Asperger syndrome is no longer in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — the DSM kids are calling it an autism spectrum disorder these days — but it’s still all over our television screens. It seems like no TV show is complete anymore without a charming and/or abrasive weirdo who has issues with social cues, eye contact, and the occasional hallucination involving deer antlers. (Although maybe that last one is Hannibal-specific.)
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Source includes Hannibal, Sherlock, Grey's Anatomy, and Parenthood
Maurice Moss, The IT Crowd
Moss has become a bit of an aspirational figure for people on the spectrum. We identify with him and his autistic-like qualities because we collect weird stuff like wires and suck at lying, too. We want to be him because most of us aren’t nearly as unapologetic and proud of those things as he is.
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Abed Nadir, Community
Abed is the antithesis to some very tired and pervasive Asperger’s cliches. He’s obsessed with pop culture instead of math and science. He clearly has empathy and he’s capable of forming meaningful relationships. So it’s no surprise that he’s been embraced by the Aspie community despite the lack of official diagnosis. Creator and once and future showrunner Dan Harmon might have been surprised when he recently discovered that he himself was on the autism spectrum, but Aspie fans of the show had him pegged as one of us from the very first episodes.
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Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan, Bones
Although the titular Bones will never be diagnosed with Asperger’s, both actress Emily Deschanel and creator Hart Hanson are happy to say that she almost has it in interviews. “Almost Asperger’s” sounds like a bit of a cop out, but Bones’ more subtle symptoms are actually quite realistic given that women with Asperger’s are much harder to detect and diagnose than their male counterparts. Brennan’s lack of interest in social conventions, rudimentary understanding of sarcasm, and awkward but undeniable affection for her friends are all in keeping with the way an actual Aspergian woman of her intellect would appear.
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Tina Belcher, Bob’s Burgers
Despite her parents’ insistence that she’s not autistic — and despite her inability to count toothpicks on the floor with Rain Man-style accuracy — 14-year-old Tina probably falls somewhere on the spectrum. She isn’t good with customers, and has both a terrible sense of what’s considered appropriate in polite conversation and a horse fixation. The sexually charged young lady also obsessively writes erotic fan-fiction (and friend-fiction), which makes her a refreshing change from all the asexual autistic characters on TV.
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Dr. Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory
Much like autism itself, autistic opinion on Big Bang Theory’s favorite theoretical physicist exists on a spectrum. On one end, you have people who wear their “Bazinga” shirts with pride and claim Sheldon as one of their own even though he has never been identified as such (and the creators have no interest in giving him an official diagnosis). On the other, you have people who think that his over-the-top lack of social skills, problems with sarcasm, vanity, and rigidity are a cruel and reductive parody of people with Asperger’s. Personally, I’m more offended by the show’s weak attempts to represent anything resembling humor.
Abed Nadir, Community
Abed is the antithesis to some very tired and pervasive Asperger’s cliches. He’s obsessed with pop culture instead of math and science. He clearly has empathy and he’s capable of forming meaningful relationships. So it’s no surprise that he’s been embraced by the Aspie community despite the lack of official diagnosis. Creator and once and future showrunner Dan Harmon might have been surprised when he recently discovered that he himself was on the autism spectrum, but Aspie fans of the show had him pegged as one of us from the very first episodes.
Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan, Bones
Although the titular Bones will never be diagnosed with Asperger’s, both actress Emily Deschanel and creator Hart Hanson are happy to say that she almost has it in interviews. “Almost Asperger’s” sounds like a bit of a cop out, but Bones’ more subtle symptoms are actually quite realistic given that women with Asperger’s are much harder to detect and diagnose than their male counterparts. Brennan’s lack of interest in social conventions, rudimentary understanding of sarcasm, and awkward but undeniable affection for her friends are all in keeping with the way an actual Aspergian woman of her intellect would appear.
Tina Belcher, Bob’s Burgers
Despite her parents’ insistence that she’s not autistic — and despite her inability to count toothpicks on the floor with Rain Man-style accuracy — 14-year-old Tina probably falls somewhere on the spectrum. She isn’t good with customers, and has both a terrible sense of what’s considered appropriate in polite conversation and a horse fixation. The sexually charged young lady also obsessively writes erotic fan-fiction (and friend-fiction), which makes her a refreshing change from all the asexual autistic characters on TV.
Dr. Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory
Much like autism itself, autistic opinion on Big Bang Theory’s favorite theoretical physicist exists on a spectrum. On one end, you have people who wear their “Bazinga” shirts with pride and claim Sheldon as one of their own even though he has never been identified as such (and the creators have no interest in giving him an official diagnosis). On the other, you have people who think that his over-the-top lack of social skills, problems with sarcasm, vanity, and rigidity are a cruel and reductive parody of people with Asperger’s. Personally, I’m more offended by the show’s weak attempts to represent anything resembling humor.
Source includes Hannibal, Sherlock, Grey's Anatomy, and Parenthood
