Netflix Announces New Series Focusing on Autism and Dating

Representations of characters with autism in the media are still relatively rare, especially when it comes to the struggles of dating and relationships. Now, Netflix has greenlit a new series, “Love on the Spectrum,” which will focus on young adults with autism navigating the world of dating. The news follows an announcement this month from Amazon Studios that it will be releasing an American adaptation of an Israeli series focusing on three roommates with autism.

The unscripted show which, according to a report by Variety.com, originally aired on ABC Australia in November 2019 will be branded as a Netflix original in all countries. The series will join an expanding list of shows focusing on characters with autism, including “The Good Doctor,” “The A-Word,” and “Atypical,” which is also produced by Netflix. ABC Australia describes “Love on the Spectrum” as an “uplifting four-part documentary [that] follows young adults on the autism spectrum as they explore the unpredictable world of love and relationships. According to Digital Spy.com, “Love on the Spectrum” will debut on Netflix on July 22 in the U.S. “When I started the unscripted department, we knew that one category that we wanted to try to get into was relationship and dating and love,” Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and comedy specials, said. “And those are hard shows to find. It's a category of programming that we know people really love, and it's our job to find the best shows." Source: https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/netflix-dating-shows-indian-matchmaking-love-on-the-spectrum-1234646974/