Television’s portrayal of neurodivergence has long suffered from a persistent blind spot. By casting neurotypical actors to play stereotypical — and often heavily coded yet undiagnosed — white male savant archetypes, Hollywood built a rigid standard that has largely erased women, people of color and the broader diversity of real-world neurodivergent experiences.
“When you lump all neurodivergent perspectives into the same story — like ADHD, dyslexic and autistic adults — without showing the difference in lived experiences, people start to assume that they’re all the same,” says Tal Anderson, a first-time Emmy nominee for The Pitt. “People start to think that autistic people are all low-support needs [i.e., highly functioning] if that’s all they see onscreen. When that happens, an entire half the autistic community is left out of the conversation and, long-term, that’s really damaging for all of us.”
When director Cian O’Clery co-created Love on the Spectrum — first in Australia, then as an Emmy-winning U.S. adaptation for Netflix — he never expected the docu-reality dating series to “become such a focal point of autism representation.” While his team incorporates community feedback, O’Clery emphasizes that the goal was never to “tell the story of autism,” but rather to center the “individual stories” of its castmembers, whom he considers the show’s most important consultants.
Dylan and Melissa at the Santa Monica Pier on Netflix‘s Love on the Spectrum
Courtesy of Netflix
On the scripted side, the writing staff on The Pitt have introduced various neurodivergent characters “in ways where we could focus on their lives as humans instead of specifically on their behaviors or challenges directly as issues,” Anderson says. “Something most people wouldn’t notice — and something I think most autistic people would agree on — is that because of cultural and social pressures, autistic women usually behave very differently from autistic men. And in a very subtle way, the writers not only incorporated this into the story, but they also got it right.”
The second season vividly captures how neurodivergence manifests within families, particularly as Anderson’s character, Becca King, asserts her independence from her twin sister, Dr. Mel King (Taylor Dearden) — a push for autonomy underscored when Becca reveals she’s having sex with her boyfriend.
“Bodily autonomy is something all disabled people battle. There are other issues that kind of go hand in hand with that, like infantilization [and] the right to personal privacy,” Anderson says. “For me, it was a huge moment to be able to be part of seeing that subject in the spotlight through Becca. Everyone has the right to be part of making decisions about their own personal life.”
That right to self- determination also remains at the heart of Love on the Spectrum, which O’Clery says has received increasing numbers of applications every year from autistic individuals looking for help in entering the dating world. After undergoing an extensive screening process conducted by producers, who also double as casting directors, the chosen participants tell the creative team what type of person they’d like to meet.
According to O’Clery, the matchmaking process is tailored to the individual, but the team typically pairs people who share common interests, operate on “similar wavelengths” and live in the same region. “If they’re in L.A. or New York and if they want to date someone else on the spectrum — which often they do — we’ve got so many [applicants] that it’s actually a lot easier for us to find a match,” he says. “But when someone is somewhere a bit smaller, it can be quite difficult trying to find people that might be on that similar wavelength, which represents that kind of struggle that a lot of people face of finding someone who is a match.”
But unlike other mainstream dating shows, where producers are infamous for manufacturing conflict among romantic interests, Love on the Spectrum has embraced a wholesome, less cynical approach to love. “The main way that we can maintain the entertainment value is just by casting interesting people who you really care about,” says O’Clery. “Luckily, in the space of dating, there’s always a natural narrative in that will-they-won’t-they. But when you’re not pushing for conflict or drama, it’s hard to compete with some of those shows that have got that in spades, so we’re constantly surprised and happy that audiences are coming back.”
Eva Erickson (second from right) on CBS’ Survivor
Robert Voets/CBS
O’Clery initially conceived Love on the Spectrum to address Australia’s lack of social support for autistic adults. Since then, the show has not only inspired organizations to fill those gaps but also has helped normalize neurodivergent stories on a global scale. That tangible, real-life impact has left the creative team energized heading into production on season five.
“The fact that The Pitt is casting someone on the spectrum, maybe that’s in some little way affected by our show. Survivor had someone on the autism spectrum [named Eva Erickson] recently,” O’Clery notes. “Ten years ago, would that have happened? I’m not sure. But I think [that representation] is just starting to get out there a lot, which is great.”
Yet true authenticity in storytelling often falters when it comes to casting, with neurotypical actors still frequently playing neurodivergent roles. “I hope that with the acceptance of this messaging on The Pitt, it means that we will start seeing a lot more stories onscreen from disabled voices and that they’ll be shown more honestly,” notes Anderson. “It’s a very positive and welcome start, but I don’t think we can significantly shift public perception about neurodivergence without more authentic exposure.”
This story first appeared in an August stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.