A BIG DEAL

I don't know how to write about ABC's new comedy, Speechless, without making it personal. The pilot is streaming now at www.abc.com It is available until September twentieth.  The show premieres on September twenty-first. 

Ever since watching the pilot., I have wanted blog about it. I started a post many times. They all sounded like a review. That's not what I wanted to write. I hope you read the piece I wrote about the show for The Mac Wire a few months ago. http://www.themacwire.com/abcs-speechless-not-your-typical-sitcom/ Writing a post about the show became a big deal in my mind. I wanted my post to be the kind of post that would make people want to watch. I wanted people to know what an important show Speechless is and why some reviewers are calling it "groundbreaking television." I was putting a lot of pressure on myself.   I shut down. I didn't write anything.

There are two reasons, in my opinion, to watch Speechless. Viewers will gain insights into what's like to raise a child with a disability. They will see a mother's fierce determination to give her child the best life possible while struggling not to neglect the needs of her other children.

The second reason to watch is  Micah Fowler, the actor who plays JJ DiMeo on the show. Like his character, Micah Fowler has Cerebral Palsy.  How cool is that?  He knows what it is like to have CP. He brings a certain realism to the show that an able-bodied actor could not.  

If there had been a show like this when I was growing up, it would have shown me that people with disabilities can achieve things in life. When I was young, we were not told what we could, do, only what we couldn't.  Today we have Speechless and Micah Fowler  to send a positive message to young people with disabilities/

I hope you'll watch Speechless. I hope it will get people talking. I hope it gives people a new perspective. 

Watch the promo below. Then watch the pilot.

Speechless. It's funny/ It's real. It's a very big deal.