New Netflix Series 'Special' Features the Story of a Man With Cerebral Palsy
Updated to include new trailer.
A new TV series is coming to Netflix for your streaming pleasure, and this time it features a main character and actor with a disability. Written and executive produced by Ryan O’Connell, who has cerebral palsy, “Special” will air on Netflix April 12.
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O’Connell wrote and will star in “Special,” which “loosely based” on O’Connell’s 2015 memoir, “I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves.” He will appear alongside actors Jessica Hecht, Punam Patel, Marla Mindelle, Augustus Prew and Patrick Fabian.
According to a Netflix press release, “the hilarious and heartwarming story centers on a gay man with mild cerebral palsy who decides to rewrite his identity as an accident victim and finally go after the life he wants.”
Special comes out April 12th on Netflix. Critics are already calling it “gay” and “disabled” so you know it must be good! https://t.co/o7rtrDqQVO
— Ryan O’Connell (@ryanoconn) February 5, 2019
The eight-episode series will be executive produced by “The Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons along with Eric Norsoph, Todd Spiewak and Anna Dokoza, who will also direct.
O’Connell has written for other TV shows, including the revival of “Will & Grace” and MTV’s “Awkward.”
Header image via Ryan O’Connell’s Facebook page.
Renée Fabian was the features editor at The Mighty. She has also written for The Washington Post, VICE, Healthline, Talkspace, The Fix, The Establishment, The Culture Trip, and GRAMMY.com, among others. Renée was named a 2019 AHCJ Comparative Effectiveness Research fellow, a 2020 USC Center for Health Journalism California fellow, and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles. You can follow her on Twitter @ryfabian.
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