Netflix’s ‘Love on the Spectrum’: A Step in the Right Direction for Autism Awareness

With season three of Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum having released last month, my friends and family have been asking for my thoughts on the show. I am both on the spectrum and am a big film/television enthusiast, so I think I am qualified to speak. Is the show worth watching, and more importantly, is it good Autism representation?

First though, I want to establish my perspective. Autism is a very diverse condition, and so autistic perspectives differ from each other as well as with neurotypical ones. Knowing my frame of reference will help in understanding my thoughts on the show.

My Perspective on Autism

What Even is Autism?

A simple question with an increasingly complex answer. Initially there was just Asperger Syndrome, characterized by impaired nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors, but over time was expanded into Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Modern ASD includes many traits beyond Asperger Syndrome, and often overlaps with other conditions like OCD, ADHD, and Epilepsy.

Because of the wide range of intensity of Autism a person can have (hence its designation as a spectrum) as well as its similarities with other mental conditions, diagnosing or even defining what Autism is can be difficult. I was diagnosed when I was young, and it explains me being a big-time creature of habit and often being overwhelmed in stressful situations, among other things. I imagine most people are diagnosed, but somewhat similar to LGBTQIA+, is up to us how much we want to take it to heart and make it a part of ourselves.

My issues with past autism depictions

I like to imagine the depiction of Autism within mainstream media as a sort of pendulum, swinging between too positive and too negative when it really should be in the middle. In the ‘too negative’ camp, Autism is depicted as completely debilitating and preventing someone from living a happy life. Modern examples are rare, though there is the infamous ‘I am Autism’ video created by Autism Speaks, a misstep that still haunts their reputation (the video has been reuploaded to YouTube, search it up if you want). We thankfully have gotten away from such depictions.

While I am overall optimistic for the current direction of Autism depiction in media, I am quite hesitant about the current idea of it as simply being quirky or even a “superpower”. Likely the biggest among these recent depictions is The Good Doctor, whose autistic main character is presented a socially inept and impulsive, but a technical genius who can greatly benefit society with his gifts. I take issue with these depictions because they downplay not only the diversity of Autism (lots of them are similar to The Good Doctor), but also what makes it a genetic condition.

Autism often can be genuinely debilitating for people, going hand-in-hand with OCD, ADHD, depression, and/or isolation. These modern depictions downplay or entirely leave out these things, which I feel has led to a perception of Autism being almost desirable. Unfortunately, an autistic person’s quality of life is at most the same as a neurotypical person and often is worse, and this reality must be acknowledged. While Autism has been spared the media censorship and misappropriation that plague communities like LGBTQIA+, there still is room to improve.

With that out of the way, let us see how Love on the Spectrum holds up in my eyes.

The welcome surprise of Love on the Spectrum

Overall, I can say Love on the Spectrum was better than I thought it would be, in general. The show had a natural flow to it and was rather down-to-Earth, all things that I appreciate. I have seen a bit of other dating shows like The Bachelorette, and much prefer this show’s format. I think it stands up well as a simple dating show, how does its representation of Autism hold up?

Strengths of the dating show format

A lot of Love on the Spectrum‘s best aspects are due to its format. Dating shows like this are character-driven and expected to be unscripted. This immediately allows the titular autistic participants to act like themselves, flaws and all. While there are times where a crew member may ask a question and sort of break the fourth wall, I think they are justified and helpful to viewers. The participants are not totally stubborn or stone-cold, they have feelings and regrets too. Simply seeing the participants in this moment-to-moment presentation already puts this show apart from many others.

I also like the sorts of settings that the dates take place in. There are the scenic locations typical of these shows, but a lot of them are locations chosen by the participants. These not only help to put a special spin on things, but also show that autistic people are people too. A lot of the locations are places neurotypical people would also enjoy, like zoos, gardens, or local spots familiar to them.

I think the show was smart in its naturalistic approach, largely letting the participants speak for themselves. I think presenting these people as too unusual or novel could have a detrimental ‘othering’ effect, even if unintentional.

Variety is the spice of life, and in media too

Racial and gender diversity has been a struggle within autistic media, and unfortunately, it continues a bit here. A good majority of the participants are White straight men in the first season, something that did attract criticism. This got better as the show went on, though, and by the third season, one of the main participants was bisexual, and there had been a good handful of non-White ones too. It could have been better, especially with racial diversity, but this is a great start.

I also like how there is a good variety of Autism portrayed too. Some participants almost seem neurotypical. Others have ‘special interests’ that comprise most of their life, some have speech impediments, and others are quiet and sensitive. Most of the participants are high-functioning, which I understand to avoid awkward situations, but lower-functioning people are out there too and should be acknowledged.

What else could be done better?

My critiques for the show, outside of expanding the diversity even more, are short but significant. I was not a fan of the show listing out a series of likes and dislikes for participants while introducing them. These were never brought up again, often too specific to gleam anything significant, and felt reductive to their personality. I also thought the musical cues were a bit heavy-handed, as they exaggerated the mood of scenes too much and sometimes made them feel overly juvenile.

One final thing is the usage of therapy for some participants is rather strange. It obviously is to improve their social skills, but since they will be talking to other autistic people, this feels misplaced. Speaking from experience, I find autistic people are not really put off by awkward social cues like neurotypicals are. It does not bother me much, but it could be interpreted as infantilizing the participants.

Final thoughts: Looking to the future

Overall, I did enjoy Love on the Spectrum, and think it started decently and only really got better. I think this show is a great step forward for Autism representation, although the job is not done yet. More casual, diverse representation like this, instead of the exaggerated and simplified characters of years past, is what we need. If future autistic media follows this example, the pendulum may finally settle down.