cares about people, and is very perceptive, even if he isn’t always understood by neurotypicals.
It’s Okay Not to be Okay deals with trauma and shows characters overcoming it (including Sang-tae), and that’s rare enough to deserve to be pointed out. As we see Sang-tae become more independent with proper understanding and accommodations, I think it illustrates really well how much of a waste it is that autistic people are underemployed. The right circumstances and people willing to see our strengths and accommodate our challenges can make a huge difference in our lives and benefit everyone.
4. Astrid & Raphaëlle
- My rating: 💜💜💜 🙄🙄
- IMDB link and pitch: “Astrid is autistic and has an incredible memory, so she is very useful in analyzing files. The district commander decides to entrust her with very complex investigations which have remained unsolved to date.”
- Where to find it: Salto (if you’re in France), Amazon Prime Video
“I’d rather be rejected for who I am than accepted for who I’m not”— Alice
The first thing I’d say about this show is that even the IMDB pitch says the autistic character is “useful,” so yay for ableism. This show is in my native French tongue, and I will start by saying that France is unfortunately not where North America is in terms of autism acceptance and understanding. The IMDB pitch is not the one to blame for this view, the show definitely reinforces this idea that autistic people are only tolerated in the society of they’re useful and/or show monkeys. That said, I still enjoyed the show and liked seeing this character, and even if the portrayal of autism is very flawed, it still gets some things right.
Astrid’s special interests are more realistic than in other media. She is obsessed with puzzles of all kinds. We also see a small but great autistic character having languages as his special interest, which is very realistic. I like how they show that her special interest soothes her, that it is her refuge when she is overwhelmed and that she communicates when she absolutely needs to retreat into it. I like that Astrid hates small talk and absolutely cannot do it. I also like that they show her pattern of thinking, which is very common. We also see her navigate romantic relationships, even if that arc is a little too stereotypical, in my opinion.
This show made me eye roll quite a bit. Indeed, she’s an adult, yet she doesn’t understand and takes literally some very common sayings that she’s bound to have heard in her 30-so years on earth. And, of course the fact that she’s yet another autistic genius savant. She knows everything on everything better than all the professionals around her. She even cites word for word sometimes, so also photographic memory? I like that they show her research the places linked to the cases she’s working on, but there are just way too many things about absolutely everything that she knows and knows better than the pathologist or other experts.
Sensory issues, on the other hand, are well portrayed. Her hypersensitivity to sound is shown often, and the pain she feels when there are loud or sudden noises is well depicted. They also show her having meltdowns and communicating her energy capacity with Raphaëlle through the spoon theory, which is widely used in the community but little known outside of it. Her relationship with Raphaëlle, the other main character, is an interesting one and pretty genuine. I won’t spoil it, but there is a beautiful moment with a metaphor that is carried throughout the show about a thimble Raphaëlle gifts Astrid.
I was sad to find that the best characters are the ones we see the least often. We are introduced to an array of other autistic characters from her support group. The support group really reminded me of the one I facilitated, and I love that they added that storyline. The characters are even portrayed by actual autistics, unlike the main character. I can honestly say they are my favourite thing about this show. One of these actors, Lizzy Brynn, said in an interview that the production company had accommodations for her on set, like a quiet place to eat lunch, but she also said she had to correct some unfortunate phrasing in the scripts. My favourite quote above is from one of these support group characters. In the show, we witness discrimination against Astrid in the police and how institutions are doing absolutely nothing to help autistic people, which is the sad reality in France. Too bad the production itself denied the main role to an actually autistic person, I think it would have made all the difference.
This show is a pretty good one, and a mixed-bag portrayal of autism, mostly because the main character is played by a neurotypical actress and is written stereotypically. In one episode, there even is a white autistic boy obsessed with trains because why be nuanced? I actually find the actress who plays the younger version of Astrid to be better at it and more subtle at portraying autism. The main actress is frankly over the top and not subtle in her faking of autism. With all that said, the amazing support group characters and the things they got right about Astrid still make it a show worth watching for me.
5. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
- My rating: 💜💜💜 🙄🙄🙄
- IMDB link and pitch: “About an autistic 27-year-old lawyer. Due to her high IQ of 164, impressive memory, and creative thought process, the brilliant Woo Young Woo graduated at the top of her class from a prestigious law school.”
- Where to find it: Netflix
“I live in an unfamiliar ocean with unfamiliar belugas. Because everyone’s different from me, it’s not easy to adjust and there are lots of whales that hate me, too. But it’s okay. Because this is my life. Though my life is unusual and peculiar, it’s valuable and beautiful.” — Woo Young Woo
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this Kdrama because it gets some things right and so many wrongs that I wonder if it doesn’t actually end up reinforcing ableism. Even the IMDB pitch gives me eye rolls. Like with Astrid et Raphaëlle, it’s that same idea that autistic people are tolerated if they’re useful. And boy, is she useful…Another genius savant with a photographic memory to top it all. I didn’t like that they not only implied but actually showed she was tolerated by most of her colleagues only because she was useful and won the cases. Yay for progress. So the rest of us, who are actually regular people with no savant skills, and no photographic memory, don’t deserve a place in society if I follow their reasoning. So basically, no autistic person does since that stereotype is just that, a stereotype. I also felt a bit uneasy because of how exaggerated, and stereotypical Young-woo’s mannerisms sometimes are. I wish she had been played by an autistic actress because, as usual, this can easily be avoided.
Anyway, I could ramble on for hours on this. But the show did get some things right, and I still enjoyed watching it, so let me get to the good stuff. Her special interest in cetaceans is actually realistic and not the usual special interest stereotypes, so points for that. Her sensory issues are pretty well portrayed, she’s hypersensitive to sound, and her real pain is shown. But, going further than the usual sound sensitivity, they also portray her food sensory issues, which we see less often. She only eats gimbap and, even at a fancy restaurant, will prefer plain cheap gimbap, thank you very much. That really resonated with me, and I felt seen.
They have a pretty cool visualization of her brain looking through categories to retrieve information, which, genius savant apart, was a good way to illustrate how our brains classify everything! They also show her navigating romantic relationships and give her a cute love interest. She also stims quite a bit, which is always really cool to see. Her being scared of the revolving door was a really cool detail; I felt so seen. It also shows that autism is not one thing but rather lots of different abilities that can coexist and even vary from day to day. So being a competent professional doesn’t exclude her being unable to process and use revolving doors.
They show the overt discrimination she has to face in the workplace and it can be a good thing to denounce it but they never seen to do so. The Korean context is obviously different than the one in North American cultures, but It’s Okay Not to be Okay is also a Korean drama and is proof you don’t have to show and condone that much stigma and ableism. In Korean the title does not say “extraordinary” at all, but a word that translates to weird, odd or strange. So while I don’t want to completely discard this show because of the good things it has, this would be better watched with all the context in mind.
Conclusion
I hope you discovered new shows and will consider watching the first ones on this list especially! This is my personal opinion so I don’t expect everyone to like what I liked, but I guarantee the first two on this list are absolute gems.
I haven’t considered other genres like “reality” TV (which is actually scripted and/or heavily orchestrated). I did not make it through even one episode of Love on the spectrum; I couldn’t stand the genre’s tropes and tricks. I considered mentioning Atypical in this list, but it checks too much of the bingo, even though I liked the other autistic characters that have very little onscreen time. The main character just makes my eyes roll too much. Note that I also haven’t seen The Good Doctor and won’t ever because blood and hospitals are not something I can handle, and it also seems like he’s yet another genius-savant white man, so yeah, no.
What’s your take on the shows I mentioned and any others I did not mention here?
