For a standalone TV show which temporarily interrupts episodic programming, see Television special.
Special (TV series)
GenreComedy, LGBTQ
CreatorRyan O'Connell
Starring
ComposerJoshua Moshier
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Num seasons2
Num episodes16
Executive producer
  • Anna Dokoza
  • Eric Norsoph
  • Ryan O'Connell
  • Todd Spiewak
  • Jim Parsons
Cinematography
  • Philip Roy
  • Nate Miller
  • Jeremy Mackie
Editor
  • Thomas Calderón
  • Luis Colina
  • Taichi Erskine
  • John Daigle
CameraSingle-camera
Runtime12–34 minutes
Company
NetworkNetflix
First airedApril 12, 2019
Last airedMay 20, 2021

Special is an American comedy-drama television series created by Ryan O'Connell for Netflix.[1] Starring Ryan O'Connell, the series is a semi-autobiographical account of his life as a gay man in Los Angeles with cerebral palsy pursuing new friendships, relationships, and self-sufficiency.

It is based on O'Connell's memoir I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves.[2]

The series premiered on April 12, 2019, and concluded on May 20, 2021, after two seasons.[3][4][5] It received positive reviews and earned four nominations at the 71st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, one for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series and three for the performances of Ryan, Jessica Hecht, and Punam Patel.

Synopsis

Special is "a distinctive and uplifting new LGBTQ series about a gay man, Ryan, with mild cerebral palsy who decides to rewrite his identity and finally go after the life he wants to live."[6][7][8]

Cast and characters

Main

  • Ryan O'Connell as Ryan Hayes,[9] an unpaid intern at Eggwoke
  • Jessica Hecht as Karen Hayes, Ryan's mother[10]
  • Punam Patel as Kim Laghari, Ryan's friend and co-worker at Eggwoke
  • Marla Mindelle as Olivia, Ryan and Kim's boss
  • Augustus Prew as Carey, one of Kim's best friends.
  • Patrick Fabian as Phil, Karen's new neighbor and love interest
  • Max Jenkins as Tanner (season 2),[11] Ryan's love interest who is in an open relationship with a man named Richard

Recurring

  • Gina Marie Hughes as Samantha,[12] Ryan and Kim's co-worker at Eggwoke
  • Buck Andrews as Henry (season 2),[13] a neurodivergent love interest of Ryan

Guest stars

Production

Development

On February 5, 2019, Netflix announced that it had given the production a series order for an eight-episode first season.[14] The series is created by Ryan O'Connell, who is credited as an executive producer, alongside Jim Parsons, Anna Dokoza, Eric Norsoph and Todd Spiewak.[14] Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of That's Wonderful Productions and Stage 13.[14] On December 16, 2019, the series was renewed for a second and final season by Netflix.[4][5]

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Ryan O'Connell, Jessica Hecht, Punam Patel, Marla Mindelle, Augustus Prew, and Patrick Fabian would star in the series.[14] In February 2020, Max Jenkins was cast in the recurring role for the second season.[11] In March 2021, Charlie Barnett, Ana Ortiz, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lauren Weedman, Buck Andrews, Anjali Bhimani, Ajay Mehta, and Karan Soni joined the cast in recurring roles while Leslie Jordan was cast to guest star.[13]

Release

On March 25, 2019, Netflix released the first official trailer for the series.[15][10] The first season, consisting of 8 episodes, was released on Netflix on April 12, 2019.[3] The second season was released on May 20, 2021.[5]

Reception

Critical response

The first season received positive reviews upon its release. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 96% with an average rating of 7.30/10 based on 25 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Honest and genuinely affecting, Special lives up to its name with a funny—if a bit too concise—first season brightened by Ryan O'Connell's infectious charms. Alternatively, some critics on Rotten Tomatoes compared the show to a "woke, sappy millennial dream".[16] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17] Variety gave the show a positive review calling the main character "quick and snarky, deeply insecure and sometimes more selfish than he's willing to admit. He makes mistakes and pays for them, undergoing a hell of a lot of change in the short time Special gets to show it."[18] TV Guide gave the show a mixed review saying that, "Hopefully Special gets a second season with a bigger budget, a writing staff, and more time to plan. The way Season 1 improves as it goes along shows Special still has a lot of potential."[19]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2019Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama SeriesJim Parsons, Todd Spiewak, Eric Norsoph, Ryan O'Connell and Anna Dokoza[20]
Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama SeriesRyan O'Connell
Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama SeriesJessica Hecht
Punam Patel
2020Writers Guild of America AwardsShort Form New Media – OriginalRyan O'Connell[21]
2022GLAAD Media AwardsOutstanding Comedy SeriesSpecial[22]

References

  1. ^ Petski, Denise (February 5, 2019). "Netflix Orders Ryan O'Connell Comedy Series 'Special' Produced By Jim Parsons". Deadline. Archived February 7, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  2. ^ "I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves to Get Through Our Twenties". www.publishersweekly.com. Archived May 5, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  3. ^ Pedersen, Erik (December 26, 2018). "Midseason Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series: 2019 Edition". Deadline Hollywood. Archived November 20, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  4. ^ Petski, Denise (December 16, 2019). "'Special' Renewed For Season 2 By Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived December 24, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  5. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 10, 2021). "'Special' to End With Expanded Second Season at Netflix (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived March 10, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  6. ^ "Netflix's upcoming series, 'Special' explores the life of a disabled gay man". The Rustin Times. April 9, 2019. Archived April 11, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  7. ^ Nakamura, Reid (February 5, 2019). "Netflix Orders Cerebral Palsy Comedy Series 'Special' From Ryan O'Connell, Jim Parsons". The Wrap. Archived December 18, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  8. ^ Rodriguez, Matthew (February 6, 2019). "A Comedy About a Gay Man with Cerebral Palsy Is Coming to Netflix". www.out.com. Archived May 24, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  9. ^ Porter, Rick (February 5, 2019). "Netflix Orders Jim Parsons-Produced Comedy Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived May 19, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  10. ^ Nordine, Michael (March 25, 2019). "'Special' Trailer: Netflix Series Shows the Highs and Lows of Being Gay and Disabled". IndieWire. Archived March 29, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  11. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (February 27, 2020). "'Buffy' Alum Juliet Landau To Recur On 'Claws'; 'Dead To Me's Max Jenkins Joins Season 2 Of 'Special'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived March 11, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  12. ^ Baroi, Tuhin (2023-05-05). "Gina Marie Hughes as Samantha in Special Netflix series -". Bivuk. Archived 2023-05-05 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise (March 29, 2021). "'Special': Charlie Barnett, Max Jenkins, Ana Ortiz Among Nine Set To Recur In Season 2 Of Netflix Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived March 29, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  14. ^ "Ryan O'Connell and Jim Parsons' Special is Coming to Netflix". Netflix Media Center. February 5, 2019. Archived April 22, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  15. ^ Shepherd, Jack (March 26, 2019). "Special trailer: New Netflix series' lead character is gay and has cerebral palsy". Independent. Archived April 11, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  16. ^ "Special: Season 1 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  17. ^ "Special: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  18. ^ "TV Review: 'Special' on Netflix". Variety. 8 April 2019. Archived September 30, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  19. ^ "Special Review: Netflix Let This Promising Comedy Down". TV Guide. Archived August 12, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  20. ^ "71st Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". emmys.com. Archived January 28, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  21. ^ Evans, Greg (December 5, 2019). "WGA TV Nominations: 'The Crown', 'Mindhunter', 'Watchmen' Among Contenders – Complete List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived December 5, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  22. ^ "The Nominees for the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards". GLAAD. 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-22.