Autism awareness has come a long way since my childhood where such a thing practically didn't exist. Unfortunately, the consequences are not all as fruitful as one may expect. Meet Sam, a cookie-cutter image of what most people probably believe to be an autistic person. His life is a chain of goofy events which he handles like some humanoid alien because that is what an autistic person is in the public mind. And why is that so? Because the public gets to see that same depiction over and over again. It's the same as with gay people who are always some kind of flamboyant and dramatic (Modern Family, ...). Yes, it's entertaining, endearing but not at all representative of what an autistic person (or a gay person for that matter) is often like in real life. Even Saga Noren from The Brige/Bron, which I must say was one of the better depictions of Autism I have seen so far, had to act as if she had never heard about the principle of 'white lies' before in her whole life. As if she had fallen from a star that previous night. But back to our story. I cringe at so many things here, but one thing the most. It seems that the producers could not find an autistic actor to play the role because none fitted the character. I rather assume that they were worried that an autistic actor would find the tropes in this play so annoying that they preferred not to hire one. Just an idea. In any case, Atypical doesn't help much at all to understand the every day life and difficulties of autistic people. It only helps reaffirm some tropes about their awkwardness and helplessness. I'm an aspie myself and I cringe a lot while watching this show. Nevertheless, I gave three points because I admit that it's mildly entertaining. I'm not going to talk about the uninventive side story of a cheating mother who lost her self-confidence to age. That doesn't bother me half as much as the exploitation of one of the last underprivileged groups in our society that still doesn't seem to get enough protection from such cringeworthy exploitation that is a series like this one. I really hope that some day we will see a series or film that tries to depict the issues of autistic people from their side and not as a fabrication out of the tropes that exist about them.

I like the diversity of each character and how their stories are intertwined in such a realistic manner. Everybody's struggle is so easy to relate with. And it's not too serious. Amazing dialogues and storytelling. Please bring the second season soon!

For starters, Keir Gilchrist and Michael Rapaport crush it in this show. I'm generally not one to watch dramedies, but this show definitely has its moments.My biggest complaint with the show honestly has to be Jennifer Jason Leigh. I'm not really a fan of the cheating subplot to begin with, but there's something about how she plays Elsa that just makes the character irritating and very difficult to empathize with. Maybe its the dynamic that her character is supposed to create, but it comes off as naggy. Pair that with the unnecessary character of Nick and the show just makes you feel bad for everyone who is oblivious to the mother's actions.Some may argue that Doug's walking out in 2004 justifies Elsa's actions, but the show does not do a great enough job of stressing the magnitude of that, but milks the cheating scenes far too much, creating an unbalance between the emotions you feel toward each parent. Doug is trying to improve and Elsa is going off the rails.All in all, I find the show to be quite entertaining, but there is definitely something to be desired that is not present.

Really good show. Every acting on this show feels real. The only actor I am actually familiar with among the lineup is the father. Basically, the show is about an 18-year old high school senior who has high-functioning autism and how his dynamic changes between him and his family as he decides he is ready to start dating and have sex. What goes on after that is a whirlwind of emotions between each member of the family. If you enjoy quirky, yet serious dramedies and coming-of-age tales, this will suit you well. The season has been picked up for a 10-episode second season being renewed next year. I'm interested in how this will turn up.