Watch: Netflix’s Atypical Trailer Is Hilarious, but Will It Be Poignant?
Photo by Greg Gayne/NetflixNetflix has released the official trailer for its forthcoming comedy series Atypical. The series is about Sam (Keir Gilchrist, It Follows), a teen boy on the autism spectrum desperately trying to feel normal and finally do normal boy things like “see boobs.”
The half-hour, eight-episode series is a bildungsroman with a twist, also focusing on a family who has adapted to live with Sam and now must change themselves. (His mom is the one Sam confides in about the boob thing.) The well-rounded cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh as Sam’s mother, Michael Rapaport as Sam’s father, Bridgette Lundy as Sam’s scrappy sister and Amy Okuda as his therapist.
Netflix has tackled difficult topics in the past and received mixed reviews. To The Bone and 13 Reasons Why have drawn both support and opposition for their depictions of anorexia and suicide, respectively. Whether the streaming giant is learning will be seen when Atypical is released next month. The trailer focuses mostly on gags and cringe humor, rather than the painful frustration of being an outsider that several scenes just hint at.
Netflix has stated, “Michelle Dean, who received her PhD from UCLA and worked at the UCLA Center for Autism and Research and Treatment before joining the faculty of CSU Channel Island, was also brought into the production to help guide an accurate depiction of autism spectrum disorder.” This is a smart move on the streamer’s part, but it remains to be seen whether the emotional core is overpowered by the comical cast.
Watch the trailer for Atypical above. The show hits Netflix Aug. 11.