AS-themed tv shows/movies you'd like to see?

[IContainMultitudes]

Anyone here got an idea for a really great AS-themed tv series or movie or anything else?

Earlier today, I was thinking about how it's a little surprising that someone hasn't already made a show with a MacGyver-like aspie hero who solves problems with his/her technical skills considering that Asperger's is kind of "trendy" right now. Another idea I had for a show that could be good would be about a character with Asperger's who's a sort of modern-day "ninja" (more like a real-world ninja who was much more focused on stealth and spying rather than running around and throwing shurikens at people and who wore whatever type of clothes it took to blend in rather than the stereotypical black hood and stuff [for more on this subject, see the book Ninja Attack by Matt Alt and Hiroko Yoda]), sort of a good-guy version of Mike from Breaking Bad if anyone's here is familiar with that show (he's the detective guy who works for Saul Goodman and Gus). Would someone with AS even be well-suited for such a job? I don't know, but if having AS created challenges for the main character, that would probably be an interesting aspect of the show.

If such a show existed, would it be best to let viewers know right off the bat that the main character is an aspie, or would it be best to sort of "smuggle in" that aspect of the show like certain tv shows arguably do? Right now, I'm kind of leaning toward the latter (of course, that may not be much of an option if the show deals with the challenges that AS can present for people).

 

[whale_bone]

Great ideas!
Ha, I'd like to see an autism version of Friends. Like the social group from Mozart and the Whale. The main characters could be us. Except we actually live nearby to each other.

 

[Nathan]

The idea doesn't appeal to me. I hate most of the stuff on TV nowadays.

 

[jaws]

I've always been inclined to think that a lot of superhero like characters are aspies, McGyver, Peter Parker, Dr. Jackson from Stargate, etc. Though it would be interesting to state it outright and maybe have a sub-plot of overcoming the negatives of AS and how the more social the character was the less diligent they became, sort of a trade off between social and non-social skills.

 

[AGXStarseed]

I know in one of the Marvel comics (can't remember the issue), Susan Storm/Invisible Woman stated that she thought Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic had Aspergers. Would be good if they confirmed it.

 

[Cinnamon115]

Maybe a show about a family with 3 aspie kids and 2 nt parents?

 

[ChurchTheArtist]

Back when I had longer hair, I was told I looked, sounded and acted much like Inspector Gadget. As I rewatched some of the cartoons I thought that, if done correctly, he could be given a live action movie (I wanted to star in it) where he does have aspergers but it isn't "in your face" about it. For being one of the older cartoons and therefore lacking much depth in background or development we saw through the later years, he does show many traits that could be adapted to be due to ASD. Watching some of his aloofness and quirks I can't help but feel he was patterned after an aspie before the diagnosis was popular. While the cartoon was definitely goofy and carefree, I think that the idea of him with ASD and the Gadget build would be very interesting in a well written movie or show. We've seen the Marvel Cinematic takes on cartoon characters that can be deep, dark, bright and funny all at the same time. Why not Gadget? He's basically an aspie Terminator or RoboCop. Who wouldn't watch that?

 

[Mr Allen]

Way back in the mid to late 80s when I too had longer hair, I used to get told I looked like former Neighbours star Jason Donovan, at the time I wasn't sure whether to be flattered or mortally insulted lol.

Back on topic, I'm looking forward to the proposed second series of British show "The A Word", which was on BBC 1 a few months back during Autism Awareness month, it was a pretty good drama about the family of a young Autistic boy called Joe, starred Christoper "Doctor Who" Ecclestone as the boy's Uncle.

 

[Ronin82]

Two shows that already have Aspie lead characters that I love to watch are "Scorpion" and "Big Bang Theory"....both are very well done, I love both shows!

I would love to see a show about Aspie Martial Artists and the struggle they have to go through to get good at their art. Dealing with physical un-coordination, overwhelming instruction, tournaments, etc. Could be interesting, at least to me...

 

[AGXStarseed]

Way back in the mid to late 80s when I too had longer hair, I used to get told I looked like former Neighbours star Jason Donovan, at the time I wasn't sure whether to be flattered or mortally insulted lol.

Back on topic, I'm looking forward to the proposed second series of British show "The A Word", which was on BBC 1 a few months back during Autism Awareness month, it was a pretty good drama about the family of a young Autistic boy called Joe, starred Christoper "Doctor Who" Ecclestone as the boy's Uncle.

I wasn't fond of The A Word, personally. Some of the story was very hard/impossible to believe (such as Joe getting an Autism diagnosis so quickly when really it takes at least 6 months) and the mother's attitude just really rubbed off on me in a bad way.
Her going through shock and denial was fair enough, her trying to learn more about it by watching online videos was fine and her playing the blame game was believable - even if her initially blaming Joe's Autism on his dad's taste in music was a stupid blaming choice.
The second episode, however, was what really annoyed me in regards to her:

• In her refusal to accept that Joe is Autistic, she forbids everyone in her family from saying the word.
  
• She emotionally blackmails her family into homeschooling Joe.
  
• She ignores her daughter (who is perfectly willing to accept Joe for who he is) due to focusing on Joe.
  
• She asks her friend Nicola for a second opinion from Nicola's ex-husband Michael (who is a Doctor), but refuses to believe it when he also agrees that Joe is Autistic - even going as far as to state that "all the Doctors are wrong" and then not-so-subtly insult her friend by saying that Michael must have been "very convincing".
• When her husband looks at sending Joe to a special needs program and receives positive feedback from one of the students (well done to the BBC for having an actual Autistic teenager starring for this part), she instead at first refuses outright to look at the paperwork he has brought and then briefly skims through some of it before angrily declaring that if Joe went to the school he would come out "more Autistic then when he went in".
• When Joe decides to go back to school of his own accord, she tries to lure him back home and then reacts badly to her husband when he lets Joe go into school instead of trying to get him back home.

As you can tell, she just ruined the whole show for me. I did have good expectations for the show but was left angry and disappointed and so stopped watching after the first two episodes. Of course, we're all different so I'm glad you liked the show at the very least.