As We See It (2022-Present)

I really love this show. I’d heard about it and was intrigued, then became even more interested after seeing star Rick Glassman promote it on The Daily Show. A great half-hour dramedy that’s a genuine tonic for representation.

Jack, Violet, and Harrison are three young adults with autism sharing an apartment together. Each is in a different place in their life in terms of independence and goals. With the help of their families and their therapeutic aide Mandy, they navigate work, relationships, and life.

That summary makes the show sound sort of treacly, and it’s certainly heartwarming at times, but it’s also by turns hilarious, awkward, uncomfortable, and wrenching. The characters and the interactions between them feel so genuine, so real, and I love the way the show demonstrates how Herculean seemingly-simple tasks can be, juxtaposed with how much joy and relief can be wrought from a seemingly-insignificant victory.

On a lot of shows, the flawed but good-hearted Mandy would be the protagonist, followed by Violet’s overstressed, long-suffering brother Van. And to be sure, both of them have their own arcs over the course of the story. But the characters with autism are always given their own agency and perspective, never turned into “lessons” for the neurotypical characters. I like that Jack, Violet, and Harrison are all within a similar range of “high-functioning”—able to live in their own apartment and have some independence, but not without outside help and accommodations—but that there are so many differences between the three, as it relates to their needs as well as their personalities. So often, Hollywood portrays autism between one of a few narrow boxes, but here, we see a wide range of presentations, sensibilities, and perspectives. Similarly, in Violet, we see some of the ways that autism tends to present different in women, outside of the normal collective idea of “what autism is or isn’t.”

All the characters with autism are played by neurodiverse actors, who handily demolish any arguments from Hollywood about “having” to hire neurotypical actors for roles like this. Each part is played with honesty and heart, and their scenes together are terrific. Rick Glassman brings humor and sensitivity to Jack, a character who could easily feel “robotic” in lesser hands. Albert Rutecki deftly navigates Harrison’s shifts in emotion, his performance equal parts winning and warm. And Sue Ann Pien does a bang-up job as Violet, a vulnerable young woman who’s aching to be loved.

Sosie Bacon does nice work as Mandy, always making it clear that this is a person who recognizes her clients need dignity and respect along with support and boundaries. I had a hard time placing Bacon, but I finally figured out she played Acosta’s American girlfriend Mimi in Narcos: Mexico. The show additionally features Chris Pang (Colin from Crazy Rich Asians) as Van, Vella Lovell (Heather from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) as his girlfriend, and Joe Montegna as Rick’s dad. I’m not familiar with Délé Ogundiran, but she’s excellent as Ewatomi, a character who unexpectedly becomes part of Jack’s life.

Warnings

Language, sexual references, drinking/smoking/drug use, and strong thematic elements.