'Everything's Gonna Be Okay': The comedy show on a dysfunctional family has autism as part of the narrative, not the focus of it
'Everything's Gonna Be Okay', a Freeform upcoming comedy replaces the stigma of being part of the spectrum by bringing humor and the realities of a lost parent into the limelight.
With the entertainment industry opening up a platform for people to converse about autism, the show does not make it the essence of the storyline, making it an anticipated hit.
While the millennial era protests for more awareness of mental illness and individuals on the spectrum, people forget how common being on the spectrum actually is.
For people with autism, life still goes on with its own sets of personal struggles — just like everyone else. Shows like 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' focus on the realities of life, regardless of having a member being part of the spectrum or not.
After creating the critically acclaimed Australian TV show 'Please Like Me', that follows the journey of a young man navigating through a hectic life, Josh Thomas has now created 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay', and fans could not be more thrilled.
The trailer begins its narrative with Matilda, played by Kayla Cromer, the character that is part of the spectrum. Not a few seconds later, a joke sets the stage for this family dynamic pulling away from what people thought would take center stage.
Josh Thomas, who also stars in the show, plays 25-year-old Nicholas who lives at home with his father and two half-sisters, Matilda and Genevieve. Faced with his father's terminal illness and death, he takes up the responsibility of caring for his family.
With his sisters not too keen on his parenting tactics and having to grieve the loss of their father, the show makes for a great comedy trip while the family navigates their way through life.
The show takes into account how Matilda copes with this change and grows up a little differently than her siblings, highlighting an integral part of the show's dysfunctional family narrative.
Humor, age milestones, and the epitome of family workings, 'Everything’s Gonna Be Okay' has unique characters in its midst. As Josh Thomas brings topics that are underrepresented to the big screen, the youth of this generation — part of the spectrum or not — are able to relate to the characters.
The themes of love, grief and the process of adulting without an adult shine through and this unconventional family is speculated to be a fan favorite sparking up relevant conversations.
With a character with autism being part of the show's narrative, the main focus of the show navigates around many other things like sexuality, consent, and parenthood — a refreshing take on the spectrum.
With intense character development taking into account the responsibilities of growing up faster than anticipated, this show highlights how autism isn't always a negative connotation, it's just part of a narrative.
'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' airs every Thursday at 7.30c on Freeform.