Watch SPEECHLESS on ABC!
Last season, Speechless quickly became my favorite sitcom on Network television.Â
For those of you who have never heard of the show, I’ll include the show’s bio at the end of this blog.
At first glance this seems like a feel-good show centered around a family with a child with special needs.Â
Please believe me, as a person with severe OCD surrounding TV, it is so much more than that.Â
It’s a sitcom about a working class family, with an immigrant mother, an Italian-American father, three kids: one who has CP, one who has anxiety and one who appears manically ambitious plus their full-time aide Kenneth (who used to be a flamboyant college basketball star).
If that description doesn’t grab you then let me try this...
It’s like if half of the writing staff from NBC’s Community and half of the writing staff from Season 1 of Modern Family joined forces to create a show.
Still didn’t grab you? Okay... Let me give you my personal plea:
As someone who grew up in an Italian-American family who had our own share of issues (no one necessarily with “special needs” but 5 ESPECIALLY NEEDY children). Our house was often messy and disorganized. We were ALWAYS late individually and as a family. One of the five children in my family was organized and the collective behavior of the rest of us gave him severe anxiety (similar to the character of Ray). We always had random, non-related adults at the house who seemed like family (similar to Kenneth). I had a grandfather who never got angry. Even when my father, as as teenager, took his brand new car and purposely flipped it trying to recreate a stunt from a film destroying the vehicle. My pap’s response? He sighed and said to my dad, “let’s walk home”. The character of Jimmy DiMeo is my grandfather. I have never felt this personally represented on television as an Italian American. I also know so many families who have a child with special needs who agree. Representation on television is very important especially RIGHT NOW when our health care rights are constantly being threatened. This show is so freaking funny and so freaking important. Also... I have this tendency to love shows that get cancelled by their 3rd season... Community, The Neighbors, Raising Hope, The Real O’Neals. I want SPEECHLESS to thrive so I am begging you to take a chance on a really funny show that also inspires so many by just existing on television. (deep breath)
Okay. That’s my plea. Please watch Speechless this year so we can guarantee a 3rd season for the DiMeo Family.
Signed,
OCD TV
Below is the Description from the ABC website of Speechless:
Maya DiMeo, a wife and mother, is fiercely protective of her husband, Jimmy, and their three children, Ray, Dylan, and J.J. -- who has a condition that leaves him with unique mobility and communication challenges. While Maya's mama bear instinct may be one of her most admirable qualities, it's not without its drawbacks and sometimes the injustices she sets out to make right end up being all in her head. Together, the family members work to make a new home for themselves and find the right person to come in and give J.J. a voice of his own.