NGL: An Autist's Honest Review of Austin
Love on the Spectrum's Michael Theo takes the lead in this AUS/UK comedy with Ben Miller and Sally Phillips
Hello fellow strangers and travellers;
Not gonna lie, as an autistic creator, I was less than enamoured with the concept of Love on the Spectrum. A reality TV show that highlights how difficult it is for autistic people to stay in relationships - let alone romantic ones - should not be as charming as the premise suggests. It edges ever so slightly into inspiration porn territory, the definition being ‘put a marginalised group on a pedestal (instead of an actual platform) and be something to gawp at in wonder like a zoo attraction for existing’. Count our blessings that Northern Pictures’ casting for this show was varied and dynamic enough (as a Euro-centric Australian production can be), with each star ranging from singles to couples, across all gender identities and orientations, proving that we aren’t all a one-size-fits-all kind of disability.
As autists, it’s our natural directive to make connections in a world that’s sensorily disorienting - how else would we get on the NDIS or do some of the things that neurotypical people do? But the exposure from this show and its American spin-off doesn’t diminish the fact that Autistic people - and disabled people in general - are sorely underrepresented behind the scenes. Talents like Chloe Hayden, Kayla Cromer, Fern Brady and Hannah Gadsby have lead the charge for producers to be more accepting (and hopefully readdressing the gender balance when it comes to autistic representation). But the trapdoor in the ceiling for autists in other production roles still remains a lofty threshold - one that thankfully now has a Freddie Highmore-shaped hole to hopefully fill with someone more adequate.
My bitterness and cynicism should not be construed as a slight to any of the autistic participants on LotS. According to the small-world experiment, I’m likely to be a few degrees away from some of the people on the show, whether they were the main cast members such as Chloe, Teo, Kelvin, Olivia, Jayden and the rest or one of their many, many dates. But sidebar here to address the elephant in the room: Teo and Kelvin may be some of the luminary CALDs on the show, but it still remains that Northern Pictures has an annoying threshold that prevents more than one PoC from being in the cast portrait.
On the show’s release, there was one person that got a lot more love than most - Michael Theo, becoming the show’s poster boy during the Netflix press tour and appearing on Ellen before she got cancelled. An irony in hindsight given the premise of Theo’s newest outlet Austin being primarily about a prominent children’s author in the centre of cancel culture central. So, a male J.K. Rowling?
It’s undeniable and understandable how ‘standard’ Theo is in the median representation of Western media’s portrayal of autistic characters (white, male, young and awkward), because it’s been the image that has been touted (unfortunately) by proclaimed diagnosticans in Autism’s golden era. But modern representation is slowly but surely changing to include a diverse array of performers of all colours, backgrounds and identities. Us autists should be happy that there is an actual autistic character played by an autistic actor, right? With regards to Australia’s commitment to D&I, it’s a real sticking point. But if there was ever a person to champion, best go with the person that is endearing on and off screen - with the potential to invite maybe more.
A deeper dive: An Aussie Autist and British Bookmaker Culture Clash
Gold flakes and lavender perfume cannot cover a turd entirely, and it would take a hard sell of a show as stellar as Austin (with British comic forces Ben Miller and Sally Phillips intermingling with Aussies Roy Billing and Gia Carides) to deliver what is a current-affair PR spin-cycle Lazarus tale that so happens to have an Autistic character in the mix.
Ben Miller plays the disgraced children’s author Julian Hartswood at the centre of the story, having retweeted (sorry, re-X’d) a Neo-Nazi’s opinions, and now finds himself in a publicity nightmare with tour cancellations imploding during his tour in Australia. Cue Michael Theo’s character, Austin Hogan, who comes with the startling revelation of being Julian’s born-out-of-wedlock son, one who Julian’s wife and work partner Ingrid (Sally Phillips) calculates was born during their honeymoon years when he slept with Austin’s overbearing mother Mel (Gia Carides). What follows is a cross-culture Commonwealth discovery of self which Julian hopes will translate into his immediate comeback after a drastic fall from grace, Ingrid’s rocky transition into regaining independence having followed her lout of a husband for her entire career and marriage and Austin’s self-discovery of finding out who he is through his father and a tour of England to search for Billie Piper (who actually does appear in the show).
