Created By: Robia Rashid

Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Amy Okuda, Keir Gilchrist, Michael Rapaport

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Synopsis

Sam, an 18-year-old on the autism spectrum, decides it’s time to find a girlfriend, a journey that sets Sam’s mom on her own life-changing path as her son seeks more independence.

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I literally could not fall asleep one night and my usual remedy for this is to start watching a movie or an episode of a television show on Netflix. I scrolled through Netflix and I came across Atypical which I completely forgot had been released recently. I decided to check out the first episode…I ended up watching the entire season in one shot. So much for falling asleep.

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What I Liked

The characters. The characters were the best thing about this series, hands down. Atypical is a very character driven story therefore the characters needed to have been amazing or the show would have fallen flat. I loved Sam and the way that his character was depicted. I don’t personally know anyone who is on the spectrum as Sam’s character is so I don’t want to say that Kier Gilchrist’s performance was accurate, but for me it was completely believable. I think that he played the part wonderfully, but do please correct me if I’m wrong. I loved his relationship with his family and friends and how he behaves differently depending on who he is interacting with. Whether it was his mother, his sister or his best friend; each interaction was unique.

The dark humour. While this show was hilarious at times, it also dealt with some heavier topics. I loved the juxtaposition of these darker moments with the underlying humorous tone that this show carries.

The imperfect family dynamic. People aren’t perfect. Families aren’t perfect and I think that Atypical demonstrates this wonderfully. Sam’s mom wants her family to be perfect. She wants to be this perfect mom that has everything under control, but obviously that is something that is a lot easier said than done.

The quick pace. Clearly, if I could watch the whole thing in one night, especially when my initial intention was to watch the first episode and then hopefully fall asleep, this show moved at a fast paced. It felt like as soon as I started an episode it was already over and all I wanted was to continue watching. Cue the next episode.

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What I Didn’t Like

The length of the season. This was just way too short! Only 8 episodes?! Only 30 minutes each?! This just wasn’t ideal for binging. I finished watching it after 4 straight hours and I was left wanting so much more!

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Overall, I was really impressed with this first season of Netflix’s Atypical! By the time I was finished the season, I was left wanting more. I couldn’t believe I flew through the entire season that quickly.

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Thank you for reading!