Review: Atypical

By Edyth Leach

In only 18 episodes, Sam Gardner has managed to steal the nation’s hearts. On 11th August 2017, Netflix introduced Atypical, a show that focuses on Sam, a teenager on the autism spectrum who has decided he is ready for a relationship. Atypical follows Sam’s struggle in independence throughout 3 seasons, starting with his struggle to find friends in high school, to his independence in season 2 and finally starting college in season 3. It is evident that Keir Gilchrist - the actor who plays Sam - captured the essence of Sam’s character perfectly. His extreme talent has left others wondering, is he also autistic? The answer to this is no.

Keir Gilchrist has been approached by many people for interviews as to what it’s like to play a teenager on the spectrum. Keir responded with, “People have asked me, “How could you possibly get inside Sam’s head and play a character like that?” And I don’t know that it’s as difficult as people think it is. There’s a lot of misunderstanding about the autism spectrum. I’ve even been amazed when I started playing the part that people really had no idea what autism even was. Even if they’ve met people on the spectrum, they don’t understand how it works at all. But it’s very relatable. I’ve even had friends tell me, “Oh, yeah, I am on the spectrum,” and I had no idea before that. Obviously, no two people on the spectrum are the same. Sam’s just this very relatable person and that’s partly because of his honesty. He’s so honest. Almost brutally honest, at times, I would say. And it’s a lot of where the comedy comes from with his character. But he’s so honest, and especially, I think having the voiceover where you are really in Sam’s head makes him very relatable, because he says exactly how he feels about the things around him. So, that’s one way he’s so accessible to a lot of people”.

The cast has been very effective in ensuring that the portrayal of Sam was accurate, and not offensive to anyone on the spectrum, or with relations to them. Sam’s family and best friend, Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine), Elsa (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Doug (Michael Rapaport) and Zahid (Nik Dodani) prove to be very supportive throughout all 3 seasons. Zahid plays a major role in Sam’s inner development, he acts as a role model to Sam, his first port of call when things go wrong, showing how Sam massively relied on others around him for advice and help in certain situations.

Atypical has clearly impacted the lives of everyone in the UK. Many people have taken to social media to share their support to the Netflix Original, claiming that it is insightful into the life of a teenager on the spectrum and how their everyday struggles may sometimes go unnoticed by others.