Granted, the creators of this show did not aim to put neurodiversity in the centre, which is somewhat refreshing given how often Autistic-led drama pontificates often around the diagnosis. Given that Theo sat in for the script supervision of his character, Austin is fleshed out in a way where his Autism isn’t the main premise of his character but just another label to his character; his goal to travel to England is a two-pronged thing to bond with the father he never knew and to seek the independence away from his overprotective mother. A show that could have notably gone twee instead puts the emphasis of how actually messed-up the ‘normals’ in the PR machine are given the bombshell that Austin drops on Julian angle for the ‘inspiration porn’ redemption that an autist would grit their teeth watching.
However, I am loath to give it an approving look on the season-wide arc. There is a notable difference in attitude between Austin’s Australian parental units (namely Mel and his grandfather Bill, as played by Billing) and his recently discovered British book-writing duo whose only recourse is to apologise profusely for the sake of maintaining their dignity (though it does appear that Ingrid, for the most part, is keen to make a genuine connection with her newfound stepson and accomodate his needs). This angle could have been interesting given the British climate for Autism differentiates from Australia (judging from the Tory government’s attitude towards disability and marginalised groups in general).
The season is split across the pontificating and hand-wringing worries for Austin’s behaviour in Australia, only to drop that for a typical fish-out-of-water waltz through London where Julian aims to kickstart his redemption. The worries for Austin not being able to navigate London on his own, however, is countered by the overall tone of softening everyone’s edges even when there’s actual stakes involved; making every character lovey-dovey (as opposed to sympathetic) is where the show loses it for me: the idea that a celebrated writer’s couple could be less than vindictive to each other (given how noisy certain British writers are online) may have been the attempts to make Austin palatable to audiences like Heartstopper, which is fair, but considering that Heartstopper also had moments when it pulled no punches when it came to transgressions means that Austin panders the sweet stuff too often.
Refreshingly it goes nowhere near the whole ‘everything is noisy and painful to digest’ route that media often depicts Autistic meltdowns with - as seen in Sia’s Music. But even if the complications boil down to miscommunications (or, annoyingly, very subtle communication) we’re looking very obviously green-screened conversations in cars spent worrying about Austin, who just so-happens to naturally connect with everyone he meets (namely, Lloyd Langford as a forklift operator). Though I appreciate the script giving Austin something to do other than being Julian’s crutch, the resolution of the season attempts to wrap up Julian’s arc neatly - although there is a potential continuation in Austin’s attempt for genuine human connections.
So to wrap up…
Ultimately, I appreciate the efforts made by this show to at least humanise Austin and not make him a bystander or victim to his own show, but the overall tone fell jarringly saccharine. Granted, Michael Theo as Austin is one of the more genuine, proactive Autistic characters to add to a neurodivergent watchlist. Despite this, ABC and ITV’s collaboration had far less bite than I imagined given the premise. ABC is also known for creating irredeemable asshats, but putting speed-running the redemption arc means that every other sidestory feels less cohesive. Ultimately, this is Theo’s show, and being able to stand out against Ben Miller and Sally Phillips is commendable. Perhaps once it gets out of its teething phase, any potential follow up to Austin might have a bit more edge - but not in terms of more transgressions, but a less filtered translation given how honest Austin is as a character.
Stars: Picked up Masks: A New Generation TTRPG - I’m slowly getting around to playing more Powered by the Apocalypse games given how simple the build is.
Clouds: Seasonal coughing. Bustin the mucus with the Tussin, but having to watch out for your physical health as an Autist in winter… ugh.
Storms: AI datamining. No, Zuckerberg and Adobe, I do not approve of you using my info for your machines to do eldritch rituals with. If the prompt ‘autistic person of colour comedian’ ends up being me holding a puzzle piece and a mic with six fingers, consider yourself up for a burning at the literal stake.
RJ Daligcon is a comedic force of nature living in Australia. They are most likely found in a hat or hacking a TTRPG they’ve just found. Follow them on Instagram @strangeriverjay.